Or almost anyway. Or maybe if you’re on a coast. Or in a tropical climate. Or in Australia? Basically, if you’re in a place where the sun is putting on his sunglasses and giving you two thumbs up, you’re in a place where it’s Dandy Warhols season! Which is awesome because they have a new album, Rockmaker, out.
Rockmaker is “suns out guns out roll down your windows and smile” music. It’s “coming into work late but your boss did the same thing and was none the wiser” music. It’s “first day of summer” music. And I say these things because that’s how I enjoyed this album. Minus the guns part because I’m fat. And the boss thing because I’m self employed. And the summer thing because it’s winter.
There’s a blizzard outside my window right now as I listen to Rockmaker. I’m in a jacket. I’m wearing long socks and longer pants with a beanie in arm’s reach. So excuse me while I close my eyes, turn up the volume, and pretend it’s summer in between shivers. What can I say? 65 degrees is too cold and 66 is too high. Hypnotists, please help me.
Or maybe I’ll just transport myself back to England. The crunchy guitars, simplistic writing, and courage to run vocals through effect chains reminds me of British rock, and I fucking love that. No offense America! It’s just that I hate you and would rather be back in England.
Highlights: I’d Like To Help You With Your Problems. It’s got an earworm, so I can sing in my car AND at the store. It’s also got character while still being poppy enough that if I roll up to a red light with my windows down, I don’t need to be embarrassed because I’m not quite that guy yet. I’m the guy who’s like, “oh, you can hear my music? I can turn it down if you want. You don’t? Great, the light is green anyways.”
Root Of All Evil is groovy and I fuck with horns in rock music.
Lowlights: I Will Never Stop Loving You is a good song to end the album on, sure, but I just don’t personally want to hear what sounds like the end of a romantic chick flick after the preceding summer highs. If I wanted to hear a guy confide in my ear “I’ll never stop loving you” over and over again while dramatic music played in the background, I wouldn’t put on a CD. I’d find a gay guy that could turn a straight man queer and then just have them whisper it in my ear while I put on The Notebook.
