Courtney Taylor-Taylor, The Dandy Warhols' mainman, captures the essence of his art form in four words: "Rock. The final frontier"-at least that's according to his web-published band bio. Clearly, for this Portland-based alternative group with a worldwide fanbase which includes David Bowie, expectations are high for their latest release Odditorium or Warlords of Mars. The question then is whether they stack up to the hype.
In a word, yes. Their fifth album promises to satiate even the most devoted synth rock music fanatic.
The record itself is cleverly arranged to leave audiences, well, confused. Tracks that could debatably qualify as potential singles off the album-highlights including "All the Money or the Simple Life Honey" and "Smoke It" are framed by the band's more experimental, jammy tunes like "Love is the New Awful."
What's great about this band is its duality. The Warhols are serious enough to tackle political issues but at the same time they don't mind splicing images of skaters with those of the White House or featuring a clip of George W. flipping off the camera in their music videos.
That same duality resides in the music itself, alternating from electric experimentalism to horns-fueled psychedelia. On Odditorium, tracks with classic rock elements and high-tempo chords play alongside lyrical vignettes structured around muted folk-guitar riffs.
Indeed, the Warhols deliver with sure-fire tracks to satisfy potential listeners regardless of musical predilection.
The Dandy Warhols will be playing the Cat's Cradle November 26.
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