|
{ True Madness Magazine }
Music Reviews
The Dandy Warhols, Welcome to the Monkey House
Capitol, 2003
By James Eddy
Stop me if this sounds familiar…
1. You have an insane Lou Reed complex.
2. You are responsible for the one of the greatest American pop records to ever be recorded.
3. You have been overshadowed by a couple of Swedes in suits and five drunkards from NYC.
4. To prove everyone that their wrong about you, you release what you figure is the appropriate answer to a fickle market of hipsters: a synth-art record.
If this might sound like your life, best bet is you’re Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor. On top of the above mentioned crap, you’re so called follow-up record to the near flawless Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia features an homage to the infamous Andy Warhol cover-art. How terribly clever! Sadly, Monkey House’s wit ends right about there, with the exception perhaps of a few song titles. That’s the real tragedy of this record, is that while Thirteen Tales provides a constant smirk across the listener’s face, the newest outing seems to be much less focused. Frankly, the albums as a whole falls flat on its face by the end, bogged down by it’s own problems. Does it not have any saving graces? Some, including the delicious “The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone” and best track “We Used to Be Friends.” Overall, however, even these tracks are too little, too late to save the rest of the album as a whole. I would blame Nick Rhodes for this mess, but I think that sadly this was merely the Warhols extending themselves perhaps a little too far for even themselves. If you don’t own Thirteen Tales, shame on you; if you buy this album, shame on you twice!
RATING: 1.75 out of 5
|
