DRESDEN DOLLS, YES, VIRGINIA CD REVIEW ON ROCK N ROLL UNIVERSE

A couple of years ago I was lying awake in bed one night and turned on the TV. I was watching the Jimmy Kimmel show, and he introduced his musical guests, the Dresden Dolls. I was amazed and blown away by their performance on the show. Amanda Palmer, complete with whiteface, garters, and black & white striped stockings, insanely hammered away on her keyboard while spewing out her twisted lyrics. Drummer Brian Vigilione complete with whiteface and a derby(reminiscent of 'A Clockwork Orange') pounded out the rhythm that would rival any metal band. The performance gave an intense punk/cabaret feel. Their self titled first release was phenomenal, as was their 'Live at the Paradise' DVD in which they play an unbelievable remake of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”.

This brings us to their latest release,'Yes, Virginia,' which is more of the Punk/ Cabaret sound and feel that is this dynamic duo’s own style. The CD kicks off with “Sex Changes,”which is intense both musically and lyrically as Amanda sings "…You get your choice of aesthetic, we’ll need to chop your clock off (tick tock, tick tock, tick tock,tick tock),it might not be what you expected,there is no money back once you get ripped off…”."Back Stabber” is up next, and is probably the strongest track on the CD. Other outstanding tracks on the CD are “My Alcoholic Friends,” in which Amanda counts back the number of steps to get back on the wagon of the weekend. ”Delilah” is where Palmer challenges with her lyrics as she sings”…And you thought you could change the world by opening your legs…”,"Dirty Business” tells the story of the kind of girl who leaves condoms on her bedroom dresser to make you jealous of all the men she F*CKed before."Mandy Goes to Med School" in which she addresses "…Put away those pliers honey cause I know the options, how about a nine month long vacation and a 2 foot coffin…” and “Sing,” which is the first single off the album, is also phenomenal both lyrically and musically. Overall, I actually feel 'Yes, Virginia' is a bit better than their first self titled CD and give it a solid 5 scars!