A digital-only collection of 13 previously unheard tracks from the same recording dates that produced Price’s critically acclaimed 2017 album.
Chris Price had a breakthrough year in 2017. Fresh off the heels of producing Emitt Rhodes’ comeback album Rainbow Ends and touring alongside The Who as an opening act with Tal Wilkenfeld, Price went into the studio to complete work on what would become his own second solo album, the critically acclaimed fan favorite Stop Talking. Much was made at the time of that album’s release about the lengthy and highly productive sessions, which left Price with a catalog of nearly 50 tracks to choose from. Some of the best material written and recorded during that time was left off of Stop Talking because it simply didn’t fit. With the arrival of Dalmatian, Price’s brand new third album and second release in only 10 months, that music finds new life in an electrifying new package that begs to be heard from start to finish.
During fall of 2018, Price pored over the remaining work that had been completed over the four-year sessions that lasted from 2013–2017 and began to consider what could be done with it. Inspired by albums like Smiley Smile by the Beach Boys and Amnesiac by Radiohead, which took elements from sessions for other works and repurposed that material in new and different ways, Price began to mold and shape a new LP with tricks and surprises unlike anything he has attempted before.
The 13 tracks found on Dalmatian are all written, produced, engineered, arranged and mixed by Price himself (with occasional help from co-writers Taylor Locke, Fernando Perdomo, and Alex Jules), and each one showcases all those skills operating at a very high level. “Sick Boy” tackles toxic masculinity against a backdrop of fuzz guitar and choral harmonies. “Fever Dream” offers a moody, whimsical take on the disorienting nature of love, with some stunning vocals and tape loops giving support to the message. “Roller Coaster” and “Discount Love” provide a pop rush with jangly guitars, piano and harmonium. Esoteric instrumentation—such as Marxophone (“The Angels Of Buena Vista”), Stylophone and Mellotron (“Peculiar Lake Superior”)—is also abundant. Notably, the album is tied together by a wealth of transitional material mostly made up of outtakes, instrumental snippets, studio banter and chopped-up samples of songs from the Stop Talking album. These peeks behind the curtain make the album flow seamlessly from one moment to the next, making it very easy to digest the whole collection in one 34 minute sitting. Guest musicians include Perdomo, Ben Lecourt, Kyle Fredrickson, Corey Perez, Kaitlin Wolfberg, and Emeen Zarookian.
Price says, “This is a collection of fragments, outcasts and ideas from the sessions that produced Stop Talking. A lot of material that I love was left off of that album for one reason or another. Whether it was because the songs didn’t fit tonally or thematically, or the sonics didn’t match up, I found myself sitting on a pile of stuff that couldn’t find a home. I’m not sure if this is my new album or a companion piece to the last one (Disc 2, if you will). Maybe it’s both. I’ll let everyone else decide. All I know is I’m very proud of this work and I’m so happy to have it out there in the world instead of buried on a hard drive somewhere.”
After a banner 2017, Price looks to repeat that success again with an album that stands proudly alongside anything else he’s done before. Dalmatian is so good, you may grow spots.
Prelude Sick Boy Fever Dream Roller Coaster Breakfast Cruise The Dream Is Over (But We’re Just Waking Up) Dalmatian (Interlude) Discount Love I Won’t Be Loved Peculiar Lake Superior Uncle John I’ll Follow Her Anywhere The Angels Of Buena Vista
