At the outset, Dean Wareham doesn’t have the typical profile of an up-and-coming rocker like Bruce Springsteen or Gerry Boulet. He’s a Harvard graduate who reads a lot of novels, which inspire some of his songs. He loves Serge Gainsbourg.
That’s The Price Of Loving Me is his third solo offering. But Dean Wareham’s musical imprint dates back to the late ’80s, with the atmospheric post-punk New York trio Galaxie 500. Later, he was a member of Luna, a critically acclaimed American alternative band. Then he formed the duo Dean & Britta, with his girlfriend Britta Phillips. He has also written film soundtracks.
It’s a long, rich career that I didn’t know anything about until I started reviewing this new solo album. A 21st-century indie-rock nugget.
First and foremost, That’s The Price Of Loving Me is permeated by Wareham’s slightly hoarse vocals and multi-tracked guitars, which weave a rich tapestry. We’re more into mid-tempo and ballads than speed rock here, with fairly quiet drums and percussion. The guitars are complemented by keyboards, ranging from celestial to piano, and a cello that lifts the music into atmospheric tones. Bass and Britta Phillips’ faithful vocals are also featured.
Dean Wareham seems to love making references to musicians or writers who touch him. So he covers Reich DerTräume, by German singer Nico, a member of New York’s Velvet Underground in the 60s. The piece Bourgeois Manqué is inspired by a phrase by novelist Thomas Mann, and the text ends with a reference to the 40,000 deaths in Gaza. He has also declared that the ballad We Are Not Finished Yet is a modulation of the melody from Serge Gainsbourg’s La Noyée.
He’s got culture, that Dean Wareham. And a sense of metaphor. His previous album was I Have Nothing To Say To The Mayor of L.A, the city he’s called home for the past ten years.
But you don’t have to appreciate this culture to love this record. The music speaks for itself, and it’s great!
