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Yes, Virginia...

 
Album Review: Yes, Virginia...
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Yes, Virginia...

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  • Artist: The Dresden Dolls
  • Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: April 18, 2006
  • Type: Contains explicit content, Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

The Dresden Dolls could never be accused of being shy and retiring, but on their second full-length, Yes, Virginia..., they sound more confident than ever, igniting their cabaret-rock with more crazed inventiveness and you-are-there immediacy. While there's nothing as instantly captivating as their first album's winsome "Coin-Operated Boy" or the defiant "Girl Anachronism," Yes, Virginia... is a more powerful and consistent set of songs overall, moving from musically and emotionally complex ballads like "Delilah" and the album closer, "Sing," to shouty, forceful numbers such as "Necessary Evil" and "Sex Changes." Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie's production adds to the bigger, more rock-inspired sound of the album, which invigorates Amanda Palmer's character sketches. While the highly theatrical, stylized sound of the Dresden Dolls might seem to be the substance of their music -- and, admittedly, it does draw the listener in right away -- it's the strong songwriting that makes the band truly impressive. Palmer's lyrics have a mix of sympathy and disdain for the people and subjects in her songs that makes them seem very honest in spite, or perhaps because of, their theatricality. On "Backstabber," she dismisses a "greedy little fit-haver" with a "God, I feel for you, fool" that's a perfect blend of fury and pity. She goes after and celebrates uncomfortable moments, whether it's cataloging the drunken haze of "My Alcoholic Friends" (which is one of the jauntiest, poppiest distillations of the Dolls' sound to date) or "First Orgasm," a bleak and almost creepily intimate ballad that's not at all jokey despite lines such as "I'm taking matters into my own hands" and "there won't be any second coming." Full of ambitious twists and turns, equally vulnerable and sarcastic, Yes, Virginia... alludes to the famous 1897 New York Sun editorial that reassured a little girl that Santa Claus exists for a reason: as arch and ironic as the Dresden Dolls might seem on the surface, inside their music, there's a surprising amount of hope and heart. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Sex Changes (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (4:11)
Backstabber (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (4:11)
Modern Moonlight (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (4:45)
My Alcoholic Friends (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (2:47)
Delilah (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (6:54)
Dirty Business (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (3:36)
First Orgasm (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (3:49)
Mrs. O. (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (4:40)
Shores of California (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (3:35)
Necessary Evil (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (2:54)
Mandy Goes to Med School (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (4:39)
Me & The Minibar (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (4:35)
Sing (Lyrics) Amanda Palmer The Dresden Dolls (4:40)

Credits

E. Stephen Frederick (Back Cover), Holly Brewer (Vocals (Background)), Paul Q. Kolderie (Producer), Amanda Palmer (Vocals), George Marino (Mastering), Paul Q. Kolderie (Audio Production), Barnaby Whittfield (Artwork), Jeff Chenault (Creative Director), Brian Viglione (Bass), Barnaby Whittfield (Poster Design), David Bason (A&R), Mark Berger (Artwork), Brian Viglione (Drums), Brian Viglione (Vocals), Brian Viglione (Guitar), Mark Berger (Design), Matt Snedecor (Assistant Engineer), Amanda Palmer (Cover Design), Mark Berger (Layout Design), Amanda Palmer (Mellotron), Scott Irvine (Photography), Amanda Palmer (Organ), Paul Q. Kolderie (Mixing), Sean Slade (Audio Production), Sarah Gensert (Layout Design), M. McNiss (Choir, Chorus), Sean Slade (Producer), Amanda Palmer (Piano), Francis P. Church (Author), Brian Viglione (Percussion), Holly Brewer (Choir, Chorus), Mike Luba (Management), Amanda Palmer (Design), Brian Viglione (Guitar (Bass)), Adam Taylor (Engineer), Sarah Gensert (Artwork), Paul Q. Kolderie (Engineer), Amanda Palmer (Layout Design), Sarah Gensert (Design), The Dresden Dolls (Audio Production), Nicholas Vargelis (Photography), Adam Taylor (Audio Engineer), Amanda Palmer (Artwork), Paul Q. Kolderie (Audio Engineer)
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Wikipedia: Yes, Virginia...
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
For the newspaper editorial, see Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
Yes, Virginia...
Studio album by The Dresden Dolls
Released April 14, 2006 (Italy)
April 15, 2006 (Australia)
April 17, 2006 (Israel and most of continental Europe and Scandinavia)
April 18, 2006 (France and Spain)
April 19, 2006 (North America)
April 21, 2006 (Austria, Germany and Switzerland)
May 10, 2006 (Japan)
Recorded September 10-20, 2005 at Allaire Studios, Shokan, NY (Recording)
November 2005 at Camp Street Studios, Cambridge, MA (Extra recording and mixing)
Genre Alternative rock, dark cabaret
Length 55:24 (Normal edition)
1:00:05 (North American iTunes edition)
1:03:49 (Japanese edition)
Label Roadrunner Records
Producer Sean Slade, Paul Q. Kolderie and The Dresden Dolls
Professional reviews
The Dresden Dolls chronology
The Dresden Dolls
(2003)		 Yes, Virginia...
(2006)		 No, Virginia...
(2008)
Singles from Yes, Virginia...
  1. "Sing"
    Released: March 31, 2006
  2. "Backstabber"
    Released: September 18, 2006
  3. "Shores of California"
    Released: 2007

