Establishing the mood with an intimate acoustic guitar and a meditative frequency, Allan Jamisen opens Living the Dream with a brooding timbre as he introspectively sings, “It’s always darkest before the dawn, at the intersection of right and wrong…”
Immediately, Allan Jamisen‘s voice reminds us of early Leonard Cohen or Johnny Cash, and his philosophical depth is tangible as he shares his intentional message with us. Living the Dream appears to be about a person going through a hard and confusing time – something that we can all relate to, but there is more…
The protagonist of this tale is standing between making the right or wrong choice and the illusion of reality as we know it – in Sanskrit and Vedic philosophies, this is called “maya”. Allan sings about feeling lost and struggling between being strong or weak, but there is hope in his message and a conscious light that guides the way through the medium of curiosity.
This transmutes the track into a cathartic experience. Allan is trying to hold on and figure out what to do, and it’s about the pressure of life and the notion of trying to survive while chasing a dream, which when we learn more about the star, is something that he sharing from first hand experience.
The choral vocals, cerebral high synths and divergent bass moments manifest a dimensional soundscape. We feel immersed in the drama. There is no doubt that the track is perfect for massive Hollywood synch deals, perhaps a coming of age movie. The guitar solo is simply divine, intertwining perfectly with ad libs of the title of the track before an almost spoken word moment with a breathy hush before the final chorus.
This masterpiece was co-produced with John X Volaitis who has worked with Tracy Chapman, The Rolling Stones, Marilyn Manson and more. We also learn that Allan has done everything from performing as a lead singer in Los Angeles clubs, to producing music throughout the nineties and even selling his paintings are renowned galleries in Denmark and the USA! Iconic.
Naturally, we have added Living the Dream to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream Allan Jamisen‘s exquisite, growing discography, including his debut single, Rise Above, and his latest release, Rock & Roll American.