RECORD REVIEWS

'YES, VIRGINIA'
The Dresden Dolls (Roadrunner)
Grade: B+
If anyone ever claimed you can't combine a little rock attitude with cabaret kitsch, they forgot to tell Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione -- the duo who are The Dresden Dolls.
Covering a range of ideas from heartache and loss to malice and spite -- and that's only scratching the surface -- the Boston duo's sophomore effort "Yes, Virginia" is an emotional, fun and entirely unique listen.
The group's name, an obvious homage to famous jazz duo Marty and Elayne -- a mainstay at Hollywood lounge "The Dresden Room" for close to 25 years -- may give those in the know a small sense of Palmer and Viglione's style. But this is lounge lizard music for the emo crowd.
Palmer, the group's composer who sings and plays piano, alternately takes herself very seriously then not at all, while Viglione, on drums and backing vocals, provides a perfect background to whatever mood his leading lady finds herself in.
On "Backstabber," Palmer attacks her instrument with reckless abandon, giving an earful to a music biz phony; Later, she plants tongue firmly in cheek on a few odes to falling off the wagon ("My Alcoholic Friends," "Me and the Minibar").
It's on the slower, more confessional tracks, however, that Palmer's wit and humor truly shine. She questions the importance of truth on the mid-tempo "Mrs. O" and even has time to chastise a girlfriend for her taste in men on the wonderful "Delilah."
--John Kosik, Associated Press
'COLLECTED'
Massive Attack (Virgin Records)
Grade: A
The effect Massive Attack has had on music has been, well, massive. Formed in Bristol, England, in 1987, it was one of the earliest acts to combine elements of hip-hop with dub, soul, R & amp;B, rock and dance music. Having released just five full-length albums in its 19-year career, the group that spawned the term "trip-hop" is nonetheless releasing a best-of compilation, comprised of two CDs, along with a reverse side DVD containing 16 videos.
The first CD includes Massive Attack's most-favored tracks, and offers up all the classics: "Safe From Harm" and the influential "Unfinished Sympathy" from 1991's debut "Blue Lines" album, "Karmacoma," the plodding, sweeping hip-hop-flavored track featuring guest vocalist Tricky from "Protection" (1994), and "Angel" from the darker, more spiraling "Mezzanine." There's also one new song, the hopeful, blues-lined "Live With Me."
The second CD's mixture of rarities and reworked material is impressive, offering up an alternate, slimmed-down version of "Everywhen" (now called "Incantations"), an unfinished work recorded with Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser ("Silent Spring"), the chilling and slithery "Joy Luck Club," the crisp, uncharacteristically fiery "I Against I" with a rap by Mos Def, and the swooning "I Want You" with Madonna on vocals. While "Collected" is still no substitute for a new album -- "Weather Underground" is slated to be released in early 2007 -- it's a great reflection of the group's powerful musical impact.
--Tim Pratt, Detroit Free Press
'VILLAGE VALLEY'
The Vines (Capitol)
Grade: B
Australia has always been a repository for both American and British pop culture. That dual influence is quite evident on the often-excellent third album from the Vines, the Aussie rock outfit fronted by the volatile Craig Nicholls.
The best songs -- crunchy, tightly coiled nuggets like "Anysound" and "Gross Out" -- are drenched in a Yankee flavor reminiscent of the Romantics. Go a little deeper into the CD and the dank English mood descends with blowsy quasi-ballads like the title track and "Going Gone," which recall Oasis. When the Vines cling to America, they're unstoppable.
--David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer
'TODD SMITH'
LL Cool J (Def Jam)
Grade: B
LL's "I Can't Live Without My Radio" came out in 1985.
He was 17. Now, how old do you feel? Probably not as young as the J the ladies love does.
The still-cocksure LL is agelessly graceful nestled against the soundscapes of Scott Storch and Trackmasters. It's not about LL's choosing young producers. He chooses wisely, finding sympathetic noise and throttling beats to accompany him on smoothies like the Stevie Wonder-esque "Freeze" and slammers like the organ-pumped "What You Want."
Vocally, lyrically? LL's as buff as he looks.
He's so strong, he even manages to embolden the usually limp J-Lo toward a fever-pitched purr on the twitchy "Control Myself."
Now that's suave.
--A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer
'STATE OF THE ARK'
The Ark (The Rebel Group)
Grade: A-
There's a reason you see so many older Volvos still rolling down the highway, and why Abba's songs remain timeless (yeah, I said it): precision Swedish engineering.
The Ark's U.S. debut is a similarly fine-tuned Swedish machine, a good ship of '70s and '80s pop influences (Blondie, Sparks, a-ha, Kiss) with enough kitschy wind in its sails that the Scissor Sisters comparisons they're often saddled with are justifiable.
The Ark has better songs, though. And more bite.
They have chunky riffs and lyrical guitar solos that are as memorable as the anthemic hooks in "One of Us Is Gonna Die Young" and "The Others."
When it all comes together on the spastic New York scenester diss "Rock City Wankers" and the glorious "This Piece of Poetry Is Meant to Do Harm," the results sound as timeless as Abba.
Yeah, I said that, too.
--Patrick Berkery, Philadelphia Inquirer