"If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other." - Carl Schurz

"The saddest epitaph which can be carved in memory of a vanished liberty is that it was lost because its possessors failed to stretch forth a saving hand while yet there was time." - George Sutherland
"Whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither, in my opinion, is safe." - Edmund Burke

Sunday, November 12, 2006

My recommendations 2006:
Yes, Virginia… by The Dresden Dolls

The Dresden Dolls: Yes, Virginia…
Roadrunner 4/18/2006


The Dresden Dolls describe their style as "Brechtian cabaret punk". Being not entirely sure what they mean by "Brechtian", I had to look it up. According to the Wikipedia entry on Bertolt Brecht, his style of theater was intended to "provoke rational self-reflection and a critical view of the actions on the stage." In this sense, I'm not entirely sure The Dresden Dolls describe their music accurately. The way they cause the listener to empathize with their characters is, in fact, very un-Brechtian. I'm totally on board with the "cabaret" descriptor, however. Everything about Yes, Virginia… is theatrical and emotional. Imagine Antony Hegarty's Blacklips Performance Cult performing songs by Kander & Ebb. That comes close to describing the overall tone of Yes, Virginia…

Posted by Jonathan at 10:38 PM

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

I love The Dresden Dolls.

There's a great bit on their website -- or there was -- in the Q&A where someone wrote in and said "Is Coin Operated Boy about a dildo?"

Amanda writes back (I'm paraphrasing): "No, it's about trying to overcome the desire to kill yourself to end the loneliness."

10:40 AM

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