Christopher Dallman – NO ONE IS ANYONE’S

Christopher Dallman – NO ONE IS ANYONE’S – EP Review

Feels like it’s been a while since the last time we heard something new from Christopher Dallman…glad to hear he’s back in action this year.  Sounds like he’s got plenty in-store for ya too – not only has he put out this new EP called NO ONE IS ANYONE’S, but rumor has it he’s been working on a full-album for ya as well, called SUGAR, supposedly coming out later this year too.  And apparently he’s left his caps-lock on.

“F.O.O.L.” is a remarkable start to his latest EP, a title that serves as an acronym for “Fall Out Of Love” – which in itself is pretty damn clever if you ask me.  I love the way this track starts up with such a gentle vibe and minimalist sound, yet displays some significantly bold emotions from Christopher, harsh words, and a thought-provoking idea to center this song around.  “How the fuck do I fall out of love?” he asks, sings, and essentially pleads all at the same time…and I feel like this is a highly relatable concept that a great many of you will be able to identify with.  What happens when we fall in love with the wrong person, or under the wrong circumstances?  “That shit can blind you” – he’s got that right.  Finding THE right person, in a world filled with substandard choices, one night stands, and/or people that don’t quite measure up to the idea of what our perfect partner would be like, seems like it’d be impossible.  Cupid don’t give two fucks about any of that though y’all…dude just keeps shooting arrows and hitting people at random, regardless of the consequences.  Apparently, one of’em managed to snag Christopher, and he ended up in too deep – like I said, it happens, and many of you out there have been there yourselves.  As to how the fuck any of us fall out of love, that’s probably a question well above my pay grade.  I’ve been there myself…I’ve been attached to the wrong person, had relationships I probably shouldn’t have, and been lost in the thick of my own feelings before too…and I suppose all I can say is that it’s all the experiences of finding out what you don’t want, that eventually lead you to narrow down what you do.  “F.O.O.L.” is more than a great start – Christopher sounds fantastic, the melody is brilliantly, the song has everything it needs & it’s wonderfully unique…it sets a high standard for the rest to live up to on NO ONE IS ANYONE’S.  He should be extremely stoked about this though…this is a stellar first impression of his music for anyone that hasn’t heard it, and for those of us that have, we can tell he’s truly inspired.

Dallman is onto something here without a doubt.  You listen to a track like “No One Is Anyone’s” and you understand why it’s the title cut, you know what I mean?  Dude should be proud of how much this all stands out – he’s makin’ music that hits different right now, and I think that’s gonna carry him a long way.  Part of me feels like it’s still on the early side of what it’ll eventually become, even though he’s been doin’ what he does for a while now already…but given that we’re all allowed to have several iterations of our own evolution as artists throughout the years, it could just be the beginning of an exciting new chapter for his future ahead.  Like…I’ll be real with ya…I was about 50/50 on the production of “No One Is Anyone’s” – as in, 50% of the time I listened to it, I thought it was practically perfect, and 50% of the time, I felt way less sure about it and thought there was room to improve on what he’s started.  All that being said, that’s all shifting dials and compression settings around and whatnot – and maybe it really doesn’t need anything at all, I’ll let you be the judge & jury on all that cause it doesn’t really worry me.  What always matters most to me beyond anything else, is ideas – and Christopher proves on this one track alone that he can fit an album’s worth of’em into a single song, without things feeling overstuffed.  It’s a freakin’ five-plus minute-long song y’all…and the amount of variation you’ll find contains a significant amount of artistic awesomeness that it should really have you appreciating what he’s capable of as both a singer & songwriter.  So…sure…it’s probably a bit on the raw side to a degree, but from the sounds of things, so are the emotions of Christopher Dallman on this EP as well.  Perhaps “No One Is Anyone’s” is simply a reflection of that within the production…only he’d know for certain.  All I can tell ya is that he’s got more uniqueness on display in this one song than most tend to show throughout the course of a full lineup…Dallman sounds like the future of music here on this track in many ways, and if the industry is paying attention, they’ll be snapping this guy up for his songwriting.

