Album Review: The Dandy Warhols, "Earth To The Dandy Warhols" (Beat the World)

Gone are the days of The Dandy Warhols' pop sensibilities and commercial-friendly choruses. On their sixth LP, "Earth To The Dandy Warhols," the band merrily clangs around with otherworldly sounds and clashing, edgy rock styles.

In typical Dandy-fashion, the album--the band's first self-released set--abruptly changes mood with every track. Funky disco, new wave grooves, electronic trance and campy pop stunts are all included. The best, however, are the heavy, psychedelic-rock moments, perfectly displayed in the dark, trippy "Wasp in the Lotus," a climactic concoction of blips and trudging bass lines.

Another standout cut is "And Then I Dreamed Of Yes," a spacey, meditative blend of Crash Test Dummies-like hums, subdued trumpets and fuzzy NASA-headset-chatter. Pumping a little sunshine into the mix is "Love Song," an easygoing banjo frolic paired with graceful symphonic keyboards. Then, "Mis Amigos" is a wildly giddy Beach Boys-style romp about friends and smoking weed.

If the experimentation is the record's high point; monotony is its downfall. Only the most tolerant listeners will endure the repetitious, druggy, drawn out "Valerie Yum." Of course, it's no accident that the lyrics begin to sound more like valium as the song drags on. When the band sings: "I just don't care no more," it's hard to imagine that they are not referring to this track, which swells and falls like the epic final encore of a farewell tour. Adding to the dullness, or even smugness factor, "Musee d' Nougat" is a French-inspired, unintelligible ramble amidst a tranquil keyboard piece that never gets to the point, even after going on for some 15 minutes.

When "Earth To The Dandy Warhols" is upbeat, risky and imaginative, it's undeniably fun, but when the music starts drifting into senseless, self-indulgent territory, it hardly seems worth the time it takes to listen.