JJ's Music Retaliation bends the rules on unpredictable single, "Alienate"
There's a lot to love about an artist who can sound completely like themselves while still finding new ways to surprise you, and "Alienate" from JJ's Music Retaliation does exactly that. This is a classic entry in his catalog in a lot of ways, but there's also plenty here that keeps it feeling fresh and had us guessing!
The real star of this track has to be the drums, which refuse to play by any conventional rules. Sometimes they go off on these unexpected tangents, pulling focus and adding a real sense of unpredictability, while other times they settle right into the groove and blend seamlessly with the rest of the arrangement. You never know what’s going to come next, but for us, that was part of the allure.
Vocally, this is JJ in his usual straightforward tone. It gives you something familiar to hold onto even as the instrumentation around him keeps experimenting and shifting shape. That balance between the classic and the unpredictable is really the heart of what makes "Alienate" so enjoyable. This fits in his catalog like a glove.
The guitars deserve a lot of credit too though. For a lot of the song, they loom in the background, exceptional in how they build atmosphere without ever overwhelming everything else going on. However, there's a surprise guitar solo tucked into the track in the latter half that's genuinely fun, classic sounding in the best way. It gives you a bit of a reprieve before going back to a balls to the wall type listen.
At just about two and a half minutes, "Alienate" doesn't waste a second in jamming a ton of cool ideas. It moves quickly and that brevity actually works in its favor, keeping the experimentation feeling tight and purposeful rather than sprawling. The song sort of defies easy categorization within rock, but again, it fits seamlessly into the type of music he’s creating. You always know it’s a “JJ” song within the first 10 seconds or so. Having a signature like that is hard to come by!
This project has always had a knack for weaving in interesting, boundary pushing elements into otherwise recognizable structures, and "Alienate" is that definition.
It’s classic JJ's Music Retaliation at its core but dressed up with just enough experimentation to keep things exciting. It’s another must listen if we do say so, so please, click those links below to listen in and of course to follow along for more.
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