Dandy Warhols

The Dandy Warhols' perceived shortcomings (wearing their influences too clearly on their sleeves, too blatantly wanting to be megahuge rock stars, etc.) also function as their best attributes. They take the guessing game out of it and maybe that's why people pile dog shit at their doorstep, but it's refreshing to find a band in the alt-rock world that seems to operate like a (hell you say!) country band. They want to sell records. They act like they're bigger than they are. Not sure of their influences? Two of their songs are called "Lou Weed" and "Ride" and another is called "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth"—not such a tough walk to take now, was it? This all should have made them exceedingly popular, but hipsters are a fickle bunch and they like a good mystery; the Dandys laid it all out in plain view and nobody knew what to make of it. Are they serious? Is it a scam? Nobody bothered asking if it mattered since the music was so damn good, and that's a shame. Sure it's self-referential but that doesn't mean it's derivative; it's catchy and clever and that's all that matters sometimes. They're a national treasure—it's a shame nobody has noticed yet. With Darker My Love, the Upsidedown. 18+.
Tue., Sept. 9, 8 p.m., 2008