Drawing us in with a captivating melody that will emerge to become the main hook of the song, Allan Jamisen opens Rock & Roll American with a captivating, psychedelic vibe that feels like the love child of Daft Punk and Lenny Kravitz. Needless to say, we are in awe.
We have been covering a slew of Allan Jamisen‘s releases, and we always know that we can expect a phenomenal and masterful instrumentation, and Rock & Roll American is no exception to the rule. It is exquisitely produced and the concept of the song is brilliant and holds a cinematic allure.
It feels like stepping into a dream universe – a Hollywood epic, a tale of nostalgia and timelessness. The psychedelic sound recalls the work of William Orbit. The female harmonies are soft and celestial. They wrap around Allan Jamisen‘s lead vocal like a cloud.
Jamisen tells us how he wrote the track as a tribute to figures who challenged conformity. He confesses, “The lyrics are a commentary about how it feels to be living in the U.S. today. The values seem to be inverted, convoluted and disorienting in comparison with the view of American society that I grew up with. Those values may have been diminished,, but they haven’t completely disappeared.”
We actually really appreciate the trip back into a hey day of peace and good vibes. The guitar work is out of this world. Intimate and raw, but also anthemic! The track honours rebel icons like Elvis, Jim Morrison, and Jack Kerouac.
Per Jamison’s quote, the sadness under the surface has to be acknowledged and feels very zeitgeist. The star sings not to mourn the past, but to revive what still matters – both a tribute and a protest.
Naturally, we have added Rock & Roll American to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and also our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Allan Jamisen, including Rise Above and Living the Dream.