Getting compared to the Velvet Underground is a pain. Just ask Portland's Dandy Warhols. After each of the group's first three albums, including 2000's critically acclaimed "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia," the hip quartet was regularly likened to that seminal druggy '60s band.

But times change, and this is a new millennium. So the Dandys asked Nick Rhodes, formerly of Duran Duran, to produce their latest effort, "Welcome to the Monkey House."

If the choice of producer doesn't tip you off then the songs will: the Dandy Warhols have been listening to lots of 80s pop--and not just Duran Duran. One listen to "Monkey House" and all its synthesizers and falsetto sing-along hooks, and the group's reverence of '80s icons like Thompson Twins, Pet Shop Boys and Thomas Dolby is uncovered.

While the first three Dandy Warhols albums were loaded with heady, inspired, guitar-driven pop rock, "Monkey House" seems the opposite. It's jammed with boisterous blips and beeps and keyboards that would make Boy George blush. Yes, the subject matter is familiar Dandys territory: casual love, the music industry, smoking dope and other concerns of the eternally young rock star. When they're wrapped in a swathe of synthesizers and uptempo drum machines, these themes take on a glossy exterior, yet the music remains incredibly cool and approachable.

"Monkey House" rocks with catchy songs that'll remind you of big hair and neon sweatshirts. Who knew the Dandy Warhols were such geeks?

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