Amplifier's Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia review
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Amplifier #20
Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
by James Mann
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From floating down like clouds to shaking like a cab without shocks, the third full-length from the Dandy's succeeds grandly. Opening with "Godless" and continuing to "Mohammed" and "Nietzsche" (pretty heavyweight topics to start a pop record…) Thirteen Tales doesn't sound so much written as channeled. The band lets the music flow into and out of them without getting in the way -- no histrionic guitar wanking or tuneless warbling to dilute the effect. "Country Leaver" follows, in a sort of Kinks playing Muswell HIllbilly manner. In fact, you are struck upon listening to this record just how much the Warhols' sound like T-Rex 2000 -- epic songs with dirty hearts and trippy wordplay. Since when did Oregon become a British colony? "Get Off" and "Cool Scene" crunch and rock better than most stuff you'll hear these days, and throughout the record vocalist Courtney Taylor --Taylor's singing and songwriting shows a good range from ethereal ("Godless") to raunchy ("Bohemian Like You"). It's doubtful these days that "Bohemia" exists anywhere anymore -- other than in these thirteen cuts. And from the sound of it, it's a nice place to hang out.
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