My first and only exposure to the Warhols was at the
Electrafixion show in Salt Lake City last November. They took the
stage and the audience's breath away as they launched into their
heavy set. This is a band that has a lot of fun together; it shows
through in their lighthearted material. In concert Zia never
stops dancing, Courtney talks to the crowd between every song. I
guess it's probably hard to take yourself too seriously when you
purposefully imitate other bands and sing about how small your
brain is.
The band actually does tongue in cheek imitations of bands
they seem to have been influenced by ("Ride" sounds strangely like
the British band of the same name, "Lou Weed" sounds just like
something the former Velvet would have dashed off). The last three
songs, a "fast-driving rave-up with the Dandy Warhols sixteen
minutes'," are very reminiscent of "Sister Ray." Although ghosts
of these and other bands (maybts
of these and other bands (maybe T. Rex) float around the album,
they come off sounding very fresh, new, and original.
Although most of their songs are hard-edged, rumbling and
heavy, songs like "Genius" and "Dick" let their quiet, melodic
side show through. These are very talented musicians who add a
lot to Courtney Taylor's well-crafted songs.
I think they may be the most underrated band of 1995.
