Come Down was the Dandy Warhols first major release, and i think is their most accomplished work so far. The album is comprised mostly of nice chord progressions and weird but somewhat meaningful lyrics, with then some really good melodies thrown in here and there. Tracks like 'Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth' and 'Everyday Should Be A Holiday' most people would have heard before.
The Dandy Warhols are :
Courtney Taylor - Vocals/guitar
Peter Holmstrum - Guitar/additional vocals
Zia McCabe - Key bass/percussion/additional vocals
Eric Hemform - Drums/vocal harmonies
SONG REVIEWS
1. Be In - with a typical introduction of weird ambient noises and samples you get tempted to fast forward until you find the actual song, but they blend in well together so i advise you not to fast forward. This song is comprised of a catchy guitar riff and a full drum beat, then accompanied by a jumpy bass line. The chorus in this song is particularly good, but it can get repetetive.
3/5
2. Boys Better - Starting with a cool guitar riff, and a really nice piece of drumming, then the keys come in the background which gives the song a sense of originality. This song is more 'rocky' than most of the album songs on thw album, until it gets to the bridge which is really really amazing, just taylor's vocals and the stop start drum/guitar/bass riff.
3.5/5
3. Minnesota - One of the better tracks on the album, much more catchy than tracks 1 and 2.The lyrics in this song are the main feature, with lyrics like
"Yeah, I could rock her
Like a doctor
If I found a way to get her off first
I could own her, the crazy loner,
If I found my way to minnesota"
4/5
4. Orange - Orange is one of the more 'trippy' songs on the cd. The more realistic look at the 'psychadelic revolution'. A slow moving song, made up of some nice guitar work and a steady drum beat. It's a very gloomy sort of song, depressing even, but still is a great piece of music.
4/5
5. I Love You - one of my favourite trakcs on the cd, with some innovative features. With a sharp intake of breath on every off beat for the first couple of bars before the vocals start..."i love you, i love you, i love you...." over and over until the 'verse' which has some really good lyrics in it like "You maybe think i'm too smart and weird, but that should only make you want to hear that, I Love You". This song can get repetetive after a few listens, but given that it still is a great love song.
4.5/5
6. Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth - made famous by the line "I never thought you'd be a junkie because heroin is so passe", which no doubt 9/10 people on this web site would recognise, and driven by a weird yet straight forward drum beat, this song is a classic. It's not one of my personal favourites, but it is a classic. The lyrics in this are a bit more aggressive than some of the other lyrics on the album.
4/5
7. Every Day Should Be A Holiday - this has one of the coolest guitar riffs ever, played just before the verses, and has a really nice chorus with a good feel to it, but it lacks something. I think it lacks variation, it can get repetetive.
4/5
8. Good Morning - my favourite song by the Dandy Warhols.... starting with a straight forward chord progression with some effects on it to make it sound really beautiful, this song progresses into A mind bending experience which can be relived and relived every time you listen to the song. It is easy to pick up that Taylor has been greatly influenced by Lou Reed with the vocals in this song. This song is topped off with an amazing solo, a brilliant song from start to finish.
5/5
9. Whipping Tree - another one of taylor's depressive, lonesome songs. Based around a plucking guitar riff, and some keys work this song is great, but i do feel the need to skip it every now and then. The other downside to this song is that it's wedged in between two of the dandy's best works 'good morning' and 'green'. The mumbled vocals are hard to decypher, but i'm sure they have a great deal of feeling behind them.
4.5/5
10. Green - this was the first song i heard off 'come down' and it almost instantly made me want to buy the album. Repetetive as it may be, it is just a wonderful concoction of guitars, keys and vocals. "I guess it's because i'm greener than green" one of the best lines taylor has ever written. Very dream like and ambient as well as being precise, this is a song that must be heard.
5/5
11. Cool As Kim Deal - A violent return to the rockyier stuff at the start of the album, this song is catchy, and has a range of vocals but it lacks something, it doesnt seem full enough. It is carried by an almost flimsy guitar riff which needs something added to it, and some repetetive keys. Not a great song, but still good for a couple listens.
3/5
12. Hard On For Jesus - another stand out rock and roll song, made by a fast guitar riff, and some cool harmonies, this song emmediately grabs your attention. The keys solo/riff is brilliant, and very catchy. This song like many others can get repepetive though.
4/5
13. Pete International Airport - An ambient masterpiece, with what sounds like someone talking in the background, with some effects put onto it. This song is very dreamy and slow, but without patience can get boring. Best to listen to this song before you go to sleep.
3.5/5
14. The Creep Out - Another one of my favourites on the album, starting off with a really catchy, repeptetive, plucky, guitar riff, which then becomes appart of a symphony of sounds and noises which then build uop to exploding point. This song is great to get lost in, with no vocals it leaves you to concentrate on the 'creepy' (hence the name, creep out) sounds the Dandy's produce. A great finishing track to the album.
3.5/5
This album has some very moving and brilliantly produced tracks, but it can get boring/repepeteive at times. Songs like Green, Good Morning, I Love You, and Minnesota are the stand out tracks for me. This is an original, and raw piece of work from the Dany Warhols, and it definately worth spending money on.
