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Bio Dodging in and out of pop ditties, lilting melodies, and quirky song structures, Dick Prall’s inability to stay in one musical place is reflective in a body of work that mirrors his personality: youthfully distracted and sweetly cynical. He puts great care into fashioning accessible and viral songs, inserting them with content that, if you look beyond the hooks, shows you a landscape filled with unsavory characters, undesirable behavior, frustrating ambivalence, and a decent dose of thoughtfulness. You could label him a storyteller—one who leaves you happily singing along to tales of serial murder and roadside sex long after you’ve tucked away your ear buds. Prall hit the ground running with his first full-length, Somewhere About Here – dubbed “a track-by-track monster” by No Depression magazine. The follow-up, Dressing Up the Failure, under his alternative moniker Starch Martins, opened the door to national performances with renowned artists such as Jon Brion, Mike Doughty, Bobby Bare, Jr., Glen Phillips, and Justin Townes Earle. Dressing also received critical acclaim by many media outlets, including the Chicago Sun-Times who praised Prall for achieving “a brand of rootsy power-pop that is smart, introspective and filled with great hooks.” His next album, the eclectic Fizzlebuzzie, prompted Performing Songwriter magazine to call the diverse record “a box of chocolates for your ears” and earned him a featured spot on NME.com. He upped the ante with the release of the beautifully infectious Weightless, and with its single “The Cornflakes Song,” garnered more radio spins across the country, a coveted spot on Paste Magazine’s CD compilation, and airplay in the Starbucks national chain. Now poised to self-release two EPs within the span of only a few months – Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 – Prall is not only songwriter and performer, but has taken on the role of producer, as well. The first EP, simply titled Inc., contains five songs that fuse lush vocals, straight-forward guitars, hypnotic drums, and sugary-affected strings with undeniably catchy-as-hell melodies, accumulating into a powerhouse of oddly pop-fueled gems. Throughout his career you never know what Dick Prall will offer up, but you’re assured that he’s serious about the craft of writing songs. He’s stuck with this because he has to – it’s a DNA thing. And let’s hope that DNA is generously mixed into the next batch of songs that come to light next spring. If he can keep up the pace of releasing EPs every few months as he’s intending, and they’re anywhere near the quality of his previous records, then every season will be a welcome change.
Press/Reviews Ink 19 With a deft pop sensibility, Chicago-based singer/songwriter Dick Prall sings about the good, bad, and fugly moments he's encountered in life and relationships, turning them into subtle parables that linger longer on the heart and go deeper than most surface-bound pop hits. Like a vintage Ryan Adams song, sometimes cathartic, other times crass, and most of the time catchy, each track on Weightless (2007) shows you a side of Prall's ability to craft and produce an album with emotive power and sincere songwriting that bucks pretension and doesn't take the heaviness too seriously, making it easy to embrace the crisp chords and sweet croon wrapped around the simple sounding yet complex and intricate songwriting. In "Halfway to Hollywood" he speaks to the struggling artist with a quaint guitar melody and soft swooning vocals, a solid hook within a straightforward rock song that builds and then delivers. On other tracks he showcases a quirky humor ("Cornflakes"), or in "Long Play" Prall shows that he can tell a darker story over an eerie violin if need be. The Iowa native pulls no punches when it comes to emotive power or his ability to merge a bit of wry Dylan with a stream of CCR melodic undertow to come up with a songwriting style that is, well... weightless, but still hooks and hits the heart pretty heavy. Propculture.com Rating: 5 Reviewing Music Made Easy There are times it takes several paragraphs to get my point across. Not this time, however. Go buy Dick Prall's latest album, Weightless. Go buy this album right now. Immediately. If you claim to like good music... if you've ever criticized the current music scene as being untalented, unoriginal, or uninspired, stop what you are doing right now and go buy this album. Now. Certain people see music as only music. Some people, me included, see it as an art form, similar to any painting you'd see hanging in a gallery. Well, in the music gallery in my head, Weightless gets its own wall, with significant empty space around it so there is nothing to distract you from its beauty. It even has velvet ropes in front of it to let people get close enough to appreciate it, but not so close it could be ruined. The album starts and instantly grips you with its up-tempo opener, Halfway to Hollywood. After this, the listener will drift through a musical landscape which can only be described as dream-like. There is beauty to be found, like in Honore, lightheartedness, like in The Cornflakes Song, and even a hint of sadness, found in B&W. By mentioning only a few of the songs on the album, I feel like I'm doing a disservice to the rest of the album. Prall's lyrics are absolutely