Courtney Taylor-Taylor, The Dandy Warhols' mainman, captures the essence of his art form in four words: "Rock. The final frontier"-that's at least according to his bio. For this Portland-based alt group with a worldwide fanbase which includes David Bowie, expectations are high for their latest LP Odditorium or Warlords of Mars. The question then is whether they stack up.
In a word, yes. Their fifth album promises to satiate even the most devoted synth fanatic.
The record is cleverly arranged to leave audiences, well, confused. Tracks that qualify as potential singles off the album-highlights include "All the Money" and "Smoke It"-are framed by the band's 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 the White House or featuring a clip of W. flipping off the camera in their 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 others structured around folk-guitar riffs.
The Warhols deliver with sure-fire tracks to satisfy listeners no matter musical predilection.
-Leslie Prentice
Sean paul
What distinguishes Sean Paul's newest album The Trinity from anything he's previously recorded? Absolutely nothing. Sure, the beats are slightly different and what he says about the clubs and the girls isn't exactly the same, but the overwhelming similarity isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in the world of mainstream pop music, being static can be pretty good. For Sean Paul, it just means another platinum album. It's been about three years, six million albums and a Grammy now since he broke onto the American music scene, and those who love dancehall hits have just been waiting for the next big reggae banger to bump to. As the years have passed, similar hits have come and gone, girls have screamed at guys to give them their "gasoline," but nothing has come close to Sean Paul's nonchalantly sexy vocals over the quick Jamaican dancehall beats.
And so it goes. Working with solely Jamaican producers, Sean Paul has created an album that mixes old-school beats with reggaeton and is chock-full of those things that we all love: radio-friendly singles that will no doubt be played for the next three years as he tours extensively and works on yet another album. And though the beats are the same, and he still tells you to take your Smirnoff Ice and hit the dance floor so he can groove all over your hot body, that's not why we love the guy. We love him because he's become a staple of dancehall reggae music that we just have to bump to.
-Matt Dearborn
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