The Dresden Dolls – Yes, Virginia Review


Link: The Dresden Dolls

The Inside Pulse:
Ok, so the vibe is very cabaret. That category is broad enough that nearly anyone can imagine that that’s just fine, so let’s be more specific. Imagine you’ve had so much freaky sex that you’ve decided it’s boring, but it’s still better than the rest of life. So you live on the edge of perversion and wear your make up and black in such a way that no one gets the impression that you want to be alluring — just that you want to devour the fruit one more god forsaken time. Oh, and there’s the theater, where we can win the approval of sheep and wolves nightly just so we can discard it. The rest is some combination of deleterious intoxicants.

If that world sounds like a fun place to visit, you have found your new favorite album.

Positives:
– A few tracks sound like the rousing number from that musical about the downtrodden people who rise above the decay to find love (which may or may not be forcefully extinguished).
– Some of the lyrics are funny. “The first orgasm of the morning is cold and hard as hell. There won’t be any second coming so far as I can tell.” See, she’s expresing religious skepticism and talking about masturbation at the same time! C’mon, that’s pretty good irony.
– Miss Amanda’s voice is in good shape.

Negatives:
– If you aren’t the dark musical theater type or naturally overwrought, this isn’t for you.
– The occasional attempts to work in references to the mundane world are just not working for them. This is not our world, and shouldn’t be.
– The quality of the songs is just too uneven. They have a hard time building momentum, which is surprising given the drama of the music.

Cross-breed:
The Original cast recording of “Cabaret” with a dirty, dirty Aimee Mann.

Reason to buy:
You used to be in the drama club, but you really couldn’t handle smiling through Guys & Dolls.