Dresden Dolls vocalist Amanda Palmer is a showstopper. She can be as a calming as a member of a church choir or as towering as a Broadway lead, and the chaotic, piano-driven cabaret of the Dresden Dolls often requires Palmer to capture both extremes in a single verse. She'll have a starring role later this year when she releases her first solo effort, but in the meantime, the Dresden Dolls' "No, Virginia . . . " serves as a placeholder, a collection of odds and ends to tide fans over. Some cuts, like the cover of "Pretty in Pink," or the tensionless march of "Mouse and the Model," didn't need to be resurrected. But others, like the singalong rolling notes of "Sorry Bunch" or "Night Reconnaissance," a multipart romp about middle-class vagrants, can stand with the Dolls' A-sides. —Todd Martens