| Brand new solo album from the Luna and Galaxie 500 NY mastermind. Often when an established artist like Dean Wareham, the former lead singer of Luna and Galaxie 500, releases a self-titled album, it's a restatement of purpose or sound. However, Dean Wareham really is the most Dean Wareham release yet, especially languid, dreamy and witty, even by his standards. The songs are milky and heavily reverbed, taking their cues from The Velvet Underground's third album, while lyrically Wareham provides his typically engaging specificity-"This is not my home, stuck inside a drop down menu" he sings, venting the comic frustration of tech-enabled culture. On "Happy & Free," the drums rise above the reverie to make for one of Wareham's loveliest rock ballads in years, harkening back to the Galaxie 500 days. While Dean Wareham is short on surprises from the singer/songwriter, it's also a terrifically concise, at nine solid songs, and immensely enjoyable. It's thoroughly appealing for anyone who's ever fallen in love with the Wareham's music. Color vinyl with download. |
