Salon Exclusive Daily Download: “This Piece of Poetry Is Meant to Do Harm,” the Ark
Like the Darkness, Sweden’s the Ark teeters on the line between ironic, goofy novelty act and transcendentally tacky Dionysian glam-rock gods. But, thanks largely to their witty, outrageous, queeny frontman, Ola Salo, they teeter with considerably more grace and disarming good humor than the Darkness can muster. Seeing them play a packed showcase at New York’s Mercury Lounge last month my first thought was how very much like a real-life Hedwig they were, an impression that was reinforced when I noticed Mr. Hedwig himself, John Cameron Mitchell, bopping away in the front row. This stuff is utterly, ridiculously, irredeemably, and sometimes gloriously, over the top.
— T.B.
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Audiofile logo by: Aris Blevins
