Customer Reviews

No, Virginia...

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Back in May 2006 I reviewed the album Yes, Virginia... by the Dresden Dolls, and I quote myself (after all, nobody else is going to quote me):

"You'll need to keep an open mind for this one, but The Dresden Dolls are the most excitingly different duo that I've come across in ages."

Fast forward to 2008 and here's "No, Virginia..." which isn't technically a new album, because it's made up of left-over tracks from previous albums and B-sides, but it's definitely good enough to qualify for "new" status.

Amanda Palmer is as brilliant as ever with her dark, edgy lyrics, pounding piano and impossible-to karaoke vocal performances. This type of music (punk cabaret) may be an acquired taste, but for originality and audacity it can't be beaten.

The songs that I have been playing from this album are:

"Dear Jenny"- listen for the howling at the end

"Night Reconnaissance", where she observes "Nothing is crueler than children who come from good homes"

"Lonesome Organist R@pes Page-Turner" - not only a naughty name, but witty lyrics such as "So on the bench I watched his left hand crossing / While doubling entendres with the voicings"

"Sorry Bunch" - great piano performance

"Pretty in Pink" - my favorite track. Begins like Dire Straits "Walk of Life", and just gets better

"The Kill" - love the lyrics

"The Sheep Song" - a punk cabaret lullaby

If you know somebody whose musical taste is off-mainstream, you might want to put this on your Christmas list to convince them that Santa Claus is alive and cabaretting.



Amanda Richards, June 6, 2008

Welcome back, king and queen of punk cabaret. We missed you and your weird, wild little songs.

Thankfully the Dresden Dolls haven't lost any of their Brechtian flavour or wild devilish energy since their second album "Yes Virginia." And though "No Virginia" is not really an album proper -- it's a string of B-sides, odds and ends -- it's a deliciously dark cacophony of piano, psychiatric catastrophes and sharp drums. It's a bit smoother and less punky than their past work, but still what you'd expect from the Dolls.

Stabs of piano and drums punctuate Amanda Palmer's singing, as she announces, "Ashley talks to astronauts back home by way of fax transmission... weary, oh so drearily we wave our flags into the camera/Amber goes berserk completely, she's been here since last December."

The melody becomes subtler and darker as she announces, "Sometimes they let strangers in and other times they check the records!/When they check out in the morning dad puts out the lie detectors..." That one's about a psychiatric hospital, ya know. Think of it as a sequel to the gloriously mad "Girl Anachronism," but with more dramatic music and a slower beat. And, of course, the girl anachronism is now in a ward with self-harmers, flashers and imaginary astronauts.

And it's followed by the music-hall darkness of "Night Reconnaissance," a wildly weird song about lawn ornaments and social outcasts. But the Dresden Dolls prove that they can do more than that -- hauntingly angular pop music, cascading piano-rockers, weird experimental tunes, mellotron-saturated melodies, and of course the cabaret-flavoured punk music. It ends with the yearning, desperate drama of "Boston," which is all about travel, sex and "forty-five minutes every day religiously devoted to regret."

A lot of these songs have been floating around in one form or another for awhile, whether in compilations, covers, unrecorded music, or B-sides from their wonderful second album. Well, it only really shows in a few places like in the suggestive "Gardener," which is way too whispery and purry to really fit in with the more dramatic and/or bombastic pop.

In fact, the only real problem with "No Virginia..." is that many of these songs rely more on smooth dark cabaret than on punk. Other than that, it's pretty much solid Dolls material -- most of the music rides on the piano, whether it's thumping, rippling, sparkling, smashing or reverberating in the silence. And it's draped in plenty of sharp angular drums and some powerful punky guitars. And in the more experimental songs like "Gardener," the S&M-flavoured lyrics are softened with mellotron and a hint of accordion.

Amanda Palmer's throaty, muscular voice winds through these songs like a gleeful temptress. She happily sings of exaggerations ("I am an amazon/an ampersand/an accident"), outsiders, last hopes, S&M, mental illness, sexy piano teachers, and "alcohol and chemicals." And the lyrics don't hurt -- they drip hints and subtext, but not in such a way that it ruins the fun moments -- and Palmer sings them with her tongue in cheek, and a little shred of longing.

"No Virginia" can be seen as a companion piece to the wonderful "Yes Virginia," but taken on its own merits it's a delightfully dark little trip into the darkened houses and wild nights of the Dresden Dolls.

