Dickie’s 2015 self-titled release was a moody testimonial of singer-songwriter Dick Prall. Prall took a succession of personal losses and nestled them inside a beautifully-layered soundtrack that found Dickie on the top of several “Best of” lists that year.  2019 finds Prall in a nostalgic headspace, partnering with talented drummer/multi-instrumentalist Billy Barton to produce a stripped-back mix of reflective and pulsating sing-alongs in the latest release, Minus Thieves.

Though the common thread of Prall’s past work has shown a penchant for liberal production by including lush string arrangements, clever countermelodies, and impeccably stacked harmonies, Minus Thieves is a practice in restraint led by producers Pat Sansone (Wilco) and Joshua Shapera.  The simplified effort was performed at The Magic Barn, a studio outside of the small town of Solon, Iowa, which houses the gear of NYC’s now-defunct The Magic Shop where iconic artists such as David Bowie, Blondie, and The Ramones have recorded.  Sansone and Shapera reached back even further into the archives of recording history by applying a formula of straightforward guitars of all sonic sizes — played by both Prall and Barton — and fusing them seamlessly with Barton’s tight rhythms and Prall’s continuous knack for infectious melody.  The minimal production of Minus Thieves welcomes you to happily ingest the most important parts of any pop-tinged record.