Customer Reviews

Yes Virginia (Dig)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Boston's The Dresden Dolls seemed to come out of left field when their self-titled debut album began picking up steam via word-of-mouth and when "coin-operated boy" became a cult hit. Their wholly unique brand of theatrics, cabaret and dark confessionals was a refreshing change of pace.

With a cult classic under their belt, the Boston duo, made up of Amanda Palmer (piano, organ, mellotron) and Brian Viglione (drums, guitar, bass) are in a bit of a bind. What do they do for a follow-up? How can they make another captivating collection of songs, in a similar vein of avant-garde cabaret, without rehashing the debut? Luckily for The Dresden Dolls, with "Yes Virginia," (2006) the band make a sophomore album that takes up where the debut left off, yet also has its own signature and doesn't merely try to capture the style and spirit of its predecessor.

Compared to the self-titled debut, "Yes, Virginia" sounds more vigorous, and the album overall has more of a "rock" feel, yet without losing its theatrical, cabaret backbone. The duo sound sure of themselves and in their element. Palmer is kind of hard to figure out. Sometimes she seems to mock the subjects in her songs (dirty business), sometimes seems to hate them, (backstabber) or shows sympathy (Delilah). Other times it's hard to know if Palmer is being sarcastic, ironic, or sincere. Sometimes it's hard to know when she's wearing the theatrical mask or if she's being herself. While the album is theatrical in nature, at times Palmer seems to break out of her theatrical persona, such as with the candid and sincere "Delilah" and the beautiful, lush "sing" in which Palmer states "life is no cabaret." This makes "Yes, Virginia," a more three-dimensional album compared to the debut.

It took the Dresden Dolls three years to come up with a sophomore album and by listening to these songs you can clearly see why. The band didn't just use scraps or b-sides, but rather meticulously crafted their new body of work. It's obvious to the listener that each song on "Yes, Virginia" is a labor of love.

The Dresden Dolls deserve credibility simply because they push the envelope. That was proven on their debut album. Take a listen to Girl Anachronism and you'll see that this band is taking music new places.

The debut was a wonderful album for fans of the piano and introduced me to the world of punk caberet music, however the casual listener would probably write the band off as too expiremental and not grabbing enough for radio play.

With Yes, Virginia, The Dresden Dolls have retained their unique sound but have made the music bigger, catchier, and more appealing to a wide audience.

The album highlights have to be Backstabber and Dirty Business. Both would likely do well on alternative radio with their catchy piano riffs and lyrics that will really open your eyes. Especially on Dirty Business with the line "she's the kind of girl who leaves out condoms on the bedroom dresser, just to make you jealous of the men she f***ed before you met her" brutal!
Shores Of California is another standout, talking about relationships with lyrics that beg to be sung along to, can't wait to hear that track live!

They aren't afraid to speak their mind either as evidenced on First Orgasm or the controversial Mrs. O, 2 tracks that i'm sure will keep the album banned from stores like walmart, but that's probably a good thing.

For a band that doesn't consist of anything more than a Piano and drums, the tracks are huge, your brain won't even realize that there is only 2 instruments being playing here. You could even dance or mosh to half the tracks on this album, something that would seem impossible for a piano fronted band.

I will come out and name Yes, Virginia as one of the most innovative albums of the last 15 years. This album has to put The Dresden Dolls in the spotlight and give them their due. Check it out and be amazed.

If you're a fan of Amanda Palmer,
please buy direct from HER website,
or 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

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. Only the brave would start an album with a song about a sex-change, but this after all is punk cabaret, and wonderfully clever and entertaining. You'll see what I mean in the lyrics from the first track:

"No second thoughts the knife is nearing
You'll never hear the little pitter patter pitter patter
Of this little feat of engineering"

First single "Sing" is the last track on the album, and although not the best song on the album lyrically it's certainly ear catching. Other good tracks are "Backstabber"; "Modern Moonlight"; my personal pick "My Alcoholic Friends"; "Necessary Evil" and "Mandy Goes to Med School" where Amanda Palmer sings:

"I've been feeling dull as a coat hanger
Pretty as a picture of a patient on a fresh iv
Giddy as a gangbanger with a set of sutures where his magic johnson ought to be"

Give this to someone with weird musical tastes and they WILL believe that there is a Santa Claus after all.


