I thought EVERYWHERE the Dandy Warhols were was the monkey house? Lord knows the kids from Portland have lived the rock & roll lifestyle for years and issued excellent of-the-moment records on top of it. And the trend continues, with their fourth studio effort, Welcome To The Monkey House. Featuring production from Duran Duran synth king Nick Rhodes, the album isnít an homage to the Durannies by any stretch of the imagination. That doesnít mean that Rhodes hasnít stamped a bit of their sound on the imprint of the Dandys. Initial single ìWe Used To Be Friendsî is a stellar romp across an indie discotheque, all squawking synths bits and hand claps. Itís a floor filler if one was ever heard. Not all of the album is synths and lopsided haircuts. For every ìWonderful Youî or ìScientist,î which both feature the Dandys in dance floor mode, thereís a ìLast Highî or ìHeavenly,î more straight-forward rockers, relying on spangly guitar bits and Courtney Taylor-Taylorís strong vocal performance. And in keeping with their love of speaking in third person, they even have another track with their name in it, ìThe Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone.î All in all, itís more of what you come to expect from the Dandys: ass-shakingly good tunes and more swagger than a ship full of pirates. Argggh, matey.
JEREMY P. GOLDSTEIN

The Dandy Warhols
Capitol

1. The Dandy Warhols Welcome You To The Monkey House
2. Dandy Warhols Extend Their Welcome To The Monkey House
3. Dandy Warhols Bring The Monkey House To You
4. The Dandy Warhols Go Glam On New Album?
5. Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars