The Dandy Warhols are an outfit mainly known for their taking part in the 2004 documentary 'Dig!' with their good friends The Brian Jonestown Massacre. However, they have been around since the mid 90's, and have released a handful of quality albums. This one, "Welcom To The Monkey House", was their fourth studio release, proceeding "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia", widely condidered their best effort, and preceeding their newly released "Odditorium and Warlords of Mars". This album is more electronically based than any of their previous albums, and it shows an enormous change in the music. A synthesiser was chosen in favour of the bass by Zia, and there is much less guitar present on the tracks.
The album opens with only Courtney Taylor-Taylor and a guitar, and some extremely odd lyrics.
"When Micheal Jackson dies,
we're covering blackbird.
And won't it be absurd when,
no one knows what song they just heard.
Unless someone on the radio tells the first."
Yeah, odd. Short track, leads right on into single territory, with "We Used To Be Friends". The electro-ness of it is evident right from the start, and it makes for an incredibly catchy chorus, with Courtney singing in falsetto "Along time ago, we used to be friends". A very odd solo, a bit off key perhaps, short and thankfully so, it's almost painful.
Both "Dope (Wonderful You)" and "I Am A Scientist" are more dancey tracks with the signature techno drum beats in the backgorund, and siren-esque techno effects in the background. Both songs are fantastic. "I Am A Scientist" was also a single I'm pretty sure. It has a very catchy main riff and vocal line, with Courtney singing "I am a scientist, we gotta live on science alone...". Its really a typical techno rock song.
"I Am Over It" is similar to the two previous tracks, but lacks the distinctive techno sound. Softly sung vocals over a driving synthesised bass line, with some rarely seen distorted guitar bcaking in the chorus. "The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone" is a short but very sweet song, very upbeat and uplifting, with Courtney singin again in falsetto:
"Exercise in your frustration
Unconditionnaly
Love me...
If I need some salvation
I have only one."
"Insincere Because I" and "(You Come In) Burned" are both really just filler songs, taking up an extra ten minutes of track. Other standouts on the album include "You Were The Last High" and "Hit Rock Bottom", with the former very mellowed out, a ballad almost, extremely melodic and ubersweet on the ears, and the latter a touch more rock orientated with, what's that I hear? A half-guitar driven track? That's right, but only half really. Still Courtney with his trademark vocals sounding like he really just couldn't give a damn.
Overall, this album is of course up to typical Dandy Warhol standards, but this one in a very different style. I would recommend it to any fan of the Dandy Warhols, fan of indie rock/pop, or any fan of electronic pop or rock. Great album.
Recommended tracks:
We Used To Be Friends
Dope (Wonderful You)
I Am A Scientist
You Were The Last High
Hit Rock Bottom
But not necessarily in that order...
Shortish review, but thanks anyway. Peace out!
