The Dandy Warhols "Odditorium or Warlords of Mars" (Capitol)
By Ken Marcou
Wednesday. Sep 21, 12:05 AM
Lacks continuity, but still delivers.

(read an interview with guitarist Peter Holmstrom here)

Odditorium or Warlords of Mars can be meandering and lacking continuity at times, but it still delivers The Dandy Warhols’ party-enticing brand of rock and roll. The sound can borrow from American ‘60s psychedelic rock one moment and then have the more recognizable “drone-y” Dandys characteristic during others. The best, most balanced mixture of these elements in a song is on "Love is the New Feel Awful”: a great way to start an album, except for the way the song ends.

It begins immediately after Bill Kurtis from A&E delivers an album-opening monologue, outlining the Dandys' discovery of rock and roll. It has that trademark whispery, layered vocal harmony over a combative trumpet line, with delayed synths and guitar. It ends with a droning of trumpet wails, with bass and drum rumblings producing a haunting diminuendo. It's very well done, just badly placed on the record. It takes the wind out of the sails of the album’s enthralling beginning.

However, with the bouncy bassline of "Easy" following, it brings you back into the party. There is another extended jam closing this song out. So far, up to this point in the album, we seem to have a preference for jamming instead of concise, catchy, yet still unique writing like the band have done so well previously.

Production on "All the Money or the Simple Life Honey" leaves a lot to be desired, but I expect it to be über fun live. The lack of dynamics in the recording makes it sound like it's a living room acoustic jam, which is not something to be ridiculed and certainly a situation in which I have written in and been inspired by. The problem is, you unfortunately need to be in the living room and drunk like everyone else to be moved by this type of thing. Hopefully everyone will have the imagination to see the fun in this song, because it deserves its listeners singing and grooving on it, especially with the killer trumpet line.

Songs like "The New Country" and "Did You Make a Song With Otis" are total throwaways. Others have memorable parts like the trumpet/inebriated sounding chorus melody at the end of "Holding Me Up." But standout tracks are "Everyone is Totally Insane," "Smoke It," "Down Like Disco," and "There is Only This Time”: a four-song run that represents the best of the album.

"Everyone is Totally Insane" is a drone-y trance in which Taylor pleads "hear me out, for I was joyful once, like everyone. Hear me out, I must have changed." The song opens with an exigent synth and guitar line accompanying Taylor's whispery plea, followed by buzzing bass, a capturing synth melody in the chorus, and climactic vocal harmonies.

"Smoke It" and "Down Like Disco" are the two most upbeat songs, with the latter being the clear winner. They finally allow Brent DeBoer to let his hair down a tad with a snazzy drum fill opening up the first verse. All falsetto vocals, harmonies to sink your teeth into, and guitar runs that make sense and come in at the right places, making this song one to jump around to. It's even got some cowbell! It then segues beautifully into what should be the last song on the record, "There is Only This Time." With the echo-y hand drum pitter patter, piano taps and chamber music harmonies mixed with electric guitar swells, kick drum subtly shaking you and some good use of muted trumpet, this is an introspective journey reminding you of "what a time it is."

And what a time it will be to see some of the songs on Odditorium… performed live mixed in with many of the Dandys' previous gems. While it is only rock and roll, I think the Dandys wouldn't have it any other way.
www.dandywarhols.com
www.capitolrecords.com

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Ken Marcou

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