brilliant. It's as if the album consists of him singing you stories rather than songs. The combination of these lyrics and the accompanying music, where standard, commonplace arrangements are nowhere to be found, give every lucky listener an original, outstanding album. With Weightless, Dick Prall not only jumps to the head of the pack of the Chicago music scene, but should make his mark on a national level as well. PLAYBACK:stl (playbackst.com) Written by Glen Elkins The latest offering from indie singer-songwriter Dick Prall humbly carries itself through a sparsely decorated an upbeat, at times contemplative collection. Prall delivers a varied set of tunes, offering different moods with the catchy, devil-may-care "Halfway to Hollywood" or the closing ballad "Honore." These dissimilar styles are welcomed, as Prall's simple instrumentation could become somewhat tedious on any other record. The dense and meaningful lyrics make Weightless anything but, as he demonstrates his adept ability to join substantive words with catchy melodies. Prall's vocals drift from carefully harmonized choruses to discordant yelps. His silky, Cat Stevens-esque voice floats over friendly guitar arpeggios during one of the more relaxing pieces, "Long Play." It settles the album in and establishes everything that's great about Weightless. Simple drums compliment a barrage of clever lyrics; which are softly spun and diligently produced. If this song was a building, the violin solo would be its marquee, as it blindingly weaves in and out of verses, climaxing impressively at the songs' conclusion. It serves as the musical equivalent to Prall's voice: naturally pretty, and authentically unvarnished. The album's single "The Cornflakes Song" is a deceivingly complex song about a relationship. Prall cleverly throws hints at the listener, and as these hints add up, they amount to a beautiful and genuine statement. The beauty in his writing is easily missed if you're not careful, but it's the perfect combination of musicianship and songwriting keeps you enthralled until the lyrical content seeps in. To say it another way: the beauty of the ocean eventually gets you wet. There's not much to dislike about Dick Prall's recent release. If you're looking to cash in those pesky gift cards for well-written, catchy folk-pop, this is certainly the way to go. Weightless' unequivocally human warmth makes it the perfect tool for surviving this winter's bitter cold. B+| Glen Elkins RIYL: Cat Stevens, Ben Harper WayCoolMusic.com What’s the recipe for a great CD? Take one part “lyrics” together with two parts “vocals” and three part “hooks” and you end up with Weightless, Dick Prall’s debut for Authentic Records. The themes are dark and somewhat gloomy, yet the CD itself shines. It’s hard to come up with a better opening track than “Halfway To Hollywood.” Granted, I’ve never tried, but I’ve heard a lot of CDs and none really compare. It completely sets the stage for the rock that is to come. The opening electric riffs paired with Prall’s unique tone makes this song unforgettable. After all, it’s “no rest for the wicked ones.” You may have heard ‘The Cornflakes Song’ on your Paste magazine sampler or in Starbucks earlier this year, and justifiably so. Sure, it’s a song about a boyfriend who just won’t let go … a bit stalker-ish, but that can’t detract from the catchiness of this tune. “It’s not over until it’s over. And it’s over when I say it is.” Yes, scary, but with the light-hearted vocal and percussion, you almost want the girl to give in. Almost. And the less-than-happy theme can be found on ‘B&W’ as well. Yes, that’s murder he’s writing about. But the song is so pretty you almost forget the tale of homicide. Almost. And for a lighter anecdote, how about ‘Honore.’ That’s only a little seasonal affective disorder, nothing a little therapy and melatonin won’t cure. And so, the love affair between Way Cool Music and Dick Prall continues. Rating: 4 ½ stars Highlights: Halfway To Hollywood, Long Play, B&W Rumblefish GETTING YOU BACK TO YOUR ROOTS: Dick Prall Waking up hungover on a Sunday morning would not be half as bad if we had Dick Prall helping us out. With songs as gentle as his voice, Dick Prall gives us a perfect backdrop to moments that need just that—a musical backdrop. In songs like “Devils” and “B&W” this is very much evident. Prall’s rough-around-the-edges vocals display a humanistic nature in each song that is even more distinguished by fragile guitar and string playing. For romantic yet comedic moments, Prall’s “The Cornflakes Song” can make light of any awkward feelings, but also make it memorable. And really that is a valid description of Dick Prall’s sound: cornflakes on a Sunday morning after a love hangover. Recommended uses: • “As Good As It Gets” and like-minded scenarios Concertlivewire.com Dick Prall - Weightless Review by Andy Argyrakis An organic step in an intelligent direction Hailing from Chicago by way of a small town city in Iowa, Dick Prall may be best known in Midwestern America, though the singer/songwriter's reach continues to grow with this fourth studio release. Thus far the tunesmith's touring resume includes iconic indie rocker/producer Jon Brion, Soul Coughing's Mike Doughty, hit makers The Verve Pipe and alternative country slinger Bobby Bare Jr. (to name a few), along with club headlining slots. Now signed with his