The Dresden Dolls: Yes, Virginia
Ahhhh Brian and Amanda. They're like the Scully and Mulder of the cabaret world. Along with the amazing showmanship and theatrics, one can't help but notice the energy that comes off of deep friendship laced with sexual tension they exude on stage...it's so thick, you could cut it with a knife. That aside, I will say that even though I prefer seeing these two live, their album recordings are superb as well.
The first time I saw the Dresden Dolls was when they opened for Nine Inch Nails believe it or not. As the story goes, Trent saw the video for "Girl Anachronism" off of the Dresden Doll's self-titled first album and he was instantly hooked. Although not an obvious choice for an opening band, I will say many NINers became new fans after that tour.
Amanda Palmer is a poet and crafts lyrics with plenty of word play and appealing aethetics. A great example is the words to "My Alcoholic Friends:"
I’m counting back
the number of the steps
it took for me to get
back on the wagon of the weekend
I’ll use the autotimer to prove that
I'll get home with my imagination
if they find the body in the basement
“in the very house that she was raised in!”
I’m taking down
the number of the Times
so when we get the sign
from god I’ll be the first to call them
I’m taking back the number of the beast
cause 6 is not a pretty number
8 or 3 are definitely better
a is for the address on the letter
to my alcoholic friends
I’m trying hard
not to be ashamed
not to know the name
of who is waking up beside me
or the date, the season or the city
but at least the ceilings very pretty
and if you are holding it against me
I’ll be on my best behavior
taking shots for mother nature
once my fist is in the cupboard
love is never falling over
(1,2,3,4)
should I choose a noble occupation
if I did I’d only show up late and
sick and they would stare at me with hatred
plus my only natural talent’s wasted on my alcoholic friends
my alcoholic friends
the party never ends
my alcoholic friends
Yes, Virginia continues the same spirit as their first album with a fuller studio sound. I highly recommend it!
Listen to:
"My Alcoholic Friends"
"Backstabber"
Watch the Backstabber video.
Visit:
The Dresden Dolls official Web Site
Dresden Dolls Myspace
Buy Yes Virgina from Amazon.com
Labels: cabaret, dresden dolls, punk, video, yes virginia
posted by cchang at 11:46 PM
5 Comments:
Pretty cool. They sound a lot different from what I expected. For some reason I thought they would be punk rock. I never heard them before. I really like the psychotic piano riffs in Backstabber. Somehow their style makes me think of Sweeney Todd.
Some of the songs are more punkish, but all the piano work really keeps thing more cabaret. Brian the drummer is just nuts on stage. You should search for "Coin Operated Boy" on YouTube. That's another funny video.
Ha ha... "Coin Operated Boy" is cool...
Wow. It's easy to see why it was a surprise pick for an opening act for NIN! They remind me more of The Decemberists, or maybe even Ben Folds than NIN.
Interesting music, though. I like Backstabber a lot. The percussion plays a much more prominent role than you hear with most songs, and gives the whole track a crisp quality that's really cool.
Thanks!
That is a good point about the percussion. I was trying to put my finger on why that song stuck out so much. Actually the production quality of this album does exceed the first album noticeably.
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