The Dandy Warhols - The Dandy Warhols Are Sound (2009)

The Dandy Warhols Are Sound isn't an entirely new release, actually. Anyone that heard 2003s Welcome to the Monkey House will immediately realize that it is, in fact, the same album re-released with a completely different mix. In fact, I usually wouldn't even consider getting an album like this, as the songs are truly very similar (it would hardly qualify as a remix album). But despite all the bad press I've seen this receiving, I think it's a great album and a great idea for the band. Here's the story behind it: The Dandy Warhols were signed to Capitol Records when they released their second record. And the mix that they ended up showing the label was immediately rejected. Instead, Capitol Records brought in Jeremy Wheatley to make a "good" mix of the songs, which involved turning the album into a more energetic, much less raw sounding similar version. The Dandy Warhols Are Sound is the original, intentional mix. Now that they aren't on a major label and don't have to deal with the demands of a major record company, they released it for all of us to love. Upon purchasing this album, I immediately decided Welcome to the Monkey House is getting trashed from my library and replaced. This is the album as it is supposed to sound. It's a chill, raw, simpler, much less edited version of the "original" (and by that I mean the first release). It's like if you go out clubbing for a night, you'll want to dance to Welcome... but afterwards when you get home and you're not tired and you need to listen to something to calm down and relax after the evening, The Dandy Warhols... would be a great album. They also turned (You Come In) Burned into a 7 minute long track, Burned.



The end result: if you haven't heard Welcome..., I would highly recommend getting this release instead of the earlier version. But if you like a more mainstream, produced effect, the former is a better choice for you. And if you're a fan, this might be a welcome replacement to the original (I personally wouldn't keep both; they sound very similar).