The Dandy Warhols – Odditorium or Warlords of Mars

Artist: The Dandy Warhols

Title: Odditorium or Warlords of Mars

Label: Capitol

Rating: 6/10

FILE UNDER: Re-retro rock.

CORPORATE LINE: What is the Odditorium? It’s a place where things move left when you think they’ll go right. Just inverted as hell. Or – to be literal – it’s the title (sorta) of the new album by the Dandy Warhols, and also the name of the spot in their Portland, Oregon hometown where they lived it.

So yes, the Odditorium is a building located right by the Fremont Bridge in Northwest Portland that’s got a stage and a recording studio and lots of guitars and instruments and couches and ashtrays and maps and charts and all the other essentials that a full-time rock and roll should have at their disposal. As a meeting ground for the Dandys and their extended circle of friends, lots of things have happened there (we can’t tell you about most of them), but arguably the most important thing that went down there in the last year or so was the recording of the band’s fifth record, Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars.

THE GREAT:
Not a chance.

THE AVERAGE:
“Smoke It” – The Hives called and their lawyer wants to talk to the Dandies. This is a rip-off and it’s a shame.
“Down Like Disco” – It’s also a shame that they couldn’t do anything good with such a great groove.
“Love Is The New Feel Awful” – This should have ended at the three minute mark—but no it had to go on and on and on for another four god-awful minutes. It has a great hook but rambles into the annoying.
“All The Money or the Simple Life Honey” – The Dandies barely muster up anything that is halfway decent.

THE BAD:
“A Loan Tonight” – Nominee for the worst song of the year.
“Easy” – So this is what the Dandies qualify as a song; Courtney Taylor-Taylor mumbling on a track and then hitting an awful falsetto? They might call it a song but I call it horrible.
“The New Country” – This is enough to lose all respect for the Dandy Warhols. I’m assuming this song is supposed to be some sort of sick joke—either way its bad.
“Did You Make A Song With Otis” – You might wonder if one of the member’s found some kid to write this song. Who sucked the talent out of these guys?

FRANKLY: The Dandy Warhols outthink themselves. In their quest to be too cool for everyone they have gone of the deep end into absolute annoyance.

+ Rae Gun