The Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the Monkey House

I love this CD more than life itself!!

because life before the Dandy Warhols was full of sadness and despair...;-)

It IS a radical change of sound for them but they've pulled it off because well, everything the Dandys do is cool. "You Were the Last High" is an instant classic, one of the most gorgeous tunes they've ever done. I didn't think they'd be able to top 13 Tales either but I took an immediate liking to this CD because it reminds me of the music I heard when I was sneaking into nightclubs underage in the '80s (only better...) September 14, 2003

So desperately wanted to like it...

And finally did. But, At first "Welcome to the Monkeyhouse" feels like a disappointment. Didn't like it. Was hoping it would click for me. But it didn't. Until maybe the 11th time through. Then, it works.

While I still find "The Dope" absolutely unlistenable, and the disc in general wears thin in the middle, "Monkeyhouse" starts and ends beautifully. "The Last High" and especially "Heavenly" may be among the Dandy's all-time best.

So, what at first seems a bitter disappointment ends up sounding sweet, if perhaps a trifle bit TOO sweet. Give it some time, enjoy, and hope we don't wait three more years for the next left turn. August 16, 2003

Play it in a programmable machine

"Welcome to the Monkeyhouse" is full of gems. But, unless you are a complete duran-ophile, you may want to skip some of the lightest fare and enjoy what would have been a classic EP.

Try it like this... Tracks 1-3 followed by tracks 8-12. Classic stuff, some of the Dandy's best ever, without the bitter disapointment. August 16, 2003

A different direction with the same result

The slight electronic treatments that appeared on 2000's NOT QUITE U.S.-breakthrough CD "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" and the subsequent Dandy Warhols remixes that have sprung up since then seem to have hinted that the band was moving from a traditional Brit-pop based guitar sound to one where keyboards and other gadgetry would be a bit more prominent. When the word hit that Duran Duran synth stylist Nick Rhodes was assisting with the production with the (VERY long-awaited) follow-up to "Thirteen Tales", the cat was out of the proverbial bag.
>
The result is an album that doesn't sound like any they've released before, yet still retains the inherent characteristic that makes the previous records sound so good (and is missing from so many other acts in the music business today): Quality songwriting and Courtney Taylor-Taylor's unabashed willingness to pay homage to (or completely rip off, depending on your point of view) the bands and artists he most admires.
>
The increased electronics add additional flavoring to the CD, but in some cases the end-result is that the songs sound like premixed remixes of Dandy Warhols songs (particularly the case with "I Am A Scientist")...and Dandy Warhols fans who are also Duran Duran fans (like me) will realize that the sound is more influenced by "Medazzaland" era Duran rather than the classic "Rio" sound. With this comes an undeniable funkiness previously lacking on Dandy Warhols CD's, especially in "The Dope" and "I Am Over It"...these songs wouldn't sound of place on one of Prince's better albums, actually.
>
The best song on the album is undeniably the Bowie-flavored (musically, anyway) "You Were The Last High", scheduled for release as the next single following the uber-pop electro-bublegum "We Used To Be Friends". It probably won't (and shouldn't) be remembered as the "Bohemian Like You" of 2003, but it is undeniably catchy and a joy to listen to, a ready-made classic.

>
"Welcome To The Monkey House" is neither better nor worse than its predecessors (personal preference will dictate how well it's received by fans already familiar with the Dandy Warhols); I wouldn't recommend it as being indicative of what the band's sound actually is (the ambient drone of "Insincere Because I" represents a style of song that has been repeated on nearly every album, but even that one track does not sum up the band's musical philosophy as recorded in studio). It's an interesting album, well-written and recorded; certainly worth your time and purchase. Do NOT expect to hear 13 more "Bohemian Like You" clone tracks, though. August 12, 2003

A different direction with the same result

The slight electronic treatments that appeared on 2000's NOT QUITE U.S.-breakthrough CD "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" and the subsequent Dandy Warhols remixes that have sprung up since then seem to have hinted that the band was moving from a traditional Brit-pop based guitar sound to one where keyboards and other gadgetry would be a bit more prominent. When the word hit that Duran Duran synth stylist Nick Rhodes was assisting with the production with the (VERY long-awaited) follow-up to "Thirteen Tales", the cat was out of the proverbial bag.
>
The result is an album that doesn't sound like any they've released before, yet still retains the inherent characteristic that makes the previous records sound so good (and is missing from so many other acts in the music business today): Quality songwriting and Courtney Taylor-Taylor's unabashed willingness to pay homage to (or completely rip off, depending on your point of view) the bands and artists he most admires.
>
The increased electronics add additional flavoring to the CD, but in some cases the end-result is that the songs sound like premixed remixes of Dandy Warhols songs (particularly the case with "I Am A Scientist")...and Dandy Warhols fans who are also Duran Duran fans (like me) will realize that the sound is more influenced by "Medazzaland" era Duran rather than the classic "Rio" sound. With this comes an undeniable funkiness previously lacking on Dandy Warhols CD's, especially in "The Dope" and "I Am Over It"...these songs wouldn't sound of place on one of Prince's better albums, actually.
>
The best song on the album is undeniably the Bowie-flavored (musically, anyway) "You Were The Last High", scheduled for release as the next single following the uber-pop electro-bublegum "We Used To Be Friends". It probably won't (and shouldn't) be remembered as the "Bohemian Like You" of 2003, but it is undeniably catchy and a joy to listen to, a ready-made classic.

>
"Welcome To The Monkey House" is neither better nor worse than its predecessors (personal preference will dictate how well it's received by fans already familiar with the Dandy Warhols); I wouldn't recommend it as being indicative of what the band's sound actually is (the ambient drone of "Insincere Because I" represents a style of song that has been repeated on nearly every album, but even that one track does not sum up the band's musical philosophy as recorded in studio). It's an interesting album, well-written and recorded; certainly worth your time and purchase. Do NOT expect to hear 13 more "Bohemian Like You" clone tracks, though. August 12, 2003

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