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I can't take it anymore...I have to make a topic about The Dandys.

 
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Vincent Chase

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PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:29 am    Post subject: I can't take it anymore...I have to make a topic about The D Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

This has gone on long enough. With my recent finding of Come Down, The Dandy Warhols are now officially my favorite band at the moment. They kick some serious musical ass, but haven't quite been able to grasp my top spot, but this affirms it. I just have to make a topic. As you may or may not be aware, just about everything in my profile, from my custom title, my avatar, my sig, my description and even my upcoming battle quotes is inspired by them.

Long story short - They're from Portland (Oregon), a city with a noted Hipster scene and rich musical heritage. The observant might notice that their name is a pun on the great Bohemian artist Andy Warhol, most famous for his utterance "Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame.". They have all of the elements of a band that should be huge; a solid sound that's new enough but familiar enough (The Stones and the Velvet Underground are obvious influences), a sexy, cocky and charismatic poster child (lead singer/guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor), a very attractive female (keyboardist/bassist Zia McCabe) and enough cohesion to keep it all together. Their first record came out in 1995 and they have more of a 'cult' fanbase than a dedicated following. Though they are on a major label (Capitol I believe) and their sound has become more accessible with each album post-13 tales... they still aren't a total loss.

Describing their sound is pretty simple; for the first through the third release it was the musical equivalent of taking the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Buffalo Springfield and a dash of 90's Britrock and throwing them into a blender. Then, for Welcome to the Monkey House (which contains the eponymous single We Used to Be Friends...AKA the theme song for Veronica Mars) they switched gears and went for sort of an 80's New Wave sound (courtesy of the Nick Rhodes production). After that on Odditoruim or Warlords of Mars they tried to sort of meld those sounds; taking the straight up revivalist rock of The Dandy Warhols Come Down and mixing it with the prog-synth of Monkey House. Aside from a few gems (the just plain cool Holdin' me up, the dark and trippy Love is the new Feel Awful and of course the mariachi inspired All the Money or the Simple Life Honey), I really don't think that it held up well. All of this leaves me with great trepidation for their forthcoming album, which is expected in 2008. While I love a band that can continue to evolve, I really wouldn't mind a return to their simplistic, stripped down roots.

Anyways, here's the info...I had to link to Wikipedia, and whether or not fakepedia is the best source for material, I think that it gives a good and succinct overview of their work. This doesn't include The Black Album or Come on Feel the Dandy Warhols, both of which can be found on their official site. I've also rated them by asterisks*.

Dandy's Rule, Ok? (N/A, can't find it anywhere)
The Dandy Warhols Come Down (****.5)
Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (*****)
Welcome to the Monkey House (***.5)
Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (**.5)

DiG! (Documentary)

Vincent's Top 10 Dandy Warhols Songs and best times to listen to them (no particular order)

Good Morning (The Dandy Warhols Come Down) - A beautiful chiming opening riff that gives way to more heavy brings to mind the shoegazing scene of late 80's-early 90's Britain. A wonderful song about waking up to a beautiful morning with a person you love.

Best listened to - Rolling out of bed on a gorgeous Sunday after a night of passion with someone you love.

Sleep (Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia) - Gorgeous song with one of the most beautiful melodies recorded since the golden age of Vienna. Ambiguity is key with the Dandys; I don't know if this song is about death, or wanting to sleep forever to forget someone (or to preserve their memory)

Best listened to - 3-Way Tie: Before going to sleep/At a romantic dinner/After a bad breakup.

Everyday should be a Holiday (The Dandy Warhols Come Down) - Where the sig is taken from, and also the title. A straight up rockin' number, I placed it beside Sleep to show that it doesn't matter; the Dandy's have something for everyone.

Best listened to - At a house party.

We Used to be Friends (Welcome to the Monkey House) - Arguably their biggest hit (I don't remember if it charted higher than Bohemian Like You, but more people seem to know this song), but deservedly so. To call this their catchiest song when they have many, many catchy songs is really saying something.

Best listened to - When dancing (incidentally I've heard a few club remixes of it before).

Mohammed (Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia) - A sweeping intro, liberal use of keyboards and a sitar-inspired riff? Obviously they've been touched by the Beatles, too. A great song about the 'answers' offered by religions that ask us to embrace unity but forsake those with differing beliefs.

Best listened to - When driving.

You were the Last High (Welcome to the Monkey House) - Very Modest Mouse-seque, but still a wonderful song, especially if you've been in that situation (for the record I also enjoy Modest Mouse, this song kinda reminds me of their hit Float On). It describes being loved and wanted by many, but unable to deal because you only want one person and you can no longer have them...I'm in something of a similar situation at this very moment.

