Music Review: The Dandy Warhols, Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia Live At The Wonder

By Melissa Bratcher

Never a band to do things in a conventional way, The Dandy Warhols have released a live version of their seminal album Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia recorded in its entirety at The Wonder Ballroom in their hometown of Portland, Oregon. Thirteen Tales is a damn near masterpiece of smart pop sensibilities, great hooks, and the occasional space rock excursion, and represents the Dandys at the height of their powers. It’s hard to believe it was 13 years ago.

I have seen the Dandy Warhols put on fantastic, ebullient live shows. Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia Live At The Wonder isn’t one of them. The band seems to be sleepwalking through the songs and lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor has, in recent years, affected an airy, whispery voice that he uses here on nearly every number.

Part of the problem is the mixing. The acoustic guitar cuts through crisp and clean, but guitarist Peter Holmstrom’s lead is buried so far down in the mix, it’s difficult to hear. Holmstrom is one of the most inventive guitarists in music and it’s a shame that he’s underrepresented here. On “Mohammed” in particular, the tight Middle-Eastern influenced guitar lick is barely perceptible.

It’s not that it’s all bad. The trumpet work from Cory Gray on both “Godless” and “Cool Scene” is impressive. “Cool Scene” suffers from the whispers and some truly awful backing vocals, but has a great hook and a nice Beatles-esque guitar riff trying desperately to save it. “Horse Pills” delivers a solid sonic punch, like the band has woken up and decided to kick some ass. The Could-Have-Been-A-Spaghetti-Western-Theme-Song “Get Off” thumps along thrillingly, nestling sweetly into your guts. Brent DeBoer’s drum sound on “Bohemian Like You” is wonderful, as are the gospel-like organ stylings of Zia McCabe. On the crunchy “Big Indian,” Courtney Taylor-Taylor sings wonderfully—no effects, no affectations—and it’s a truly fine version.

“Country Leaver” gets buried under so many animal noises and an incredibly loud washboard that it sounds chaotic, and not in a good way. The slide guitar riff from Holmstrom is, as always, excellent. “Nietzsche” becomes a muddy, droning mess. The final track, “The Gospel” suffers from some odd pitch issues, but has a great guitar sound.

I really wanted to love this. The Dandy Warhols were my favorite for quite a long time, and they’ve always done things just a bit left of center, and I dig that. I just can’t understand what they were trying to accomplish with this release. I can’t imagine it would make them new fans (though perhaps having the title track for Veronica Mars might help there) and the old fans have heard better shows and probably have bootlegs of them as well. They’re capable of better and anyone who has seen them live knows that this lackluster disc isn’t representative of what they can truly do.

Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia Live At The Wonder was released by The End Records on March 24.

Tour Dates:
United States
4/23 Wed – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent SOLD OUT
4/24 Thu – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
4/25 Fri – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy SOLD OUT
4/26 Sat – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy SOLD OUT
4/28 Mon – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
4/29 Tue – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Sol Stage
5/01 Thu – Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds: Upstairs
5/02 Fri – Austin, TX @ Austin Psych Fest
5/03 – 5/04 Sat & Sun – Plano, TX @ Suburbia Festival
5/05 Mon – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
5/06 Tue – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
5/08 Thu – St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room
5/09 Fri – Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
5/10 Sat – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre

Europe
6/27 Fri – Donegal, IE @ Sea Sessions Festival
7/11 Fri – Munchenstein, CH @ Summerstage Basel
7/14 Mon – Bologna, IT Fiera District @ Un Altro Festival
7/15 Tues – Milan, IT @ UN Altro Festival
+ MORE TBA!!

Australia
8/22 Fri – Perth, OZ @ Astor Theatre
8/26 Tues – Melbourne, OZ @ Corner Hotel
8/29 Fri – Sydney, OZ @ Enmore Theatre
8/30 Sat – Brisbane, OZ @ Tivoli Theatre
8/31 Sun – Adelaide, OZ @ HQ
+ MORE TBA!!