Yes, Virginia... is the second studio album from Boston-based band The Dresden Dolls, released worldwide throughout April 2006, with most European countries receiving it on April 15 and North America on April 19.[1] The album was recorded in September 2005,[2] with some extra vocal work and the mixing done the following November.[3]

It is named for a line in the song "Mrs. O.," which in turn references a reply to a letter run in the New York Sun in 1897 about the existence of Santa Claus (see "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"). The first single from the album was "Sing".

The album made its debut at #42 on the Billboard 200 chart (US), selling 19,047 units in the first week.

Other songs recorded during the studio session include "The Kill", "Boston" & "The Gardener." They were released on the No, Virginia... compilation in May 2008.

Contents

Track listing

All tracks credited to Amanda Palmer.

  1. "Sex Changes" – 4:11
  2. "Backstabber" – 4:11
  3. "Modern Moonlight" – 4:45
  4. "My Alcoholic Friends" – 2:47
  5. "Delilah" – 6:54
  6. "Dirty Business" – 3:36
  7. "First Orgasm" – 3:49
  8. "Mrs. O." – 4:40
  9. "Shores of California" – 3:35
  10. "Necessary Evil" – 2:54
  11. "Mandy Goes to Med School" – 4:39
  12. "Me & the Minibar" – 4:35
  13. "Sing" – 4:40

The North American iTunes edition of the album contained "Two-Headed Boy" as a bonus track.

Promotional advance copies of the album contain a version of "Sing" with slightly different lyrics. The final version's first line, "There is this thing that's like touching except you don't touch," is "There is this thing that's like fucking except you don't fuck" on the promo.

Japanese release

  1. "Sex Changes" – 4:11
  2. "Backstabber" – 4:11
  3. "Modern Moonlight" – 4:45
  4. "My Alcoholic Friends" – 2:47
  5. "Delilah" – 6:54
  6. "Dirty Business" – 3:36
  7. "First Orgasm" – 3:49
  8. "Mrs. O." – 4:40
  9. "Shores of California" – 3:35
  10. "Necessary Evil" – 2:54
  11. "Mandy Goes to Med School" – 4:39
  12. "Lonesome Organist Rapes Page Turner" (Japanese Bonus Track) - 3:42
  13. "Two-Headed Boy" (Japanese Bonus Track) - 4:43
  14. "Me & the Minibar" – 4:35
  15. "Sing" – 4:40

"Two-Headed Boy" was included with the North American iTunes edition as a bonus track. "Lonesome Organist Rapes Page Turner" was later released on the companion album, No, Virginia....

Personnel

All songs written by Amanda Palmer, except "Two-Headed Boy" by Jeff Mangum.

Charts

Billboard 200
Week 01 02 03 04
Position
42
(19,047)
135
(6,744)
200
(4,425)
Out
Total
19,047
25,791
30,216
?
Austrian Album Chart
Week 01 02 03 04 05
Position
41
49
66
French Album Chart
Week 01 02 03
Position
138
180
Out

References

  1. ^ "Re: Release Date?". Amanda Palmer. http://www.theshadowbox.net/ddbb/viewtopic.php?p=178983#178983. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  2. ^ "Count Down From Seven". Amanda Palmer. http://dresdendollsdiary.blogspot.com/2005/10/count-down-from-seven.html. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  3. ^ "What Would Perry Do". Amanda Palmer. http://dresdendollsdiary.blogspot.com/2005/11/what-would-perry-do.html. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 

External links

v • d • e
The Dresden Dolls
Amanda Palmer · Brian Viglione
Studio albums
The Dresden Dolls · Yes, Virginia...
Live albums
Compilation albums
EPs
DVDs
Singles
Related articles

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Yes, Virginia...".  Read more