Dallas Morning News' Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia review (Grade: A)
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Dallas Morning News
Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
by Teresa Gubbins
August 6, 2000
The Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor has always wanted to be a rock star. He's always had the look and the attitude - now he has the record to back it up. Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia, the Dandy Warhols' third record, is a rock-pop masterpiece, and - gulp - one of the best records of the year.
Big claim. But this is a big record. Mr. Taylor takes a bunch of disparate elements - everything from Indian music to spaghetti Westerns - and merges them into a massive listening experience. He operates in the same dreamy arena as Radiohead, Spiritualized and '90s "shoegazer" band Ride, but his pop sensibility is stronger, so his work is more pointed, more refined.
The opening song, "Godless," sets the standard. Mr. Taylor takes a catchy tune and makes it colossal by heaping on a slew of musical motifs, including acoustic guitar, Anglo-sounding vocals, trumpet and even whistling. He makes it a British pop song with a touch of Ennio Morricone.
He loads the disc with all sorts of Americana: slide guitar, banjo, spaghetti Western, Lou Reed, and references all kinds of existing rock bands: "Get Off" winks at Oasis. "Bohemian Like You" is sterling Rolling Stones. "Sleep," the most luscious cut, is very Stereolab. But none of it is a rip; he's too smart and skillful for that.
Just a couple of years ago, the Dandy Warhols were the scruffy line quartet from Portland, Ore., with lots of ideas. Every good band has the potential for the moment when it all comes into focus, where its previous, random quirks mesh into a unified whole. For the Dandys, the moment is now.
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