Happy Friday the 13th everyone. I didn't end up making it to Ron Sexsmith last night (which is too bad because it was the perfect night for an outdoor concert, but I got busy... what can you do?). So I am not going to post about him. Instead, since it is Friday the 13th, I am going to post about one of my favorite albums of all time by one of my favorite bands of all time: "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia" by The Dandy Warhols. (I was also going to post about The Pierces' "Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge" but since they had that concert yesterday I posted about it on Wednesday instead, so check out two posts ago if you haven't already done so because The Pierces rock).
If you don't know The Dandy Warhols, then you make me a little sad inside. In my opinion, they are one of the best bands of all time. I don't think there's a single song on all of their albums that I dislike (granted there are songs I don't particularly like, but I don't dislike them). "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" is my favorite because it just happens to have the highest number of songs on it that I love from all of their albums.
The Dandy Warhols are from Portland, Oregon. Courtney Taylor (or Courtney Taylor-Taylor as he goes by now...) is the infamous lead singer/founder of the band. He has caused quite a bit of controversy at times by taking more credit for their music than he probably should. Definitely an egomaniac, but also a musical genius. Check out the documentary Dig! about The Dandy Warhols friendship turned feud with the Bryan Jonestown Massacre. It's really interesting and also kind of sad. The crazy antics of Courtney Taylor and BJM frontman Anton Newcombe make for a very entertaining movie. Well, all the band members of both bands are pretty entertaining characters actually and they're all extremely talented. I think my favorite person in the band was actually BJM's Joel Gion, who apparently (just found this out on IMDB) was on Gilmore Girls for an episode or two.
A third band worth mentioning, started by Peter Hayes who left BJM in the late 1990s, is Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They play a lot of high energy rock music, with a little country/folk flavor thrown in. They are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands.
But getting back to The Dandy Warhols, the album "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia," the third of six albums they've released since 1995, came out in 2000. It has their popular single on it: "Bohemian Like You." I totally love this song and it is so sing-a-long-able but I swear if I see it in another commercial (especially car commercials) or film, I might kill someone. As I know I've said before, I love albums/artists where every song sounds different. The Dandy Warhols are a great example of this and have many different sounds in their repertoire.
A lot of the album is great to just sit back, relax and daydream. It's total stoner music, which is kind of funny because I don't do drugs. "Neitzsche" is a great example of this kind of trippy, relaxed, jamming out sound. "Solid" and "Horse Pills" are more upbeat rock songs. "Get Off," my favorite track on the album, is also really upbeat, but in a different way. I don't know if I can explain what makes "Get Off" different. It's kind of... bouncy...? It's another great driving song like "Bohemian Like You." My second favorite song on the album is actually "Sleep." It's one of the most calming songs I've ever heard. It really is like a lullaby. I went through a phase where I listened to it every night before bed. Sometimes I still do. Everyone I've played it for will start to do the same. It's so beautiful and harmonious. I love how the instruments slowly fade out and are replaced by human voices singing the instrumental parts. It's really just such a pretty, calming song.
Buy the album on iTunes.
If you don't know The Dandy Warhols, then you make me a little sad inside. In my opinion, they are one of the best bands of all time. I don't think there's a single song on all of their albums that I dislike (granted there are songs I don't particularly like, but I don't dislike them). "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" is my favorite because it just happens to have the highest number of songs on it that I love from all of their albums.
The Dandy Warhols are from Portland, Oregon. Courtney Taylor (or Courtney Taylor-Taylor as he goes by now...) is the infamous lead singer/founder of the band. He has caused quite a bit of controversy at times by taking more credit for their music than he probably should. Definitely an egomaniac, but also a musical genius. Check out the documentary Dig! about The Dandy Warhols friendship turned feud with the Bryan Jonestown Massacre. It's really interesting and also kind of sad. The crazy antics of Courtney Taylor and BJM frontman Anton Newcombe make for a very entertaining movie. Well, all the band members of both bands are pretty entertaining characters actually and they're all extremely talented. I think my favorite person in the band was actually BJM's Joel Gion, who apparently (just found this out on IMDB) was on Gilmore Girls for an episode or two.A third band worth mentioning, started by Peter Hayes who left BJM in the late 1990s, is Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They play a lot of high energy rock music, with a little country/folk flavor thrown in. They are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands.
But getting back to The Dandy Warhols, the album "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia," the third of six albums they've released since 1995, came out in 2000. It has their popular single on it: "Bohemian Like You." I totally love this song and it is so sing-a-long-able but I swear if I see it in another commercial (especially car commercials) or film, I might kill someone. As I know I've said before, I love albums/artists where every song sounds different. The Dandy Warhols are a great example of this and have many different sounds in their repertoire.
A lot of the album is great to just sit back, relax and daydream. It's total stoner music, which is kind of funny because I don't do drugs. "Neitzsche" is a great example of this kind of trippy, relaxed, jamming out sound. "Solid" and "Horse Pills" are more upbeat rock songs. "Get Off," my favorite track on the album, is also really upbeat, but in a different way. I don't know if I can explain what makes "Get Off" different. It's kind of... bouncy...? It's another great driving song like "Bohemian Like You." My second favorite song on the album is actually "Sleep." It's one of the most calming songs I've ever heard. It really is like a lullaby. I went through a phase where I listened to it every night before bed. Sometimes I still do. Everyone I've played it for will start to do the same. It's so beautiful and harmonious. I love how the instruments slowly fade out and are replaced by human voices singing the instrumental parts. It's really just such a pretty, calming song.
Buy the album on iTunes.
And just for fun, the "Bohemian Like You" video:
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