Amanda Richards, May 19, 2006

The Boston-based Dresden Dolls have a unique sound commonly referred to as punk cabaret, and that's an accurate description, given the tenacity with which keyboardist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione attack their instruments. They're also frequently compared to the White Stripes, which isn't accurate at all, since the bands have little in common except for each having two members (though the Dolls poked fun at this comparison on last summer's tour by dressing at the Stripes and performing "My Doorbell" at some shows.) It's a good bet the Dresden Dolls won't have to deal with such lazy comparisons for much longer, because everyone is likely to know who they are after the release of Yes, Virginia, a collection of theatrical songs with plenty of attitude and unfailingly gripping lyrics, including as many clever one-liners as you'd find on a Ludacris album.

Palmer's vocal delivery is captivating throughout the record, with her deliberate enunciation of each syllable and the way she switches between singing and talking as she performs the voices of different characters. Viglione provides exactly what's needed for each song, from the frenzied drumming of "Modern Moonlight" to the subtle cymbals of "First Orgasm", to songs that combine both elements, like "Sex Changes," a standout track that isnt about an operation but rather the aftermath of losing ones virginity. The opening line of that song -- "Dear Mr. and/or Mrs. Sender" -- provides a fitting introduction to the off-kilter lyrics that are Palmer's trademark.

One of the strengths of Palmer's words is that, though they are deeply intelligent and thoughtful, they're always easily accessible. It doesn't take a lot of digging to discover the meaning of the songs, which is usually something fairly universal. "First Orgasm" is an updated version of "She Bop" for the brokenhearted and depressed. It's a stark portrait of a lonely morning at home, which concludes with Palmer twice pleading, "Won't you hold me?" "Me and the Minibar" has a similar theme, except the setting is a hotel room at night. And then there's one of the album's most obviously cabaret-sounding tracks, "My Alcoholic Friends," which focuses on the negative (and some of the positive) effects of being a boozehound.

"Backstabber" is a 4-minute litany of insults aimed at some unknown critic, apparently a jealous member of another band. Palmer wails, "Failure has made you so cruel" and "you only sleep with girls who say they like your music," then adds with indignation, "Don't tell me not to reference my songs within my songs." Viglione's rare appearance on background vocals suggests he is eager to join in the bashing as well.

For all of her venom and sometimes-frightening intensity, Palmer has a sharp wit. "Shores of California" examines the eternal relationship troubles men and women encounter due to their different priorities, "and thats why God made escort agencies, One Life to Live and mace and GHB," Palmer sings, before ultimately observing, "All around the nation, the girls are crying and the boys are masturbating."

The only misstep (and it's not a serious one) is "Sing," which is literally about the joys of singing. It has a pleasant melody and positive message, but it's also pretty lame for a band known for PG-13 and sometimes R-rated subject matter.

Despite their lyrical edginess, most of these songs have surprisingly mainstream melodies, which can only help to expand the duo's fan base. Yes, Virginia, it is possible to become rock stars in the year 2006 performing creative cabaret pop music.

If you've read any reviews for The Dresden Dolls' Yes, Virginia.., then you basically know what the lyrical content consists of. And the 'punk-cabaret' description is dead on. Knowing all of that, I went into listening this pretty much knowing what to expect...well, I was wrong. The lyrics are insanely brilliant, the vocals are amazing, and the instruments are played to perfection. But still, if you've never heard The Dresden Dolls prior to this, such as me, no matter how much people tell you, I guarantee you'll still be blown away.

I've never heard a CD where you actually sit and listen solely to the lyrics at times. Truth be told, the lyrics are so crazy you could quote them for days on end without repeating any. From sex changes, to backstabbers, to orgasms, to Nazi sympathizers, this CD leaves no bases untouched.

