Advantages: Unlike anything you've ever heard before
Disadvantages: Not to everyone's taste

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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: the vocals, the lyrics, the piano, the booklet
Disadvantages: you probably don't own it

...Do you know any self-harming hermaphrodites with a penchant for plastic lovin'? No? Then obviously you don't know The Dresden Dolls, because if one takes the group's songs literally, singer-songwriter-pianist Amanda Palmer is just such a self-mutilating, plastic-lovin' hermaphrodite. However, chances are you do know the Dresden Dolls, because why else would you be reading this review (unless you love me, in which case I commend you on your good taste)? So you already know that the group is a bit of Tori Amos, a dash of PJ Harvey, a little cabaret, and just a smidgen of punk. And, oh yeah, a whole lotta just plain strangeness. And strange, like its partner in rhyme change, can be good. Not every band can be unique and inventive, and the music world is flooded with imitators of better bands. Which makes it all the more exciting when... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Plenty of wonderfully quirky and unique songs.
Disadvantages: A little less punk-cabaret than their debut album - some people won't like that...

...First off, a bit of background information about the band. The Dresden Dolls are a piano and drums duo from Boston, made up of Amanda Palmer (vocals, piano, songwriting) and Brian Viglione (drums). They've managed to create a their very own trademark style, even coining the genre Brechtian Punk Cabaret. Which is about the best way one can describe them. After getting the Dresden Doll's debut album, I couldn't wait for the release of the follow-up Yes, Virginia. And I wasn't disappointed! 01. Sex Changes. A highly eccentric, catchy, up-tempo song that attempts to draw a parallel between sex change operations and the way that actually having sex can change a person. So strange, that it actually works! A fantastic opener. Key lyric: "They always said that sex would change you." Rating: 5/5. 02. Backstabber. A very tuneful, melodic... Read review

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Advantages: A great feminist play written by a man.
Disadvantages: none,

...When Ibsen created a Doll’s House he aimed to create it in a certain way. This structure was known as the well made play. Here are some examples of the format of the well made play and by looking at this list it is clear that A Doll’s House is of that nature. The Well Made Play 1) The plot during a well made play is usually based upon a withheld secret, often about the hero or main character and when it is revealed, the story line changes. 2) The initial exposition of the revelation provides information about the action before the play but also about the future, the secret. It withholds the secret but also gestures towards it’s meaning also. 3) There are ups and downs in the conversation/ dialogue and the swapping of humour lead towards the secret being revealed. 4) The “obligatory" scene in which we... Read review

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Advantages: Full of amazing and unique songs that only this band could pull off.
Disadvantages: A bit calmer and more mature compared to the previous album.

...The Dresden Dolls are Amanda Palmer (lead vocals and piano) and Brian Vigilone (vocals, drums and guitar). They describe their style as ‘Brechtian punk cabaret’, and with dark lyrics and a piano, this is a rather accurate description. ‘Yes, Virginia’ (which is named after the article in the New York Sun which responded to the question ‘Is there a Santa Claus?’ with the answer ‘Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus’) was originally released in 2006 and is the third album from The Dresden Dolls. The album has some key differences from The Dresden Dolls self-titled previous album. In a way it seems a lot more mature as there is less of the bizarre punk cabaret listeners became accustomed to in the previous album. Instead of featuring tracks which are more like darker children’s stories, this album seems a lot easier to relate to... Read review

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Advantages: Much more calm and methodic than the first album
Disadvantages: Much more calm and methodic than the first album

...What really drew me to the Dresden Dolls was the air of unpredictability they had. There is something absolutely terrifying about them, yet I can't really put my finger on why. Listening to the first album was a bit like watching a cat amongst pigeons. You knew it'd go mad, you knew it was kind of wrong to wait and watch for it to happen, but absolutely impossible to ignore. The Dresden Dolls sound is one that rests in 1950s Burlesque piano jazz, which occasionally travels to the modern day, punches you in the face with something bonkers and loud, and then retreats back to a smoky jazz café. But now, to the layperson. The Dresdon Dolls are a duo from Boston. You have Brian Viglione on drums and occasionally on guitar. One of the reasons why this bands sound is so unique is that Mr. Viglione actually manages to add expression... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Much more polished, mature and awe inspiring sound
Disadvantages: Maybe too different for some listeners to appreciate

...The Dresden Dolls self titled debut album was a real burst of adrenaline in the stagnant alternative music scene; it's combination of raunchy yet raw lyrics with powerful drums and crazy piano melodies made it a very unforgettable listen, an album that I shall take to my grave as one of my all time favourites. So when I got the follow up album 'Yes Virginia' for my last birthday, I was curious, excited and even a little sceptical; I'd never heard any of the songs before hand so was completely unsure of what I was going to be gracing my ears with. Then, their was my ever present bout of cynicism that doubted that the band could make a second album with at least the same amount of promise and aptitude as their first. How wrong could I possibly have been? The album starts with 'Sex Changes', a positively wacky bundle of energy... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Deals with many issues in a unique, original way.
Disadvantages: Some songs may be too mature or too quirky for many people to cope with.

...After hearing "Coin-Operated Boy" one night, I fell in love with the Dresden Dolls' originality. The next day I went out and bought this album. Every song on this album is intensely fueled by passion, and yet all seem to have a macabre yet funny side. The album starts off with "Good Day", a song about a woman getting on with her life after a breakup. The song starts off slowly and builds up to a climax in which Amanda Palmer tells her ex "I want to do more than survive, I want to rub it in your face!" The album only gets better from there. Track two, "Girl Anachronism", is an intense song that tells of how Amanda feels that she belongs to another time, possibly because she was delivered early by cesarean. Songs such as "Missed Me" and "Coin Operated Boy" focus on the theme of loneliness, whereas other songs have more obscure... Read review

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Advantages: Amazing songs, like nothing you've ever heard before, very clever lyrics
Disadvantages: Doesn't cater to everybody's tastes

...Not often do I purchase an album in which I like everyone song on it, but this one just blew me away. An amazing range of musical styles, showing just how talented Briand and Amanda are. The album's name, "Yes, Virginia..." comes from a Q&A section in a newspaper. A little girl named Virginia wrote in and asked if Santa Claus was real, and the editor said "Yes, Virginia, he is" or something to that extent. Amanda was either enthralled or enraged by this answer, and not only named her album after it but also dedicated an entire song to it (Mrs. O) Now for a breif over-view of all of the songs 1 - Sex Changes- A delightful little song about losing your virginity, with a catchy tune and jumpy piano 2 - Backstabber - Verging from the Dresden Doll's strange, new-age feel onto a more mainstream pop-rock sound, this song can be enjoyed... Read review

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Advantages: Every song has a deep meaning, and is sung passionately.
Disadvantages: You won't want to listen to anything else for a while :)

...After hearing a lot of songs from the Dresden Dolls' first self-titled album, I decided that it would be a crime not to listen to "Yes, Virginia...", an album that derives its name from a letter written from a young girl, Virginia O' Hanlon, asking if there is a Santa Claus. Beautifully, the reply explains that as long as people believe in Santa, he will exist. The letter can be found on the Dresden Dolls' website, in the bio section. The album starts with a bang, as a piercing, erratic piano announces the first track; Sex Changes, a song that seems to explore both Sex Changes and abortion at the same time. There are also slower tracks, such as Delilah, a song about a woman subjected to domestic violence. These songs are filled with just as much emotion and double meanings as the faster tracks. All in all, this is an amazingly... Read review

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