Even a track like “So It Would Be True” is still impressive to me, even though I’d readily admit it’s not nearly as close to being my jam as the first two tracks are on this record.  Ain’t nothing wrong with that on either side of the speakers…I like what I like just like the rest of ya, and Christopher hasn’t let himself down in the slightest with this tune.  Heck – I’d be the first to tell ya that I think it’s genuinely just a level beyond right now…”So It Would Be True” is probably the kind of cut that is going to take a moment or two for the rest of us listening to catch up to it, you feel me?  That’s the effect of hearing something that’s truly new to us…we don’t actually know what to make of it or what to think of it at first.  A year from now, I might be ranting and raving about this very same track…to me, this sounds like Dallman is ahead of the game, that’s it, that’s all.  I can certainly appreciate just how different this is from so much of what’s out there, and if he ends up settin’ the trends and people follow his lead once we all catch onto what he’s up to here, he’s the one that gets the last laugh as an artist.  Ultimately, he’s breaking ground with a song like “So It Would Be True,” artistically, creatively, performance-wise…all that’s good stuff at the end of the day, and full confirmation that Christopher is continually challenging convention.  There is a trade for some accessibility here for sure, but in the long run if what he’s doing here catches on, then he’s got the blueprint for a pathway forward that’ll be miles ahead of the rest out there, 100%.

A track like “I Was Wrong” is more willing to meet us halfway, though it’s by no means compromising how creative Dallman is being on this record.  There’s more tangible melody and hooks to it than what we experienced in the previous track, sure – but in terms of its artistic ambitions and structural design, it’s definitely on an equal level.  It’s definitely got a lot to love, that I can confirm without question.  I like the subtle beginning it has, I really like the way Christopher’s vocals sound, and I am genuinely blown away by how many different things he’s been trying and just how much he’s put into a track like this one.  Where I’d advise a little bit of…hmm…I don’t think caution is the right word, but where I’d recommend he digs in even deeper, would be to examine the spot around the 1:40 mark – specifically right where he’s singing the title of this tune, “I Was Wrong.”  Because that my friend, is THE hook, and there’s no other moment in this tune that comes close to rivaling that singular moment.  That’s where I suppose I’m going with this though – it really is a singular moment…and that’s where I’d say have another look at this particular track, because I don’t know that I’m fully convinced Christopher has gotten everything he can out of this, even though I’d absolutely take it as it is right now.  What I’m getting at, is that most artists out there would have built an entire song around what we hear between the 1:22 – 1:48 mark…and that’s clearly just a fraction of “I Was Wrong” as it is currently constructed.  Always up to the man behind the music of course, all I can tell ya is that as much as I’d never want to be the dude to tell you to EXPLOIT a part of your song as much as you possibly can, that’s exactly what I’m sayin’ here.  There’s gold in them thar hills Dallman, get minin’ my friend!  I really like what I’m hearing in the song as it is, and in its potential if I’m being completely honest with ya…it’s much more digitalized than say something like The Watchmen were on the Silent Radar album, but there are similarities within the writing and ideas that make it a good comparison despite it being a totally different style of music than what Christopher would want to create.  I could listen to this dude sing the title of this track ALL DAY though y’all, make no mistake…he’s got something fantastic goin’ on here.  Again, I think he’s ahead of the rest of us with this track…but I’m doing my best to catch up as quick as I can, and it’s still one of my favorites on this EP regardless.  “I Was Wrong” is subtly charming, and undeniably innovative music.

I very much respect the fact that he’s chosen to blaze his own trail with NO ONE IS ANYONE’S – you really won’t find too much out there that’s like it at all, and obviously, that’s really saying something considering how much freakin’ music there is out there in this world.  Dallman’s originality is shining through the songs on this album, right from the start on through to the end with “Ghost Me.”  Like I mentioned before, I think he’s trading a bit of artistic design for accessibility…but if people catch onto what he’s up to, then everything works out in the end, and the rest of the scene will actually end up following his lead.  “Ghost Me” is as solid as the rest of this set is when it comes right down to it – if you’ve been ridin’ with Christopher to this point, you’ll be stoked you get another song before it’s all over, and y’ain’t about to start making any significant complaints here at the finish line.  He’s got some really great ideas threaded into the background from the wind blowing to the backing layers of vocals that’ll pop up at times…the main hooks are intensely unique and once again reveal what a great singer this guy really is.  Above all things, whether it’s “Ghost Me” or any other track you’ll find on this EP, it’s his innovation, imagination, artistry, and creativity that speak volumes on behalf of who he is, what his music is like now, and where it’s heading in the future to follow.  Dude’s an artist, there’s no two-ways about that fact – Christopher Dallman is setting up to make this a very exciting 2023 with his new tunes, and clearly getting ready to enjoy the most groundbreaking year of his entire career as an artist to-date.

Find out more about Christopher Dallman from his official website at:  https://cdallman.com

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