Best Listened to - When reminiscing about said person.

Boys Better (The Dandy Warhols Come Down) - Another hard rockin' number from Come Down and as far as I know, the first of their songs to satirize the poseur hipsters (the other being the more famous Bohemian Like You). I enjoy that they don't take themselves so seriously that they won't take shots at the people who probably most enjoy their work.

Best listened to - At a house party.

Country Leaver (Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia) - To shift dramatically, I give you what's probably one of the most commonly maligned tracks from 13 Tales, but also one of my favorites. The crowing rooster segue, the clapping and the Ozark-style slide guitar give this song a very country feel, something totally out of style with the 3 songs that preceded it (Godless, Mohammed and Nietzsche), but I applaud them for changing the pace and it's something that makes the album better, diversifying a little bit.

Best listened to - Sitting on the porch with a shotgun.

Not if you were the Last Junkie on Earth (The Dandy Warhols Come Down) - Their first 'hit' (got airplay mostly on college stations, but you have to start somewhere), opens with the line "I never thought you'd be a junkie because heroin is so passe", and the rest of the song rocks and rolls with their typical fervor. Allegedly this song caused a huge rift between them and their friends the Brian Jonestown Massacre, both because it was a pretty big hit and because of the chance that it was about them, but I don't know.

Best listened to - Tie: At a party/When you want to feel good about yourself for never doing heroin

Nietzsche (Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia) - The last of the 3 epics that start 13 Tales and musically the most stunning. Departing from the melancholy of Mohammed, Courtney Taylor-Taylor states "I want a god who stays dead, not plays dead". Profound on its own, even better when you make the obvious connections to who the song was titled after. I also like that it starts heavy and ends in a quiet little bass lull.

Best listened to - Tie: With really good headphones/When driving.

Before I wrap this up, I also dig scenemates/rivals The Brain Jonestown Massacre. They're much more prolific but also much more self destructive, and I could very well make an equally large thread about them. Chances are if you like one, you'll like the other.

Plain and simple: If you have an interest in the music being made in the late 60's-early 70's, hipster culture, indie music or just good music with catchy hooks, appropriate production and lyrics that can be both thought-provoking and funny, you should listen to this band. I daresay that along with their largest inspiration (The Velvet Underground) and The Clash that the Dandy Warhols are one of few bands that you feel cooler when you listen to them.

~VC


Last edited by Vincent Chase on Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:02 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Calvin

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PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

As I said before, when I saw your Dandy Warhols references in your profile I couldn't help but chuckle. I haven't heard a lot of their music, but what I have heard, I loved. We Used to Be Friends, Bohemian Like You, and Godless stick out in my mind as songs that I really liked. Maybe this will finally get me to get off my lazy butt and go buy one of their albums.

I can generally appreciate any kind of catchy music. The Dandy Warhols remind me of a time when the music just had a different feel to it than it does today. As a side note, I've never listened to Velvet Underground (perhaps I should), but I have listened to The Clash, and they are freaking awesome.^^
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Vincent Chase

1st H.A.C - Spread Your Love


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

And when I saw you give props I gave you respect, they're a very cool band. Even those songs (the two, anyways, their biggest hits Bohemian Like You and We Used to be Friends) are awesome songs, and Godless could very well have also made my list (the reason it didn't is because it and Good Morning sound almost too similar) because more than any song it shows how together they are; the opening chords (allegedly borrowed from George Harrison), the lazy little slide riff and the finisher; the horn section which just rocks.

Most of their stuff, even from the mediocre Odditorium seems geared more to be catchy and melodic than deep and thought provoking. 13 Tales and Come Down (if you can find it) are extremely good records, and Welcome to the Monkey House, while different, is still at least worth a pickup. When I got 13 Tales a few years ago it was in my CD player for over 8 months, and I see Come Down following the same pattern. It's something that you'll either like instantly or you won't, but also something that if you aren't sure about it, it'll grow on you like moss.

Also yet another example of a band that's much bigger in Britain than in the USA, which I find to be a strange paradox.
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Calvin

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Another thing that makes me gravitate to the Dandy Warhols perhaps a little more than I normally would is that their song, Bohemian Like You, was featured in the film Igby Goes Down, with Kieran Culkin. That movie is by far one of my favorite movies (granted, it isn't for everyone, but just as the Dandy Warhols have a unique sound to them that seperates them from the pack, Igby Goes Down has a unique soul.

There's a feeling I get when I listen to the Dandy Warhols that I don't get when I listen to anybody else. They aren't my favorite band, and probably never will be--that spot is reserved for ever and ever. Nevertheless, they exist almost seperate from any other musician or band for me, so it isn't simply a matter of being a "favorite."
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