The Dandy Warhols - Odditorium or Warlords of Mars

In Dig!, the hilarious and sometimes painful documentary that won the 2004 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, the Dandy Warhols matter-of-factly describe themselves the most well-adjusted band in America. While its true that in contrast to the remarkable chaos that surrounds rivals the Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Portland, Oregon group's propensity for onstage nudity and offstage decadence does seem somewhat tame, listening to its fifth album, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars, suggests they are still rock 'n' roll animals at heart: Thrusting through the sexy riffs of "Smoke It;" Reveling in the sheer horniness of ready-for-Vegas single, "All The Money or the Simple Life Honey;" Or simply floating above the ground with a clutch of space-rock jams that flashback to 1995's trippy Dandy's Rule OK? --Aidin Vaziri Amazon.com

Pretty Good

If you have ADD or other attention span issues, this is not the record for you. If you think Mahler or Wagner are too long, this is not the record for you. If you think movies over one hour 28 minutes are too long, this is not the record for you.

Also, it helps to hear this record on a really really good stereo. There's so much going on musically and sonically that you won't hear it otherwise. iPod? Forget it!

I came to the DWs after they had released this record. I have listened to them all, and frankly don't understand the attitude of those who think their first two records are their best. They're fine, they show lots of promise, but there's little of the refinement and sophistication of the later records. Camper van Beethoven anyone?

I can imagine that if you knew them as a live band when they first started, I'm sure they were fun, and you connected with their early records that way. I heard them live last year, and they sucked. But then, again, I can't imagine how they could possibly recreate the magic of their recent studio recordings live.

This is a very fine record, but you may have to be a grownup to get it. August 24, 2008

Disjointed but far from a waste

As was the case on the Dandy Warhols' excellent first, non-major-label album, Dandy's Rule OK? (The Dandy Warhols), the odd "Odditorium or Warlords of Mars" starts off with a humorous "spoken word" intro called "Colder Than the Coldest Winter Was Cold," performed elegantly by MC Bill Kurtis. Though the atmosphere on the "Odditorium" intro contains a less jubilant, hopeful feel than what the Dandy's recorded by "Young Thomas Pancake" in the mid-1990s, Kurtis's familiar voice and funny words get "Odditorium" off to a promising start. In fact, the smooth percussion and cool falsetto by singer Courtney Taylor heard on the mesmerizing "Love is the New Feel Awful" tricks one into thinking the Dandy's have permanently reverted to the creatively fuzzy vibe that they so amazingly perfected on earlier great albums like The Dandy Warhols Come Down and Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia.

Unfortunately, it's not quite to be. "Feel Awful" is itself an unnecessarily drawn-out, self-indulgent composition that devolves into a cacophony of competing trumpet, synth and guitar that becomes dull and cumbersome. Directionless experimentation or throwaway tunes stick out elsewhere on "Odditorium": "Did You Make a Song With Otis" is an ultra-short and silly sing-along that was unneeded; "There is Only This Time" is a weird, repetitive, ethereal track that reminds me of what an electronic version of the Benedictine Monks might churn out; and the dreary final song, "A Loan Tonight," may be the most bloated, bizarre tune this band has ever released. Picture listening to a song on a record player that should be playing at 45 rpms instead of 33 and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Despite its blatant (and purposeful?) flaws, however, "Odditorium" does have good moments. The upbeat and rollicking "Smoke It" is my favorite track, a good-time number where Taylor's muted vocals and humorous lyrics front a slew of background shout-outs that make it seem like the band was having some genuine fun in the studio. "Everyone is Totally Insane" is a classically tripped-out Dandy Warhols song that would be right at home on the band's previous records, as would the lively "Down Like Disco." Another cool tune is the all-too-short "The New Country," a cheerful country ditty that seemed to be written for the band's amusement but perhaps should have been explored further. The Dandy's adapt well to country sounds, and maybe a newfound plunge into that focused direction would be a beneficial and welcome update to the band's sound. And though I can appreciate the steadily drugged-out, tipsy sound heard on such tunes as "Easy" and "Hold Me Up," the well-known aura comes off as a little joylessly forced this time around, for whatever reason. Perhaps all the best Dandy Warhols songs have already been featured in car commercials at this point. In any case, despite some slip-ups on "Odditorium," this is still a great band that will hopefully be back with another great CD at some point. December 24, 2007

Some of the best -- and worst -- of the Dandys

On their earliest albums, the Dandys demonstrated that they could do two things really well: write insanely catchy, hook-filled, 3-minute rock/pop songs [eg, "As Cool as Kim Deal"], and do very long, atmospheric, repetitive, 10-minute minimalist jams ["Pete International Airport."] A lot of people seem to have first noticed the Dandys with "13 Tales" and "Monkey House," in which they seemed to be consciously making their bid for rock super-stardom by dropping the long songs and focusing on the short pop things.

Here, the Dandys seem to take a step back and a step forward at the same time. They try to take everything they've learned about making music over the last 10 years, and re-apply it to what they did in the beginning: combining short, hook-filled pop with more challenging and difficult soundscapes. The result is mixed, but really interesting. There are songs on this CD that I am totally crazy about and can't stop listening to: "Easy" for example: even though I can't understand a word that he's saying, the groove and the progression of the song are just irresistable. Then there are some OK "hit singles," like "All the Money or the Simple Life Honey." There is some great melancholia -- "Everyone is Totally Insane" and "Holding Me Up" are both great songs that happen to be somewhat grim. And I actually like "Love is the New Feel Awful."

Then there is a lot of stuff that does not do anything for me. I don't listen to "Smoke it" or "The New Country or "Down Like Disco."

Even though every single song on this CD is not a success, there really is some great music here, and I can't wait to hear what the Dandys do next.

March 8, 2007

Amongst the mess, there are a lot of good songs here

The Dandy Warhols' album, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars, is a release where the band throws everything at the wall to see what will stick. Sporting a very over the top production, the band writes songs in a variety of genres and the band clearly wear their influences on their sleeve. Listening to the album as a whole is quite a challenge as you'll dig one song and the next one will come on and you'll be saying, "What is this?" However, if you cut out the fat, most notably several minutes off the two longest tracks, this is a pretty good album. When the band stay in their element on the catchy "Down Like Disco", the rave-up "The New Country", the dreamlike "Everyone Is Totally Insane", or the killer rocker "Smoke It", they shine like the sun. And even though tunes like "Holding Me Up" and "Easy" are a little long, there are enough hooks to keep them interesting. Even the short little ditty, "Did You Make a Song with Otis", is pretty cool. Where the album slips is when they attempt to write a bombastic epic. "Love is the New Feel Awful" starts out as a cool pop song but becomes very repetitive and that goes double for the closer "A Loan Tonight", which drags on for 12 excruciating minutes. Also worth noting is that "There Is Only This Time" sounds way too much like Pink Floyd. All told, the highs clearly outweigh the lows on Odditorium or Warlords of Mars and it's worth checking out. October 20, 2006

Well I like it!

I put off getting this for so long since I'd read all the whining reviews about long songs and lack of tunes, etc. Come on people! This is a great album! If you've got the first two Dandy albums it's somewhat like a return, only with a whole load of Bohemian-Monkey attitude in the bag! Yeah, some songs are long but it's all about vibe and feel - this hangs together and it works. Except for the last song which is pants. Still - you can't have it all can you! September 23, 2006

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