Dandy, depressing earholes. (Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia - Dandy Warhols)

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia - Dandy Warhols
Date:	07/12/08 (269 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None really, maybe some good guitar work.

Disadvantages: Loads; boring, depressing, self indulgent.

The Dandy Warhols

Thirteen tales from urban bohemia - 2000

Let me start by saying that not having a capital 'B' for Bohemia in the title bugs me, it shouldn't but does.

Vocal/Guitars - Courtney Taylor-Taylor
Guitars - Pete Holmstrom
Keyboards/Bass - Zia McCabe
Drums/Backing Vocals - Brent DeBoer

The 'dandy's' as apparently they are called have been around since 1993 and are classed as alternative rock, or garage rock or psychedelic rock.....personally after this album I would call them, Mid West, self indulgent rock, but hey ho, each to their own.

This is their 3rd album and my wife suggested I listen to it before simply consigning it to the boot sale holdall that spells departure from our house. So I did.....you will guess from my previous paragraph that I was not impressed.

The first two tracks blend (boringly) seamlessly into one another, all lilting lead guitar and 'ahhhhhhh' vocals, bit like Nirvana all loved up, or the Doors had they discovered Ecstasy! Track 3 is more of the same.

At least track four has a different start which is quite 'countrified' and has a real Lou Reed or Iggy Pop feel to it, in fact I confess to actually liking it a bit including the acoustic guitar and clapping...OMG what is happening to me?

Track 5 is more of the same vocally but more electronic in terms of the music, horrid, really, just not good, it makes me cringe. Track 6 is nonsense. Track 7 is quite catchy, but I'm afraid that is all there is to say about it, it goes nowhere fast.

'Sleep' starts well, very strong, slow lead guitar, sounds a bit like R.E.M. and it gives you the feeling that this is going to be good. In fact the similarity to R.E.M. strikes again when the vocal comes in. Quite haunting and harmonic, possibly the best track on the CD, but believe me, that aint saying much.

Tracks 8, 9 and 10 are just self indulgent tosh..." aren't we great?" Maybe I am being harsh, and I am sure there are many fans out there who will disagree, but really, maybe I am missing the point, but no, not for me.

Track 12 starts out with some decent acoustic guitar and drums, almost Oasis like and I quite like it, even the vocal is decent, got a kind of 'heard it before' quality, but that's okay, some of the strumming when it comes to lead guitar is actually really good. The song is structured well and falls back to good 70's rock riffs to play out well.

The closing track is best described (by me) as a psychedelic country ballad....it's okay, no more, no less.


~~~Final Thoughts~~~

I would not go so far as to say I hate this CD, but I will say that I doubt I will ever listen to another Dandy Warhols' CD. They seem to me to be pretentious, boring and somewhat copying of other groups and styles, not for me and I am generally quite eclectic in my musical tastes.

Okay if you are watching an American film where everone is in the bar late at night drunk and moaning to the bartender before going home to their unhappy spouses who are busy waiting up for them. Then they all go to the steel works the next day....yep, depressing as well as dull.


~~~Song List~~~

1. Godless
2. Mohammed
3. Nietzsche
4. Country Leaver
5. Solid
6. Horse Pills
7. Get Off
8. Sleep
9. Cool Scene
10. Bohemian Like You
11. Shakin
12. Big Indian
13. The Gospel

Summary: thirteen tales from bohemia