Cabaret is a French-born form of entertainment (the first cabaret was opened in 1881 at Montmartre, Paris), and the word itself comes from the bars, or cafes where it was born. This artsy form of entertainment could feature music, comedy, theatre, dance, juggling, puppetry and basically all forms of entertainment that could be produced on a stage. A cabaret show is synonymous with a sexually charged, raucous, drunken, or drug-induced fun-fest.
This atmosphere of these original cabarets helped to mold the cabaret sound, which was influenced by gypsy culture and the avant-garde underground. The end result was an energizing sound meant to titillate and enthrall the audience.
Luckily, the cabaret mystique has survived within popular music, and this playlist explores modern songs with a decidedly "cabaret" feel.
Accordions, violins, poetic verse, and artsy weirdness can be found in this playlist, and it may give you an overwhelming urge to wear feathers, drink Absinthe and dance on a table without reserve.
The Playlist:
2. The Black Rider - Tom Waits
3. Start Wearing Purple - Gogol Bordello
4. Coin-Operated Boy - The Dresden Dolls
8. Evil Night Together - Jill Tracy
9. A Thousand Kisses Deep - Leonard Cohen
10. Seaside Rendezvous - Queen
11. My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist - The Decemberists
12. Cripple And The Starfish - Antony And The Johnsons
13. Postcards In The Rain - Xyra & Verborgen
14. You Forgot To Answer - Nico
15. Momma Was An Opium-Smoker - Rasputina
16. Brains! (From The Cartoon Network's Grim And Evil) - Voltaire
17. Big Top - Tin Hat Trio