TORONTO -- "Did he just say, 'How's yer necks?'"

"Naw, I think he said, 'How's the mix?' "

Indeed, it was tough to tell what Dandy Warhols singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor was burbling into his mike between songs during a sold-out show at the Guvernment Wednesday night.

Judging from that exchange, overheard from people behind me, any concerns Taylor may have had about the sound mix were well-founded.

The Dandy Warhols' neo-psychedelic guitar drones and tick-tocking drum tracks, if not Taylor's vocals, ultimately rose above the muddy sonic squelch. But not without a long struggle as the Portland, Ore., band attempted to re-create much of their latest album, Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia.

Most of that album's dynamics come in great washes of guitar and keyboards, which are tied together neatly by a steady, mid-paced rhythm that runs through its 13 tracks.

A catchy approach, yeah, but take away those dynamics and what you're left with is a tinny drum sound that doesn't exactly set the world on fire.

After a mumbling, moody opening built around Mohammed, Taylor wisely bucked against the sound troubles with the Iggy-worthy Shakin', and, later, Solid and Horse Pills.

The sombre Godless, the first single released in Canada from Thirteen Tales, was fleshed out by the group's additional trumpeter-guitarist.

What the group lacked in musical edge, they made up for in image: Mixing detached arrogance, icy drama and scruffy West Coast earthiness, they have a strange way of pushing their audience away and pulling them in at the same time. They're yours for the night, but don't expect breakfast.

Besides, between guitarist Peter Holmstroem's shoegazer mop and drummer Brent DeBoer's giant 'fro, there's some cool hair at work here.

In light of The Dandys' gradual success, the 1,000-plus crowd seemed to be comprised of an interesting mix of curious onlookers there to hear hits like Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth, and die-hard fans calling out fruitlessly for earlier tunes like Lou Reed.

Considering the latter group were no doubt on hand for The Dandy Warhols' densely-packed marathon gig at the Horseshoe this summer, it must have come as something as a surprise when the group cut out after about 100 minutes.

No encore, though keyboardist Zia McCabe did offer a silly a cappella tune about the tattoo on her foot.

At least you could hear the lyrics.