The descriptive word ‘deranged’ gets thrown around a lot lately – especially with today’s political climate. But what if you were in a relationship where your spouse or significant other drove you so crazy you felt deranged? One singer/songwriter that is exploring those feelings is Alex Alan, whose four-song EP Airborn features the single “Deranged”. Mostly rock, but this song exhibits some elements of electronica and a folk guitar. “Deranged” is pain and hurt, but mostly love. You find yourself rooting for its singer.
Alan’s special guest on “Deranged” is international guitarist Juan Guti. The pairing of these two is kismet. Guti’s progressive guitar layering is buoyant over a murky, rock music bed. The guitar fills the space with shapes of light, arrangements of a flustered, slightly spasmatic strumming. Guti’s playing style is beyond impressive.
Writing wise, Alan’s style is straight forward and efficient. Meaning, he doesn’t add any extra words, and he’s not writing in prose. He gets the job done. I appreciated that about this song. On one hand, he has a stirring music bed, which is of course, elevated with Guti’s talents; on the other hand Alan is at his best when he’s singing the lyrics between the chorus. The chorus is “you are something I can’t change, I guess that’s why I feel deranged” and it’s great, no doubt. But, the honesty in lines like “you won’t be defeated” seem to reveal more. I wanted to dig more into Alan’s background, but he’s one of those artists that likes to leave his personal life in the air of mystery. It’s cool, I get it. Let the music do the talking.
Alex Alan
Alex Alan, Category: Artist, Albums: LightHouse, Singles: Airborn, Good Vibrations, Brighter Days, Drivin’ you Crazy, What You Need, Top Tracks: Good Vibrations, Deranged, Pickin’ it Up, Brighter Days, Everytime, Biography: Alex Alan loves music and tacos! Need we say more?
The music is talking and it’s letting me as a listener know that Alan’s been ravaged and nearly annihilated from this person’s treatment of him, yet he still loves this person so much he’s begging for a higher power to intervene. The line “I need an angel, tell me it will be alright” felt like he was almost child-like. There’s an innocence to him. His voice is mature, and really unique. But, as the song progressed, and the more chances I took to dive deeper into the nuances and things I might not have heard, it occurred to me that maybe he’s writing about being young in the music business. He’s doing all that he can to “make it” and the waves, the walls and all the obstacles against him feel like they are making him a deranged person. Yet, he can’t give up music, he can’t stop chasing his dream.
What’s certain is that this is a song that could be a slow build to the masses, but the spark is there. I really liked Alan’s voice. It’s charming and endearing. “Deranged” is a strong contender for a summer Spotify playlist. If you’re listening to Keane, The Killers, Hard Fi, Miles Kane, even R.E.M, I think this is an artist you will dig. I can’t impress enough the synergy between Alan and Guti. High marks for “Deranged”.
Clay Burton
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