Waterloo (Iowa) Courier's Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia review (4 stars out of 5)

Warterloo (Iowa) Courier
Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
by Paul Sisson
August 10, 2000

The Dandy Warhols' third album continues in their vein of complex, sometimes funny and usually irreverent alternative pop rock.
Vocalist and overall funny guy Courtney Taylor suggests in the Warhols' latest press release that fans should "drink up the Dandy Warhols like a thick Rock 'n Roll milkshake." I tried, but I couldn't figure out how to fit the CD in my blender.
I liked "Thirteen Tales from Bohemia" the first time I listened to it. A second listen brought more discoveries and reinforced the idea that this band enjoys making music.
There are two basic sonic signatures here.
The first has a kind of pop ambient feel. Tracks like "Mohammed," "Nietzsche" and "Sleep" all sound slightly experimental - with bongo drums and psychedelic guitar melodies by guitarist Peter Holmstrom taking the forefront. On these tracks, Taylor provides faint, wispy ethereal vocals, mostly behind the music. The overall effect is much like a '90s version of the Moody Blues. Pop flavored, but definitely experimental.
On other tracks Taylor comes to life sounding like Love and Rockets vocalist/guitarist Daniel Ash. Several tracks adopt a rockabilly tone like in "Country Leaver" where Taylor's vocals are deep and playful while the background is supplied by clapping and finger snapping and the twang of a slide guitar. On "Horse Pills" we get more of the same almost wacky vocals and Taylor seems at times to be doing a parody of Cake's "Going The Distance."
As an extra thrill, the band included a second disc with two live versions of popular favorites "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth" and "I Love You." Fans will notice that both of these tracks were on the Warhols' 1997 release "Dandy Warhols Come Down." There also are two new unreleased tracks, both of which are in the Warhols' more psychedelic groove.
Overall "Thirteen Tales" is a fun album in the same way that going to the Goodwill with a bunch of friends. There is lots of stuff to look at but you don't have to commit to any of them. If you want to see the Warhols on tour, too bad, they were in Minneapolis on July 27, but now they are headed back to England.