Album Review: The Dandy Warhols - Why You So Crazy

While it might sound impressive to hear that Why You So Crazy is The Dandy Warhols’ tenth studio album, the songs on this record quickly dispel any notion that the band is on some kind of winning streak. 

Recorded in Odditorium, the band’s industrial warehouse space in northwest Portland, the album is a strong argument for quitting while you’re ahead. Instead, their music has grown increasing lethargic over the years, offering diminishing returns; making listeners wade through the gothic sludge on songs like Next Thing I Know, To The Church, and Forever is cruel punishment for anyone who feels a cursory interest in the band’s latest work. 

To be fair, some of the ideas behind these songs have the potential to be interesting. However, songwriter Courtney Taylor-Taylor never develops them and they remain half-baked cliches. The songs sound more like demos than finished products, stalling in a perpetual state of arrested development.

In the press release for this album, Taylor-Taylor states that he believes the world needs emotional clarity right now, but you’d have to squint to discern any coherent meaning in these songs.