The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia

Their best so far; a good choice for Dandy's newbies

I think this is the best Dandy Warhols album so far, and I like the band a lot. "13 Tales" is much more solid than the previous "Come Down" and consistently better songwriting. If you don't know their music, this album is a tasty starting point.

It is a rockin' album, but it is very dynamic - from quieter and melodic tunes to 'balls to the wall' blasts of fuzz and distortion intended to annoy neighbors. Song-writing varies from fairly simple and repetitive (Nietzche) to clever songs with hooks, complex chord structure, and intricate harmonies. At times dissonant, at others sweetly harmonious, and sometimes a bit of both. Harsh fuzz guitar sounds are mixed with clear, ringing acoustic guitars.

The album's sound is basic alt-rock, but draws from a variety of classic bands (Stones, Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground and others). They add a unique sound, sensibility, and tongue-in-cheek attitude that makes it refreshingly their own. There even hip-hop beats on one track. Some tracks are deliberately dissonant, others with sweet harmonies. It is the musical variety here that makes this one fun to listen to from top to bottom, meriting many listens without getting old or sounding the same.

What makes this album great is the wide range of sounds and styles, and the fact that there's not a bad track on it. The songs are seg'ed together to give a nonstop music experience, great for listening to the whole album. The seg transitions make for disruptive transitions on mix tapes, unless you do some editing.. When you play the entire album on most mp3 or computer music players, there is a brief gap in the transition as the player switches from one to the next track, unless you have gapless playback capabilities (like foobar2000, or are playing directly from the CD). For that reason I ripped the mp3s both separately and altogether as one track.

Tracks:

The first three tracks ("Godless", "Mohammed, "Nietche") are a powerful opening, starting slow and gaining strengthy until finally bursting out all over with "Nietchzhe"... a splendid trio. "Country Traveller" comes next. It's a great country-ish song on its own, but in terms of the mood it's an about face from where they took us with the first three.

The most obvious pop singles are "Bohemian Like You" (which got some airplay) and "Get Off" (which I have not heard on the radio). "Solid" and "Horse Pills" are hilarious snarky tunes that would be more at home on college radio.

The closing track, "The Gospel", is my least favorite, because it is slow and somber, and because it marks the end of a great album. But overall, there isn't a bad track on the album, though of course some are stronger than others.

There are various CD singles you can get from Amazon delears featuring tracks from this album. The title cuts on the singles are identical to the album tracks, so it is the alternative versions that are the reason to buy them. "Godless (mix)," from the "Horse Pills" single, reworks the song considerably. I like the result a lot - not better than the original, but as much as I like the song it's fun to hear a reimagined version.

I would give the album 4 1/2 stars if it were available. I usually reserve 5 stars for one of the best albums of all time. Objectively, I don't think that it is, because the quality varies; subjectively, it is certainly one of my essential favorite albums.... so 5 stars here.
July 11, 2007

One hit wonder?

This band is known to be a one hit wonder in Europe. Since one of it's most well known hit, A Bohemian Like You, has been used for a commercial (Vodafone, around the year 2000). Unfair, because this band has more to offer than just that.

If a equasion should be made, I would say it is a mixture of The Stones, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Loungy when it comes to numbers like "sleep" and energatic when it comes to songs like "Solid". A CD you can listen to when driving the country. Singing along with "a Bohemian Like You" and leaving the gas closed when listening to things like "Nietzsche".

I, for one, am very hapy to have obtained this cd. It will be one of those which is at the front row in my collection! May 7, 2007

Buy this album now!

Just to add a few words to echo most of the other reviews. Yes, there are a couple of weaker songs, so really it's not a perfect five stars, but it's close. As a whole, the album plays well and seems to be a rarity these days: an album that evokes a mood and makes sure all of its songs follow it. Most albums out there are a collection of songs thrown together. This group knows how to write listenable music. You won't be disappointed. April 19, 2007

This Album Is Incredible

I'll keep it short: If you need an album to strut around town feeling cooler than everyone else while listening, this is the one to do it with.

However, if the Dandys are going to do country, they really need to keep it off the front-porch hoedown vibe (Country Leaver), and keep it more on a "wearily crawling the dusty trail home after seeing some spirit visions" mentality (The Gospel). The latter is done really well, while the former is done poorly at best.

Country Leaver is really the only downside to this record, but do not let that dissuade you from getting one of the best indie rock records ever made. March 4, 2007

I don't smoke...but I just may need a cigarette

The Dandy Warhols take a lot of guff for being posed, insincere, and party-addled. The irony is thick enough to use as a construction material: it is in fact this appearance of pose that IS the pose. Ultimately, the joke is not on the listener, though, as the post-Velvets/post-13th Floor Elevators confections that they (regularly) drop with such casual nonchalance betray a workmanship and a sensitivity to songwriting that tips its hand. This is not a band of party-hardy dilettantes, but an informed and eclectic group of talented musicians who probably have stupefyingly impressive record collections. They (wisely) steer clear of change-the-world soapboxing and churn out anthem after anthem -- and "13 Tales" is their magnum opus (so far).

There are weaker tracks, where the pose is overplayed, like "Horse Pills" or "Solid." But on the whole, "13 Tales" carefully balances bombast with craft in such a seductive way that lyrical foibles are quickly forgiven and the cohesive, anthemic whole -- thick with winking guitar and snaky organ riffs -- becomes as satisfying as morning sex. February 27, 2007

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