A solid album-one good single, but otherwise engaging all round
It was for the song "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth".
My first exposure to this band would have been on an Australian music video show, probably Rage. Found it a really catchy, poppy song, and Zia McCabe was really cute! She's the keyboardist for the band. I'm sure girls would find the lead singer, a man, sexy too. Many years ago, an internet portal (Excite), along with a soft drink manufacturer, was offering a free mix tape cd where you could choose the songs you burned onto the cd. "Junkie" was one of my picks. Only bought the album that song came from last week. Here's what I think of it:
Even though the album doesn't have another song which screams "single release" like "Junkie", there are lots of nice and pleasant songs to like here, like:
Minnesoter: a catchy song with a simple sound, a guitar introduction that reminds me of the later song "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba, and a vocal sound not unlike Neil Diamond. Has a cool mouth harp sounding instrument.
Orange: one of a number or languid, eerie sounding songs. Has a sort of out of tune guitar sound to it, not a million miles from the classic Chris Isaac song "Wicked game". Features a breathy vocal, with female accompaniment.
Everyday should be a holiday: has a Billy Idol kind of introduction. Not sure if this song is another one featuring the mouth harp or a similar sounding instrument. The sound if not a million miles from a Daft Punk kind of song. The vocal sound/rhythm reminded me of Duran Duran's "Hungry like the wolf", I think. This is a nice pop song and has nice backing vocals too.
Good morning: has an ethereal/ghostly guitar introduction. In fact, I kept taking my headphones off thinking that my listening was being interrupted by a truck slowing down. . . there's that kind of sound in the song! The vocals sound a bit like a Lou Reed or Jim Morrison song. At one stage there is a very fuzzy sounding guitar, but it settles down afterwards.
Whipping tree: has a Pink Floyd sound, guitar wise (think "Wish you were here", I think). A delicate, ethereal sound.
Green: a contender for the second best song on this cd, along with Minnesoter. If this band ever release a compilation, this song would make a welcome addition to it. Has a pretty melody and a delicate sound, like the song above. Just totally btb, this is also the name of a song I consider to be the best song ever written, perhaps, in the pop field for sure: Alex Lloyd's different song with the same title.
Over the last half or more of this cd, the album has a more coherent feel and sound to it. In other words, from the song "Good morning" to the final two songs, which are both, pretty much, instrumentals, there is a sort of psychedelic feel to this cd. These songs are better than filler and make really good "chill out" music.
Maybe the sound on this cd could have been "brighter" if you know what I mean, but otherwise no complaints. The Dandy Warhols are band that on this album like to experiment with sounds. . . it sounds like they are twiddling lots of knobs in this album and the effect is quite good-lots of experimental type sounds between songs. Didn't really seem to notice much bass sound in this album, so, if you like music with bass guitar etc, you may want to explore a band like Pixies. On which. . .
There is a song called "Cool as Kim Deal" on this album. Just discovered Pixies the last few months and love them. Deal was their bassist and occasional backing singer/lead singer. Good band for bass guitar, Pixies. This song has 60's style harmonies with an organ type sound to it too. Has a bit of a "Mammas and the pappas" sound to it (that's a band from the 60's). The organ also reminded me of an organ melody for the song "Jerk it out" (I think that's the name of the song).
There is a song on this cd called "Hard on for Jesus". It doesn't seem blasphemous to me, though I'm an atheist and wouldn't really care too much if it was (within reason).
If you like this album, you may also want to check out The Vines' cd "Highly evolved" which also has a retro sound to it, albeit more rock at times. Reviewed that here a while back.
Good album this.
Pretty Good CD
While lacking the musical depth and lyrical expansiveness of 13 Tales, it's still a darn good listen.
overall a very good CD
The songs "Not if you were the last junkie on earth" and "every day should be a holiday" were great music videos and just flat out great rock songs with a more upbeat tempo, while "Green" and "Orange" are great slower songs with very cool melodies. This album is a must-listen for anyone who has listen to the Dandy Warhols or this type of music. Most of the rest of the songs are pretty sweet as well, all very catchy and with a lot of "hooks" on each song. "Be-In", "Boys Better", "Good Morning", and "Minnesoter" are all very steady rock songs in their own respective right, as each one has its own great uniqueness. The is a very good album and I'd recommend it to anyone. The only reason I gave it a 4 was because the last 2 songs sounded like they were just experimenting with different sounds but had no lyrics at all, which got kinda boring to listen to, but the first 12 songs except for "whipping tree" make getting this album definetly worth it.
may be addictive
This album lacks some of the catchy pop feel of Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, so is not as immediately accessible. I came to this band late in life, but now can't get enough. It's also a little more self-indulgent, in my view. That said, I listen to it constantly. Its inaccessiblity renders it more interesting than lots of more hooky works. I actually considered crossing the pond to attend the 8/23 Islington (London) show, but it was sold out before I could get myself in gear to make a reservation. I'm not a jet-setter, but this album clinched it for me. Much as I love Thirteen Tales and Monkey House, they didn't make me gung ho to go to London.
