By George Brunt
The Dandy Warhols, self-proclaimed lovers of 'harmonies and psychedelia,' recently released their first album since signing with Capitol Records: 'The Dandy Warhols Come Down.'
This is a band that has been aptly labeled by Rolling Stone magazine 'the best British band to come from America.'
The album definitely carries a heavy dosage of British psychedelic new wave, most readily apparent in the simple chord progressions and catchy melodies found in nearly every song.
Some bands focus on the music and tend to sacrifice the concept of a tune. Others concentrate on a strong melody and mix the vocals way over everything else. The Dandy Warhols offer a collection of dulcet tunes that are likely to get stuck in your head, yet you won't feel as if the melody were all they cared about.
The album is filled with warm textured guitar noises and harmonic suggestions that create a mood beyond the normal range of the simple chord progressions found on every song.
The opener, 'Be In,' has two or three minutes of cacophonous introduction akin to some of the more obscure Pink Floyd musical departures or the Beatles' 'Revolution No. 9' before giving way to a very poppy guitar strum with a pleasing upbeat rhythm.
MTV fans likely will have seen the Buzz Clip for track six: 'Not Even if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth' -- possibly the world's first amoral anti-drug song. The argument for not doing heroin in this catchy little song is simply that it is 'so passe.' Or in other words: 'Don't do drugs, they are very un-hip.'
This is a cool album and one that should prove to be fairly successful. The Dandy Warhols tour doesn't bring them anywhere near Utah, but hopefully we'll get a chance to see them here before long. In the meanwhile, pick up their CD, it's worth it.