You know what gets me? The fact that the Dolls' sophomore effert, Yes, Virginia, was so highly touted by fans and critics alike and yet No, Virginia, has gotten NO publicity. I understand that it's not a proper follow-up but come on, these songs are incredible!

In case you are oblivious to The Dresden Dolls, this is, and I quote:
"A collection of unheard treasures from the Vault of The Punk Cabaret taken from the Yes, Virginia Sessions & featuring new songs from the winter '08 Sessions."

I was worried all the attention they got for their last record would go to their heads, but no. Quite the contrary, all these songs remain true to the Dolls' former releases in every way without feeling like a cash-in or a lame attempt to remain relevent. Amanda and Brian are simply having fun and you can tell through the duration of No, Virginia.

Where's the love for Dear Jenny? That is by far my favorite song on here and ranks among my favorites of their's period. Past that, other stand outs include The Mouse and the Model, The Gardener, Sorry Bunch, and The Kill. Much like the past two releases, No, Virginia is a record that is totally easy to listen to completely with no reasons to skip any song.

As a side-note type of thing, I must say that Amanda and Brian sound incredible. Amanda's voice is only getting better with each new CD and the chemistry between the two musically is enthralling. Listening to how they feed off of each others energy at some of this CDs most intense moments are so fun to hear.

My favorite songs are Dear Jenny, The Mouse and the Model, The Gardener, Sorry Bunch, and The Kill. When it seems there's rarely a truly great b sides collection anymore The Dresden Dolls come out of nowhere and offer up a glimmer of hope for future b sides CDs from other bands. However, with a band as unbelievably original as the Dolls, does it really surprise you that they delivered? I think not. Highly recommended.

I was so excited when I found out there was a new CD. They have been one of my favorite bands since I heard their first album around 3 years ago. I was worried when I found out this was B-sides, but I'm currently listening to it for the 3rd time (and I bought it about 5 hours ago!) and I think it may be my favorite! I'm in love... it's completely amazing.

Very good album. Amanda's voice is eerie and haunting. Her voice definitely is one of the elements that keeps me interested in this band. Palmer and Vigilone work well together on this one. The sound of it matches perfectly with their theme of 'punk cabaret' and all the pretty, twisty darkness that goes along with it. I have yet to skip over a song on this album and I could play it over and over again...I highly recommend!
So far, Top 5 Favorites are...
1. The Sheep Song
2. The Kill
3. Gardeners
4. Mouse and The Model
5. Night Reconnaissance

If you're a fan of Amanda Palmer,
please buy direct from HER website,
or buy in person at one of her shows.
The record company is withholding all profits if you buy
anywhere other than directly from her.
Please repost this review anywhere her products are sold.

This CD is more for Fans than others; it isn't quite as good as any of the other Dresden Dolls or Amanda Palmer albums out there...
...but it's still good and still has some really solid tracks on it.
If you like the Dreseden Dolls and Amanda Palmer - then you'll like this a lot, too.
If you are new to the Dreseden Dolls or Amanda Palmer - I'd go with a different album, first.

Enjoy!

The first half of this release from The Dresden Dolls is fairly enjoyable. It's packed with up tempo songs with lots of accompaniment from the drums, which I thoroughly like better than Amanda's slower ballads.

Unfortunately, the album slows down at the end. The Collector's Edition of the album (iTunes only?) has three additional songs, which are also slow songs; makes me regret spending the couple extra bucks.

If you took the best songs from Yes, Virginia and combined them with this album, you'd get something a bit disjointed, but ultimately fun and energetic.

Definitely a solid follow up to Yes, Virginia, and partially because many of the songs are those that didn't make it on the previous CD.

Its a fun album but does feel a little B -side at times. Despite this its still immensely enjoyable, and indicative of the Dresden Dolls unique sound, lyrics, and energy. A must have for the DD fan.

So this CD is supposed to be the leftover scraps from Yes, Virginia, but you wouldn't really know it. I wouldn't be suprised that the Dresden Dolls knew they had 2 albums worth of material at recording time much like Radiohead Kid A/Amnesiac. Some of the tracks are so strong, I'm suprised they didn't make the first album (again, leading me to believe they were planning this 2 album deal the whole time). It's worth buying, go do it.