home state's Authentic Records, Prall hit the studio with producer Joshua Shapera (Veruca Salt, Verbow) to turn in a comforting acoustic record influenced by The Beatles' latter era and modern day Ryan Adams. Add in a few flourishes of Wilco, touches of his previous concert partners, plus Prall's own delightfully gruff vocals, and Weightless winds up floating on an inviting bed of organic invention. "Halfway to Hollywood" is a chunky, piano-tipped tune with soulful croons and a hooky chorus, which serves as a solid bookend to the sparse strums and soft spoken percussion of "The Cornflakes Song." Anyone who listens closely to that tune and the shimmering glow of "If It Bends" might also notice the familiar harmonies of longtime collaborator Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket fame), which fit hand in glove with Prall's leads. "B&W" is amongst the disc most somber selections, resonating with sublime beauty and gracefulness courtesy of calming violin accompaniments. That chilled out mood also accompanies the haunting "I Took a Life" and the distorted vocal lined "Devils," though there are still plenty of other upbeat moments. One of the brisker standouts is "Side By Side," known for its galloping guitars, clap worthy shuffle and continuation of Prall's consistently introspective songwriting. When combined, all the elements are enough to make this troubadour's latest offering stand out amongst an already rich catalogue and make his independent stock continue to rise with regularity. Randomville by Dan Wagner Dick Prall brings to the music world the Midwestern sensibility expected from a native Iowan. He’s a singer/songwriter who follows up his successful 2005 album Fizzlebuzzie with 2007’s Weightless where he explores the lonelier, shadier, and more transient sides of life. There are tender moments of solitude and bombastic flashes of excitement, but all fit nicely into this 10 song album. His sound is similar to a great number of other performing artists as there’s only so much range to be found on an acoustic guitar. His voice lends itself beautifully to the sound he creates similar to the effect Mike Doughty achieves in his music. The Magic Numbers or the quieter moments from Okkervil River are also comparable. Prall never really goes off into an explosive rock number so there is a subdued sense of emotion displayed throughout the disc. “Halfway to Hollywood” opens the disc and instantly tells the listener that although Prall is a singer/songwriter, he is not afraid to go with a full band sound using a variety of instrumentation. The song reminds one of early Pete Yorn both in tone and richness. “Boulevard,” on the other hand, is an artistic and very good piece about the streets of the world. “Long Play,” though, is a soft, quiet, and tender piece demonstrating his range. “Side by Side” brings to mind some work from the indie favorites Spoon. Prall clearly has his niche carved out. His live shows draw raves similar to the way Matt Nathanson enraptures his audience. He recently went on tour with Matt Pond PA and Pete Francis, and there couldn’t be a more perfect compliment to his music than Matt Pond PA. If he’s looking to grow his fan base with like-minded individuals this was an incredibly effective move. Prall has an ear for hooks and catchy fun, but also has found his place of solace and intimacy. While recognizing the limitations of being a singer/songwriter in one’s sound, he does an effective job of instilling as much of his abilities into one disc. Elegant and well produced, Weightless shows off what an artistic, Iowa-born Chicagoan can accomplish. LMNOP/Babysue The really cool cover art first caught our attention with this one...a neat blurry photograph with Dick Prall's face neatly divided in half but not quite properly aligned. But it was ultimately the songs that caused us to devote our attention to Weightless. This is the fourth full-length release from Prall. After hearing this, it's no wonder that so many folks are beginning to notice this young man's music. This guy doesn't toss off underground noise as art nor does he play the kind of mindless twenty-first century synth pop dribble that has become so popular with the mindless masses. Instead, Dick writes and records smart, pensive, articulate pop that recalls some of the truly great artists from decades past (we can hear definite traces of Cat Stevens and even Thin Lizard Dawn at times). His guitar pop tunes are arranged to perfection and incorporate some precise and totally appropriate strings at times. Weightless is one of those rare releases that manages to be simultaneously accessible while still retaining artistic integrity. Oh...and we almost forgot to mention the voice. Dick has a really great voice that soars and/or whispers...depending on the mood and need of each song. Cool pop cuts include "Halfway to Hollywood," "Long Play," "Boulevard," and "Devils." Well done. (Rating: 5+) The Music Box Originally Published Here at The Music Box
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Full band set samples Little Holes Halfway to Hollywood Solo/acoustic set samples Devils Honore Promotional Photos
Discocraphy Inc. (EP) - 2010 Weightless (LP) - 2007 Fizzlebuzzie (LP) - 2005 Dressing up the Failure (Starch Martins LP) - 2001 Somewhere About Here (LP) - 1998 |
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