Dean Wareham - That’s The Price of Loving Me (Vinyl)
That’s the Price of Loving Me marks Dean Wareham’s (Galaxie 500, Luna, Dean & Britta,) evocative return, rekindling his partnership with producer Kramer for the first time since Galaxie 500's This Is Our Music in 1990.
Recorded in six days in Los Angeles, the album is steeped in lush, haunting soundscapes, driven by Wareham's signature reverb-soaked guitars and melancholic, dreamlike vocals. Britta Phillips joins on bass and harmonies, while Gabe Noel’s cello adds depth and tension. “Two takes yield more treasure than twenty,” notes longtime friend Matt Fishbeck, as Kramers insistence on spontaneity infuses the project with raw immediacy.
Thematically, Wareham delves into the poetry of memory, set against a backdrop of wistful nostalgia and existential reflection. Songs are in dialogue with other songs Fishbeck writes. The lead single, “We’re Not Finished Yet,” is a playful, introspective meditation where Wareham drops his own name while relishing the tactile joy of the guitar. “You Were the Ones I Had to Betray” unfolds like a somber narrative, underpinned by Noel’s cello and crowned with a haunting bass harmonica by Kramer, encapsulating the emotional ambivalence of friendship and loyalty.
The album’s sonic palette is reminiscent of Galaxie 500’s dream-pop roots, tempered with the matured introspection of Wareham’s later works. “Dean traffics in memory,” writes Fishbeck, reflecting on the record’s seamless blend of intimate recollections and catchy hooks. The result is a cohesive work encapsulating the duality of Wareham’s career: haunted by the past, yet steadfastly pushing forward. As Fishbeck poignantly puts it, “Imagination is nothing but the working over of what is remembered.”
Tracklist:
Side A
1. You Were the Ones I Had to Betray
2. Dear Betty Baby
3. Mystery Guest
4. New World Julie
5. Were Not Finished Yet
Side B
6. Bourgeois Manqué
7. Yesterdays Hero
8. Thats the Price of Loving Me
9. Reich der Träume
10. The Cloud is Coming
That’s the Price of Loving Me marks Dean Wareham’s (Galaxie 500, Luna, Dean & Britta,) evocative return, rekindling his partnership with producer Kramer for the first time since Galaxie 500's This Is Our Music in 1990.
Recorded in six days in Los Angeles, the album is steeped in lush, haunting soundscapes, driven by Wareham's signature reverb-soaked guitars and melancholic, dreamlike vocals. Britta Phillips joins on bass and harmonies, while Gabe Noel’s cello adds depth and tension. “Two takes yield more treasure than twenty,” notes longtime friend Matt Fishbeck, as Kramers insistence on spontaneity infuses the project with raw immediacy.
Thematically, Wareham delves into the poetry of memory, set against a backdrop of wistful nostalgia and existential reflection. Songs are in dialogue with other songs Fishbeck writes. The lead single, “We’re Not Finished Yet,” is a playful, introspective meditation where Wareham drops his own name while relishing the tactile joy of the guitar. “You Were the Ones I Had to Betray” unfolds like a somber narrative, underpinned by Noel’s cello and crowned with a haunting bass harmonica by Kramer, encapsulating the emotional ambivalence of friendship and loyalty.
The album’s sonic palette is reminiscent of Galaxie 500’s dream-pop roots, tempered with the matured introspection of Wareham’s later works. “Dean traffics in memory,” writes Fishbeck, reflecting on the record’s seamless blend of intimate recollections and catchy hooks. The result is a cohesive work encapsulating the duality of Wareham’s career: haunted by the past, yet steadfastly pushing forward. As Fishbeck poignantly puts it, “Imagination is nothing but the working over of what is remembered.”
Tracklist:
Side A
1. You Were the Ones I Had to Betray
2. Dear Betty Baby
3. Mystery Guest
4. New World Julie
5. Were Not Finished Yet
Side B
6. Bourgeois Manqué
7. Yesterdays Hero
8. Thats the Price of Loving Me
9. Reich der Träume
10. The Cloud is Coming