"Life is no cabaret/ We don't care what you say/ We're inviting you anyway/ You motherfuckers you'll sing someday" – Amanda Palmer, from "Sing"
Well, the hype machine is in full swing for this one... but fuck it. It's actually somewhat warranted in this case, so here's some more for you. Yes, Virginia is the album The White Stripes would make if they were getting more
passionate and creative with each successive release instead of lamer and more commercial. The Dresden Dolls are what Vanessa Carlton would've become if, instead of being sheltered and preened her entire life, she had been born a carnie and experienced the real world. Enough hype? Alright... now on to the review.
These Dolls, consisting of Boston-based lyrical pianist Amanda Palmer and metal percussionist Brian Viglione, have set before themselves a classic marketing barrier. Having formed a Cirque De Goth Cabaret-style stage show lifted from The Flaming Lips playbook but taken some place even weirder and more interactive (stilt walkers, chalk artists, some dude playing violin in the toilet, anything goes if you make it past security), many will not be able to look past their appearance and style, having already started trying to lump them into an emo or novelty rock category. While their image and fan base will certainly weed out a lot of superficial fad hoppers, they'll probably always have to deal with vain criticism from those unwilling to look past the cover and read the book (fuck those people anyway). Personally, I could give two shits what any musician looks like as long as they're honest. While Amanda's piano is at once and always strikingly beautiful, her pragmatic delivery of blunt and bitter lyrics is what compelled me beyond my own will to pay close attention on a first listen. I can't say I knew what to expect from this album, never having heard of these guys before they showed up in my mailbox, but truthful musings on Palmer's "First Orgasm" of the morning, the anti-soccer mom realities of abortion dealt with on "Mandy Goes To Med School," and lines like "She's the kind of girl who leaves out condoms on the bedroom dresser/ Just to make you jealous of the men she fucked before you met her" won me over almost immediately. I haven't been both this depressed and entertained since I discovered Aimee Mann, the Dolls capably bridging the gap between the Magnolia score and Muse's Absolution. There's a reason they were picked by Trent Reznor to open for Nine Inch Nails last year. So, go ahead and believe in the image of The Dresden Dolls, Virginia. There are plenty of us who can see their real power.
1. Sex Changes
2. Backstabber
3. Modern Moonlight
4. My Alcoholic Friends
5. Delilah
6. Dirty Business
7. First Orgasm
8. Mrs. O
9. Shores Of California
10. Necessary Evil
11. Mandy Goes To Med School
12. Me & The Minibar
13. Sing
More about: The Dresden Dolls
