The Dresden Dolls – No, Virginia
This is not technically a third album by The Dresden Dolls . It’s a companion release of b-sides from the Yes, Virginia sessions, demos and five brand new songs, but to me it feels like something new. The way that it has been put together is really great and it never gets boring (for about 85-90% of it). What’s more is that it doesn’t feel like a stopgap between albums, as so many b-side and rarities collections do.
What’s definitely noticeable is that the songs on this album do sound a lot more poppy than any of their last two albums. Night Reconnaissance is a perfect first single with its toe-tapping rhythm and is instantly rememberable. The signature softer moments are also on this album in spades. The best of these is the brilliant The Mouse And The Model.
Once again, Amanda Palmer’s vocals are exceptional. She can pick a singing style to suit the song perfectly, ranging soothing (Sheep Song) to bleak (The Gardener). Her lyrics also pick up from where Yes, Virginia left off and are extremely creative and character driven – the best examples of this is album opener Dear Jenny and Lonesome Organist Rapes Page Turner, a song that is both comic and disturbing.
Sheep Song isn’t one of their best songs and Boston is a fairly weak closer when compared to the likes of Truce and Sing. It spoils what is a surprisingly great album, which you wouldn’t dare to think was a way of squeezing more money out of the worn out pockets of the die hard fans. If anything, some of the songs on show could well have been on Yes, Virginia if the band were more willing to go against their ‘punk cabaret’ stance. In a sense, this is the band’s pop album.
RATING – 8/10
The Dresden Dolls – The Mouse And The Model
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Posted on May 28th, 2008 by Max
Filed under: Albums, Reviews
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