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The Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the Monkey House Audio CD

A fair review of the The Dandy Warhols "Welcome to the Monkey House" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Dandy Warhols reviews here, or go back to the The Dandy Warhols tabs.

The Dandy Warhols Band: The Dandy Warhols
Title: Welcome to the Monkey House
Rating:
Release Date: 2003-08-19
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Welcome To The Monkey House 2: We Used To Be Friends 3: Plan A 4: Wonderful You 5: Scientist 6: I Am Over It 7: The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone 8: Insincere 9: The Last High 10: Heavenly 11: I Am Sound 12: Rock Bottom 13: (You Come In) Burned

My 3rd album by the Dandies...
Okay, I hate to use internet speak but this album warrants it. . "OMFG" this album is frickin' awesome. Yes, I'm a few years late, it took XMRadio to introduce me to this awesome band, and this is the 3rd album by "the Dandy Warholes" that I've purchased, but what a pleaure! I love 3 songs off of this album and play them as loud as I can at traffic lights with my windows down and my sunroof open. I'm sure I piss-off lots of people, but this music is so cool, I'd accept a bullet from an angry crack-dealing rapper than turn my volume down. I especially like the way my rear-view mirror shakes at every beat!

Look, I love this band before I got this album, but this has got to be there best so far. (I expect a better album to come, hopefully, they are reading this).

Get any cd by "The Dandy Warhols" and expect great music, but this album far exceeded my expectations!".


still a good listen
I like it lot, still sounds fresh to me, but that may say more about me than the album. I just got this album, many years after it's been out. .


Synthetic party for exclusively hip VIPs only
Those are three immediate ways to describe a great deal of "Welcome to the Monkey House" by the Dandy Warhols. Clubby, a little cold-sounding and repetitive choruses. Thankfully, poppy and tuneful are also apt descriptions, attributes that save this CD from being a barren, overprocessed waste. Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes assists Courtney Taylor-Taylor with the majority of the production on "Monkey House," and it's somehow difficult to ascertain whether it was a helpful (or needed) collaboration. Rhodes' friend and fellow Duranite Simon LeBon lends inconspicuous backing vocals to "Plan A," a rather dull composition (with Taylor's castrated-sounding vocals) that is not as gleefully dance worthy as many of the other tunes. Other heavyweights lending their songwriting skills to the album are David Bowie on the stilted "Scientist," and the talented Evan Dando on "The Last High," which reminds me a bit of a Duran Duran tune. Unfortunately, Dando's presence brings little organicism to the table, but "The Last High" is far from the worst track.

So what's good on "Monkey House?" Well, "I Am Over It" is a stylish dance number that actually resonates with a good beat, some fuzzy guitar and an oft-repeated mantra. The spaced-out "Insincere" kind of hangs mellowly in no-man's-land but is nostalgically reminiscent of earlier Dandy's work that blissfully went nowhere fast, such as on the CD The Dandy Warhols Come Down. The best tune, though, is the 1980s-sounding "Heavenly," where Rhodes makes his presence felt and a great female singer (not credited in the liner notes and not bassist Zia McCabe) lays down impressive vocal work. Two more top-quality tunes are the lighthearted "I Am Sound" and the genuinely jumpin' "Rock Bottom," which is the Dandy's at their hooky finest. Safe to say, the second half of the record bests the first, perhaps because it feels less self-conscious.

Skip the dull, self-indulgent short film on the CD ROM portion of the disc, which was written and directed by Taylor. It's nothing more than several drugged-out pretty people sloughing off their "deep" philosophies as the end of the world draws near. Sad to say, Scott Weiland made an appearance in Taylor's wasteful (and wasted) creation. .


Welcome to the Mediocre House
Actually, its more of a dance album than a rock n roll album. I was expecting more of 13 tales from urban bohemia, and that is not what this album is. 13 tales is one of my favorite albums of all time because of the obvious influences of some of my favorite old singers/songwriters (Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed), but with monkey house, they clearly did not have the same influences or even the same creative force which made 13 tales so memorable and varied. Basically, you can tell that the guy who produced Duran Duran albums had a large say in the production of this album and I find that sad. I do really like Plan A, though, and I listen to it about 10 times in a row and sing along then take the album off. I would not recomend this album unless you want some 80s sounding synth-pop to dance around to. But if you don't have 13 tales, get it quick.


A Different Dandy Album
The songs "The Last High" and "We Used to Be Friends" are two of my favorite tracks in any kind of music. Make no mistake about it, this is different from 13 Tales and Come Down, and sometimes change is both good and bad. "The Last High" is a trippy, but undeniably catchy song, one of my all-time favs. While "Friends" is just a great "hook-driven" rock song. "Plan A", and "Heavenly" are the other good songs on this album while "Rock Bottom" is decent. The Dandies have lightened up a bit as the guitar is not as heavy and the keyboards have become more of a focal point. I loved 13 Tales and Come Down as albums, but this one just isn't as good overall as those two. This one has great individual songs, but not enough other material to make this a great album. This is a decent album, but not great. Its one of those CD's that you just listen to a several songs then change the CD. I'd suggest just buying or downloading those 5 good tracks and the rest you can skip over.


You can see a complete list of all The Dandy Warhols discography, or go back to the The Dandy Warhols tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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