introvertleave it all behind – allan jamisen
The verdict
“allan jamisen crafts a gorgeous, washed-out dream pop meditation on the impossibility of outrunning yourself”
'leave it all behind' opens with a familiar pull, the fantasy of walking out and starting over, somewhere new, someone else. allan jamisen builds the track around layers of shoegazey guitar wash and a vocal that floats just above, reflective rather than urgent. the song knows the truth underneath its own dream: you can drive as far as you want, but you're still in the car. that tension gives it weight without dragging it down. musically, i love the hazy production, a kinda of escapist vibe that's beautifully melodic. it's a gorgeous, thoughtful piece of alt rock, and it lands with real emotional pull.
allan jamisen is a phoenix-based composer and painter whose path through music has been anything but linear. from singing in an la band alongside future rolling stones collaborator danny saber, to recording in copenhagen with mega records' claes cornelius during the ace of base era, to working with veteran engineer john x volaitis back stateside, he's gathered a lifetime of influences and collaborators. lee hazelwood, burt bacharach, the velvet underground, leonard cohen, they're all in there somewhere. this one should do really well, we love it.
thank u for making this allan jamisen 🌅
in a world full of sheerans, be more macklemore – mark garvey
The verdict
“mark garvey turns the sheeran/macklemore debate into a brilliantly furious garage rock statement that's irresistible and urgent”
'in a world full of sheerans, be more macklemore' does exactly what the title promises: it picks a side, loudly. built entirely in adobe premiere pro, which is absurd and kind of perfect, the track rips through grunge-edged guitars and a vocal that sounds like it was recorded mid-argument with the state of things. the song lands somewhere between a manifesto and a call-out, tackling the question of whether artists should stay neutral or actually say something. garvey's answer is clear: say something. there's a video too, featuring hertfordshire's greatest dancer in a shell-suit and an ed sheeran mask, making a glorious mess of himself. it's scrappy, political and refuses to be polite about any of it. i love it.
mark garvey is a st albans, england based artist who does everything himself, in a shed, with video editing software that was never meant for making music. he's been slotted into the grunge revival drawer and tagged alternative rock, but the songs move between furious system-takedowns and existential bits over overpriced oat milk lattes. each release comes with videos and artwork that expand the whole thing outward, and he's built a following doing it entirely his own way. more please, mr garvey.
thank u for making this mark garvey 🎭