Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
13 Tales From Urban Bohemia, the third album from the Dandy Warhols, has the band departing from the degenerate slacker psychedelia of their previous works. Well, mostly. From the first three tracks of Urban Bohemia, you'd be forgiven for thinking that it's business as usual for the Dandys. However, when the slide guitar (and, yes, banjo) of "Country Leaver" kicks in, it's clear that Courtney Taylor is taking his Portland, Oregon-based band somewhere different. From that point, the album changes tack and becomes one of the catchiest--and sardonic--American rock albums in recent memory. "Solid" is all upbeat harmonies about the joy of getting over a previous lover, while "Horse Pills"--which starts with Taylor's deadpan and indifferent command to "kick it"--is all big, fuzzy guitars and hip-hop beats wielded against too-rich, silicon-and-valium-addicted divorcées. Easy targets, to be sure, but it's when the Dandys focus their attention on wannabe artsy types on "Bohemian Like You" that this album truly proves its worth, with a guitar riff lifted straight off of the Rolling Stones, backed by some Hammond organ and one of the catchiest sing-along choruses since Pulp's "Common People". With obvious influences ranging from Lou Reed to the Cult to Adam and the Ants, 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia is a classic, and classy, rock album. --Robert Burrow

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-03-13 rating:
pretty much chilled out cool
i got into this band quite sometime after hearing heroin is so passe which i always liked but never owned. this album features the overplayed bohemian like you but on the advice of a friend i took the plunge and snapped it up.

glad i did quite frankly. to say i wasnt expecting banjos is an understatement and some of the tracks are melodic in the extreme. if your after a slightly dark and tuneful collection of songs then this album will certainly float your boat.

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review by: physics_mark date: 2007-03-12 rating:
Absolutely marvellous throughout
On the process which brought about the formation of The Dandy Warhols' third published album (ignoring the secretive Black Album which the record company blanched at the thought of marketing) band member Pete Holmstrom is quoted as saying that the creation of Thirteen Tales was one of the best experiences of his life, with every new sound and idea seeming to interlock with, and compliment perfectly, all the others. Indeed, while there is a sufficiently eclectic mix of styles and atmospheres across the tracklist to cover a splendid spectrum, each sequence rolls so beautifully into and out of the last that from track one to track ten could almost be a single, epic journey. The threading of songs from the start is stunning: from soft acoustic subtlety through thumping, ire-fuelled arrogance, into banjo-strumming country twangs, before climbing to upbeat cockiness, sinking down into introspective worrying and out the other side to the legendary Bohemian Like You - still magnificent after dozens of listens and half-caught sound clips. There is so much here that fans of the Rolling Stones, Love and Rockets, Thin Lizzy and many more will recognise and appreciate, and such depth and refinement of a sound the band might otherwise have deliberately allowed to become uneven and grungy. It is truly stirring stuff, and makes for a deeply satisfying listen from beginning to end.

Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia announced a glorious and triumphant arrival to the mainstream rock conscious, and gave The Dandy Warhols their first taste of mass commercial success. Since then, whilst maintaining a small but dedicated following, they have slid away from the limelight and back toward the roots of their eccentric, undistilled noisiness. Nevertheless, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia should deservedly be held up as a shining example of rock music talent stylishly performed and perfectly captured.

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review by: aliddle date: 2006-12-02 rating:
sortaloureedroxymusicjesusandthemarychaingroovethang
Not many modern bands exude this much class and nous. The Dandy Warhols have perfected that trick of being an alt rock and pop band all at the same time ( remember the 1970's could be like this from time to time ). They also have a great sense of fun ( check out "Horse Pills" ... crikey what a hoot ) although you'd think twice before letting your daughter go out with them. "Godless" kicks off the proceedings with rich sounding acoustic guitars and a grungey drone before morphing into a rip off of "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison ... lovely stuff! "Bohemian Like You" is "Brown Sugar" for the slacker generation complete with the Jagger/Richard's "Whoo's whoo's". My own favourite is "Get Off" because it reminds you how Rock and Roll can shamelessy plunder the past yet still sound fresh and vital. The band look like proper rock stars too not macrobiotic milksops such as Coldplay etc, etc, ...

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review by: xcoerw date: 2006-03-01 rating:
Truly wonderful
This album is an absolute Gem!

I'll be honest, I bought it after haring Bohemian Like You on the Vodafone ads, but quickly became bored of it after hearing it everywhere.

However, the strength of the other 12 tracks is amazing, and after listening to them I feel ready to whack on Bohemian again!
Godless is the perfect start, Mohammed continues the mellow feel, then Nietzche (not one of my faves, but fits well in the album) separates the first 3 songs from the middle of the album.

Country Leaver is a catchy tune, as is Solid (which reminds me of Pumping On Your Stereo by Supergrass), then Horse Pills kicks in and elevates the album from good to essential.

Get Off is a brilliant sing-along with top lyrics, and then Sleep slows things down perfectly just before Cool Scene hits you smack in the face with that "feel good hit of the summer" feeling, and is my favourite track on the album.

Next up is Bohemian Like You, which surely every human on the planet has heard by now, and will rightly confirm the Dandies place in music history. Shakin adds something different to the mix, before Big Indian calms things down again, then leading into the very slow and laborious The Gospel which is a decent track to end on, but not quite as good as the other 12 songs.

I bought this ablum just after it came out, and never really listened to it properly until now.

In a way I'm glad I'd left it on the shelf for so long, and hopefully I'll forget about it and discover it all over again!


review by: guimxm date: 2004-08-19 rating:
Just can't get enough of it
It took me about six months to get this record in Italy, but it was worth the time & struggle...
This album from the very first track on to the last is simply perfect. There is not one track that makes this album anything but a perfect five star!
It is an album-long journey that will take you far away from any worry or concern.

A must have!

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