So why is The Dandy Warhols’ Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
This is The Dandy Warhols at the very peak of their powers, all of the good stuff that they do working in delightful harmony.
There’s “Bohemian Like You” of course, arguably both the best and most popular song that the band has ever produced. The natural successor to the also excellent “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth” off of The Dandy Warhols Come Down (#226 of best 1,000 albums ever), it’s the pinnacle of The DWs in effortless hipster cool mode meets social satire. That’s to say this song is absolutely hilarious lyrically while also managing to be catchy in a way that the vast majority of aspiring hipster indie rock bands could only dream of.
Also, it includes flat-out great writing – specific and strange, conjuring an entire scene and vibe in an economy of words:
So what do you do?
Oh, yeah, I wait tables, too
No, I haven’t heard your band
‘Cause you guys are pretty new
But if you dig on vegan food
Well, come over to my work
I’ll have ’em cook you something that you’ll really love
“Godless,” the album opener, is pure ‘70s-influenced sweet acoustic guitar-driven pop with a driving rhythm and confident swagger that permeates Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia.
“Get Off” is a rollicking rocker with a twinge of alt country. It’s driving and catchy and all kinds of great. And then underneath the hood, it reminds us how expert Courtney Taylor-Taylor and the Dandies have become at songwriting craftsmanship.
“Horse Pills” goes just about as hard rock as The DWs get. Its verses are a bit of a departure, with Taylor-Taylor’s talk/singing, its use of (I believe) harmonica, and a female singer backing on lines like don’t worry ‘bout it baby. This is all happening while the hipster factor is ever present and strong with this one.
“Solid” is insanely fun and will mandate that you to sing along with all the blah blah blahs to your trip.
The Dandy Warhols have never conjured as beautiful and delicate a track as “Sleep,” simple gorgeousness here.
Some stats & info about The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia released? 2000
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #69 out of 1,000
The Dandy Warhols’ Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Dandy Warhols’ Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
And I’m feeling so Bohemian like you.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.