By: Nathan K
The Dandy Warhol’s Distortland has probably been the most pleasant musical surprise of the year for me. Not because it is my favorite album so far (although it is really good), but largely due to the fact that I had no idea that it was coming out…. until a few weeks after it actually came out. I didn’t see any coverage of its release anywhere. In fact, the only way I finally found out was because I was looking for a replacement for one of my older Dandy Warhols vinyls that does not play correctly. I was shocked to see a new release on their website. I instantly decided to buy it on an impulse and listen to it on the way to work the next day. I had no idea how pleased I would be with the results.
Dandy Warhols are from Portland (hence the album name) and have been around for over 20 years already. There first two albums were well received by many, but their big breakthrough came with the classic album 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia released in 2000. This was a very bold album that tackled a number of different musical styles. Although it had a number of classic songs including the haunting “Sleep” and “Godless” to many it is known as the album that produced their most famous song “Bohemian Like You.” It is a catchy/fun song that featured singer Courtney Taylor Taylor singing about his quirky neighborhood in Portland. Little did he know that 16 years later, neighborhoods like these would be present in almost every major US city. The song found its way into a ton of TV ads and virtually every young male coming of age movie from the early 2000’s. Like in the movie Igby Goes Down, featuring a great Holden Caulfield style character performance from Kieran Culkin. Or the baseball flick Summer Catch starring Freddie Prinze Jr. , a lame-fest not worthy of such a cool song. Either way, it helped bring Dandy Warhol’s song to a widespread audience.
Following up a well-received album such as 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia is no easy task. There follow-up Welcome to The Monkey House came out in 2003. It is a very good album, but was not as well-received as its predecessor. I think that it deserved a lot more credit than it deserved, especially since it featured “You Were the Last High” and the rollicking single “We Used to be Friends.” The latter may be their catchiest song, even passing Bohemian Like You. It has hypnotic keyboards and great lyrics about losing touch with people you were once close to. I listened to it/ introduced the song to friends constantly when it cam out during my Sophomore year of High School. They always loved it as well. Maybe it is the type of song that resonates with you more when you are younger and learning how to navigate friendships on your own for the very first time. Although the song did receive some airplay, it was not the big follow up single I am sure they wanted it to be. They released three more studio albums between 2005-2012 to mixed reviews, none achieving the critical success that 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia had.
All of this leads us to the surprise (for me at least) new album Distortland, the band’s first studio release since 2012. It is also their first for their new label Dine Alone. I really did not know what to expect when I played the album for the first time. What I discovered was that it was a very strong album from start to finish. I think it may have helped that they decided to make a short album clocking in at only 33 minutes. This is very similar to the approach Wilco took on their fantastic album Star Wars from last year. After some time off recording as a band it may benefit to focus on making less songs, ensuring each song on the record feels essential.
One of the things that makes the whole album work is that each song has a different style and vibe. This is exactly what made 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia such a exceptional album. One thing that could be said for the Dandy Warhols is they are truly unique and don’t sound like anything else out there. In fact, they don’t even sound like the same band throughout their own album. They start off with “Search Party” which features vocals and harmonies that sound like they belong in the sixties, while being backed by keyboards that sound like they would be totally out of place in that same time period. A strange juxtaposition that works and serves as a great lead into the album. Only two songs later on “Reverend Jim” Taylor Taylor’s deep/husky are back, sounding like a completely different singer. The track that stands out the most is the single “STYGGO”. The intro drumming on the song sounds like a nod to Bohemian’s “Godless”, with a guitar intro very similar to “Sleep.” After the little nod to the past it quickly veers off into a new direction, stating there are things that “you’ve got to get over” with a simple but infectious chorus. This proves to be a good statement (even though I’m sure it wasn’t the intention) for people listening to the song who are stuck in the Bohemia era past. It is time to move past that era in order to give their new music a try.
On the simple stark solo guitar album closer “The Grow Up Song” Taylor Taylor sings that he may be “too old for this.” Even though that thought may have occurred to him during the recording of this album, the results very well may be their best since Bohemia, proving that the Dandy Warhols are anything but over making great music.
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