Published on May 9, 1998
Today, rock bands are constantly searching for that special
sound that will get them noticed. But sometimes, in looking for
that sound, they forget that it is the songs themselves that make a
bold statement. Take the DandyWarhols, for example; on their latest
release,
Come Down, vocalist and guitarist Courtney Taylor has
written some really good songs, but these are few and far between
as the band seems to be more interested in maintaining their
hypnotic, twisted, psychedelic sound than in providing strong
songs.
The single off the album is “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On
Earth” which is a clever song with its catchy “Heroin is so passe”
chorus and some nice backup vocals. This is a great single for the
band. I also like “Cool As Kim Deal,” a nice tribute to the former
Pixies and Breeders singer, with its handclaps and garage-y guitar
licks, and “Hard On For Jesus” which sounds like a trippier Foo
Fighters song.
The album even starts off well as it establishes its
psychedelically drenched sound with “Be-In.” The song drones on
instrumentally unfolding slowly as the dreamy lyrics kick in. This
is followed by its antithesis, “Boys Better” a hooky power-pop
raveup puncuated by a sprite organ and distorted guitars.
Even weaker numbers like “Every Day Should Be A Holiday” with
boasts some Arabic rhythm, the Lloyd Cole-ish “Good Morning” and
the charmingly goofy “Minnesoter” would shine as nice, offbeat
numbers on a better album. And had the long, slow, hypnotic “I Love
You” had been the only number of its kind, it would have been an
interesting change of pace number, but unfortunately it is preceded
by the equally long and ponderous “Orange.”
To make matters worse, there are two more back to back songs
using the same recipe of slow, whispered, moodiness called
“Whipping Tree” and “Green.” Four songs of this type make the album
so hypnotic, I practically fell asleep listening to it. And that’s
not all folks: if these numbers were not boring enough, the last
two tracks up the ante in moodiness with their seemingly endless,
instrumental wankery. Moody songs can be effective if they are well
written, but these are obvious throwaway numbers from a band with
too few good ideas.
What makes
Come Down so disappointing is that the Dandy Warhols have a
lot going for them in overall talent and an occasionally cool,
offbeat sound. Here is hoping that next time they concentrate more
on the songs, so they can produce an album that sounds great and
has less filling. In the meantime, if you want to hear some good
dreamy pop, try Radiohead or Yo La Tengo.