Dandy Warhols find truth in sex, drugs
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Daily Trojan
by Claire Nettleton
June 6, 2001
America. Where declarations of "It Wasn't Me" echo through the purple mountains' majesty, "Oops, I Did It Again" is now a personal mantra, and popular music has become so commercialized that American grassroots bands are now flocking to foreign shores in order to be heard.
Such is the case with the Dandy Warhols. Virtually unknown in the states, this Oregon-based band is now flourishing in Europe. In France, they've even got unsuspecting parents and children alike singing along to their lyrics, "I just want to get off!"
The Dandy Warhols' latest album, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, strings together several styles of music to create one cosmic flow. Courtney Taylor-Taylor's soothing voice saunters through the roaring trumpets of the first track, "Godless," and triumphs over the mellow guitars of the second track, "Mohammed." An African drum interlude bridges the gap between these two diverse songs. While "Godless" is morbidly upbeat, "Mohammed" invokes passive listening. With its improvised feel, the thought-provoking melody of "Mohammed" roams from verse to verse and seems to last for an eternity.
But if you need a break from reflecting upon the mysteries of the universe, the band thankfully offers comic relief. Introduced by the crow of a rooster, "Country Leaver" pokes fun at "rural folk." To the beat of hand-clapping, Taylor-Taylor sings in a twangy voice, "I'm going to see you soon in Amsterdaam/I can't believe I can get that, but I can/Man." Troy Stewart's slide guitar adds a rustic feel to the song, making it guitar-pickin', finger-lickin' good. The band also expresses its sexual frustration in the tune "Get Off." Despite its (ahem) iffy lyrics, the song is peppy and playful.
Although most of the Dandy Warhols' songs deal with drug experimentation and sex starvation, they are still pretty deep, man.
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