The Dresden Dolls vie for top place as my favorite new act of the last five years. I caught them on their first run through San Francisco in 02004 and was hooked. Amanda Palmer's twisted intelligence and pure gritty sex appeal transmit through the ivories, and Brian Viglione is a truly monstrous live drummer. Wrap it all up in a fine, Goreyesque sheen of neo-Victorian mechanism, smoke, sonic mirrors, and they're irresistible.

Yes, Virginia picks up where their eponymous label debut left off, and swings more directly into rock song territory. More mature song-writing, the thirteen tracks span a widened range of vibes, but all still bear The Dresden Dolls' signature: simultaneously light and dark, dramatic and sardonic.

While the entire CD has been on repeat, I find myself skipping back for double listens to Sex Changes, My Alcoholic Friends, Delilah, Modern Moonlight, and the long-awaited official recordings of songs I've only heard live or on bootlegs.

Yes, several tracks on Yes, Virginia are studio versions of older songs which have been in live rotation for some time. The beautiful bounce of Backstabber (which I sang in my head all the way home after that first show), the minimally luscious First Orgasm and the syncopated gem Shores Of California finally are committed to digital and sound spectacular.

In fact, the entire album sounds spectacular. This is a tighter, more focused Dresden Dolls, from Amanda's playing, lyrics, vocal expression and control, to Brian's whip-crack rhythms, to the very production values of the recording.

Yes, Virginia is scheduled for release in April. It's worth the wait. Voice, piano and drums have never sounded so good.