The Pose Is Real And So Is The Music!
So basically, if the name "the Dandy Warhols" sounds like the coolest, cleverest name for a band ever, you will love their music. The Dandy Warhols are the type of band that are exactly as their image represents them to be. You'll probably also crack up at their antic-riddled articles and interviews and marvel at how people who are so talented can manage to be as sexy as Courtney, Pete, and Zia. If you don't get the name, well, you're probably just as relieved that the band is pretty obscure in the US of A. Their second album--first major label release--represents both the best and worst of what the Dandy Warhols are capable of. While, personally, I think this album has more individual standouts than the later, more renowned "Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia", the latter has a larger number of good, even rock songs and coheres better as an album.
1. Be-in--The title is taken from those drug sessions hippies used to have in the sixties. This is a very long song with a long intro. It's pretty trippy, not surprisingly, and is about drugs. I've always imagined that this song would be a good theme song for a TV show about kids in some type of weird boarding school.
2. Boys Better--One of the hits off the album. Very catchy and powerful. Definitely wakes the listener up after "Be-in".
3. Minnesoter--A brassy, sassy number that reminded some critics of Oasis. It has a raunchy sound to it and raunchy lyrics as well--although I have no idea what the song is actually about and am not one hundred percent certain what `finding one's way to Minnesoter' is a metaphor for. Do I want to know?
4. Orange--A slow, hazy song with less texture than "Be-in". Not one of the better songs on the album.
5. I Love You--Another trippy song yet Courtney Taylor drone becomes almost hypnotic as he numbly repeats over and over again "I love you, I love you, I love you". Apparently this song is also used as the background music for a Pontiac car commercial.
6. Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth--The BEST song on the album! Basically a tongue-in-cheek poke-in-the-eye to the heroin chic culture. Yet there's something oddly poignant about the eye-rolling way in which Courtney Taylor insists, "Heroin is so passé" over the guitar-strumming. The Dandy Warhols didn't do another song this strong until "Bohemian Like You". The video for this song is well-worth checking out--come to think of it, all the Dandy Warhols' videos are. The scene is a psychotic game show in which junkie contestants compete for prizes such as car crashes and tombstones, including dancing syringes.
7. Everyday Should Be a Holiday--Another fast-paced track with a really good dance beat. Apparently it was included in the soundtrack for "There's Something About Mary". Don't miss the slipped-in self-reference, "Super cool, the Dandies rule, okay!"
8. Good Morning--A slow, haunting song. The lyrics, which describe a "good morning" seem to be contradicted by the eerie music which seems somewhat depressing. A quiet gem on the album.
9. Whipping Tree--Another, quiet song. Courtney Taylor kind of mumbles in this one and it strikes me as kind of bland, although I'm sure many people can empathize with the lyrics.
10. Green--Similar to "Whipping Tree" only with more emotion. "I only believe what I want to believe. . . yes it's because I'm greener than green. " Clearly about inexperience of whatever variety.
11. Cool as Kim Deal--A very sunny, cool-sounding song extolling the virtues of ultimate rock chick, Kim Deal.
12. Hard On for Jesus--Definitely play this at your local Church picnic. You owe yourself and your pastor that much.
13&14. "Pete International Airport" and "The Creep Out"--these last two songs are probably the worst on the album and together make up fourteen minutes. They just consist of weird, spacy music and muted vocals. I can assume that "Pete International Airport" is some sort of reference to guitarist Peter Holstrom, but other than that, they both lack focus and I usually skip over them.
Half of the songs on this album showcase the Dandy Warhols' ability to make brilliant, satirical rock anthems like "Minnesoter", "Boys Better", and "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth", while the other half can be classified as slow, trippy drug songs. These slower, murkier tracks aren't necessarily bad as a rule--"Be-in" and "Good Morning" are quality, but others, like "Orange", "The Creep Out", etc. , just seem to be long drawn-out layers of music with no substance. In conclusion, the Dandy Warhols should be commended for being a band that has the guts to be edgy, funny, and produce quality music that isn't categorically dark, even if they occasionally miss their mark.
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You can see a complete list of all The Dandy Warhols discography, or go back to the The Dandy Warhols tabs
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