As for the rest of the songs, there's not a single song that I don't listen to. The different ways Amanda uses her voice captivates me, and the piano and percussion makes for one hell of a song. I've never been a huge fan of mixing female and male vocals so when I heard that happened in this CD I was close to passing it over. Having heard this CD more than a few times I can honestly say that one of the only songs that you can hear Brian sing in is Backstabber, and that actually adds another dynamic to a song that was already great.

My favorite songs are Sex Changes, Backstabber, Delilah, First Orgasm, and Shores Of California. Anyone who's looking for a new band with a more than fresh sound shouldn't pass up this CD. For my money, it's the best CD I've bought in over 2 months, if that really matters. And since when does Roadrunner sign a band like this? Quite puzzling.

This is my favorite album currently and I think the best-flowing Dresden Dolls album (although No, Virginia... was awesome too....).

But, I beg of you, Dear Reader, to NOT pay attention to the product description provided to you by Amazon.

Sex Changes is a cautionary track of triple-meanings concerning people who are borderline with their genders and can't make up their minds, but go through with surgeries (and how dangerous to the self this is), people who learned the hard way to not be "silly, wrap your willy" if you will--discussing abortion...and discussing the emotional consequences of the sexual act. It has nothing to do (from what I can see, anyway) with Amanda crooning about how sexy she thinks GID invididuals are.

Dirty Business is not a song about how hot it is when a girl leaves condoms out and acts like trash; it's a song about false rumors. And a very good one at that--I'm hooked right now to this one.

First Orgasm is a song about feeling like crap after a breakup and how there's no pleasure/happiness being alone: "The first orgasm of the morning is cold and hard as Hell" doesn't sound like what the reviewer seemed to think the song would be.

They totally cruised through track names and pulled out one or two lines to make it sound better. :/

I don't think Brian's drumming could ever be termed "perverse" during the course of this album. I feel Amanda does her best work with him because her voice, lyrics, and spirited approach to music coincides with his energetic, almost spontaneous-sounding drumming. It's not perverse to me at all.

So, yeah, this isn't an album about an artist's fetishes. It's an album about...a little bit of everything, I guess. Listen.

Also--I do not recommend getting just a few tracks--the album flows wonderfully and should be enjoyed as a whole at least once!
And if you do get just one or two songs I'd suggest Sing be one of them.

I won't get deep into this review, but I have to say this was a little disappointing after their first album was so amazing to me. This one just seems like another dip in the well. They don't take any risks this time out, and some of the songs are actually a bit droning and dull.

I still LIKE this CD, but it's not among my favorites. I hope the Dresden Dolls keep making music, but I also hope they step out of the formulaic rut they've gotten themselves into. They need to expand their musical repertoire a bit if they want to remain interesting and relevant on their next release.

I suggest you borrow this one first, and give it a listen before dropping the cash on it right away.

This is intelligent pop music that is much more accessible than I could've imagined seeing their odd image and known sexual references and sound. As an album this is solid and better than a majority of what passes for original pop music out there. Here we have truly heartwrenching stories about abuse, love, sex, caring, friendship, and with androgynous sounding vocals to boot. At first, I thought I'd find the duo approach to be spare, but considering I like the Mates of State, I decided to give this a shot and while they have a darker sound altogether, I like it a lot and the artifice apparent is nice. I'd recommend this to open-minded folk who enjoy thought provoking themes in music.

I think not. The Dresden Dolls, with their second major release, have not only expanded on what they essentially created on their first album, but have made it better (in some ways).
The album is in no way a "Dresden Dolls" clone. It is easy to see how they have grown and matured musically and personally. Brian's drumming is becoming consistantly more complex, and he has taken to playing guitar and bass on many of the tracks here. On the debut album, the Dresden Dolls had to call on the help of others for their guitar and bass parts (which were much less prominant), but on this release Brian handles the parts. And don't think that the Dolls have lost any of the "Piano-Drum" magic that made their debut such a masterpiece, because that is not the case.
The Dresden Dolls are really not something that can be described in words. You have to hear it to believe it, and this album is proof of that.