Remember when they killed off Optimus Prime in the animated Transformers movie back in the 80s? I was of the school of thought that Prime’s death was a continuity error, a movie-specific event, that it couldn’t really affect the perpetuation of our beloved afterschool cartoon series. It just wasn’t plausible that the robotic epitome of heroism, justice and chivalry could be offed like that. They would bring him back. They’d find a way to bring him back. They had to.

And yet, we were expected to become enamored to this Rodimus Prime guy, and believe he could fill the gaping void left by Optimus Prime’s august presence. These were not the same Transformers. They had become something else.

So I’m figuring that for fans of The Dandy Warhols who were expecting a return to that chomping guitar rock which marked their earlier work before Welcome to the Monkey House changed the rules, the release of The World the People Together (Come On) won’t quell any insecurities they may have for their new album. However, for those of us who believe the Warhols have been steadily growing into something, well, interesting, then this song will cross the T’s while waiting to listen to the rest of the album to dot the I’s.

Here, the Warhols channel the spirits of 1990s Mancunian brit-pop to galvanise a bouncy, effected-out, space rock theme, swirling around with ultra-pop celestial vocals, swooshing guitars, perky handclapping, punchy drums, and seraphic bells. Some tempo shifts have that heavier, crunchier guitar that some may be pining for, but they are mostly lost in the bright, mercurial lustre of the song’s speedy, toe-tapping zest. From the unmistakable take-off routine to the mission control squawk box which closes up the song, The World the People Together (Come On) is tailored in a glistening, layered, celebratory melody which feels as applicable whether you’re on an odyssey to Saturn or barreling down the 20 to Montreal.

So, fans of old Dandy Warhols material, your Optimus Prime is still dead. But for the rest of us, this Rodimus Prime doesn’t suck.

MP3: The Dandy Warhols - The World the People Together (Come On)

www.dandywarhols.com
myspace.com/thedandywarhols

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 11:59 am and is filed under download, free, MP3, Music, the dandy warhols. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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