Everything is going just dandy

The reasons behind the release of a greatest hits album can sometimes be unpleasant. It usually marks a milestone in a band’s career where members have either become has-beens, broke, or are more nobly attempting to commemorate their career thus far. Regardless of the reasons behind The Dandy Warhols Collection: The Capitol Years 1995-2007, Peter Holmström, the guitarist of The Dandy Warhols explained: “It feels like it’s the end of something. It’s a strange feeling. After, there’s the rest, but for now it’s really weird to put things in[to] perspective.”

The album itself holds up well as a solid assortment of most of their best (and famous) songs, such as “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth,” “Bohemian Like You,” “Get Off” and “Godless,” but it also includes a new song “This Is The Tide,” that fits in snugly with their older repertoire. To this Holmström added: “I mean, you kind of have to put [a new song] on these types of albums. “This Is The Tide’ is a classic Dandy song, which is why it fits in so well.”

And the nostalgia doesn’t stop there. Earlier this month, the band reunited with their original drummer Eric Hedford to commemorate the soon-to-be defunct club Satyricon in Portland, where they got started back in the day. A one-night affair, it brought the band back to their roots.

However, the Dandys are not a band to wallow in the past and are currently working on their next album. According to Holmström: “What’s been played around with so far sounds nothing like what we usually make. It’s hard to know what it’s going to sound like cause it’s just the skeleton so far, but it doesn’t sound like any other Dandy album.”

It seems like every band that makes it sooner or later gets labeled as a sell-out. In the case of The Dandy Warhols, this came in the form of a Vodafone ad from the early 2000s. This coupled with their new compilation sees Holmström sensibly sending these claims the other way with the practical reality of today’s music industry: “We definitely got some snide comments, but I mean whatever. You have to look at it this way, the money from that ad allowed us to buy our studio and the freedom to do whatever we want.” explained Holmström, adding that the song made made the charts’ top five soon after, and not because of the ad but “because it’s a great song.”

“It’s for this reason that bands these days all want to get in ads. They’re the only people who pay for music. I mean, you don’t make any money from sales, and hardly any money from touring. It’s hard for bands that don’t “fit’ into that box.”

With this “screw it” attitude, a noteworthy career behind them and the promise of more to come, The Dandy Warhols deserve a little recognition in the form of a Best of album. What this compilation really means in the wake of their career is still a bit foggy, but if that means Montreal will be host to The Dandy Warhols this week, then who cares?

See The Dandy Warhols on Nov. 2 at Le National.

The reasons behind the release of a greatest hits album can sometimes be unpleasant. It usually marks a milestone in a band’s career where members have either become has-beens, broke, or are more nobly attempting to commemorate their career thus far. Regardless of the reasons behind The Dandy Warhols Collection: The Capitol Years 1995-2007, Peter Holmström, the guitarist of The Dandy Warhols explained: “It feels like it’s the end of something. It’s a strange feeling. After, there’s the rest, but for now it’s really weird to put things in[to] perspective.”

The album itself holds up well as a solid assortment of most of their best (and famous) songs, such as “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth,” “Bohemian Like You,” “Get Off” and “Godless,” but it also includes a new song “This Is The Tide,” that fits in snugly with their older repertoire. To this Holmström added: “I mean, you kind of have to put [a new song] on these types of albums. “This Is The Tide’ is a classic Dandy song, which is why it fits in so well.”

And the nostalgia doesn’t stop there. Earlier this month, the band reunited with their original drummer Eric Hedford to commemorate the soon-to-be defunct club Satyricon in Portland, where they got started back in the day. A one-night affair, it brought the band back to their roots.

However, the Dandys are not a band to wallow in the past and are currently working on their next album. According to Holmström: “What’s been played around with so far sounds nothing like what we usually make. It’s hard to know what it’s going to sound like cause it’s just the skeleton so far, but it doesn’t sound like any other Dandy album.”

It seems like every band that makes it sooner or later gets labeled as a sell-out. In the case of The Dandy Warhols, this came in the form of a Vodafone ad from the early 2000s. This coupled with their new compilation sees Holmström sensibly sending these claims the other way with the practical reality of today’s music industry: “We definitely got some snide comments, but I mean whatever. You have to look at it this way, the money from that ad allowed us to buy our studio and the freedom to do whatever we want.” explained Holmström, adding that the song made made the charts’ top five soon after, and not because of the ad but “because it’s a great song.”

“It’s for this reason that bands these days all want to get in ads. They’re the only people who pay for music. I mean, you don’t make any money from sales, and hardly any money from touring. It’s hard for bands that don’t “fit’ into that box.”

With this “screw it” attitude, a noteworthy career behind them and the promise of more to come, The Dandy Warhols deserve a little recognition in the form of a Best of album. What this compilation really means in the wake of their career is still a bit foggy, but if that means Montreal will be host to The Dandy Warhols this week, then who cares?

See The Dandy Warhols on Nov. 2 at Le National.