Who: David James Allen
What: His new single “Radiations” (title track off album of the same name)
When: November 6th
What do you get when stop-motion pink flower petals attach themselves to a glowing full moon coupled with the haunting decent of acoustic guitar and violin? Well, you’d get the beginning of David James Allen’s music video for his new psych-folk track “Radiations,” that’s what.
“Radiations” happens to be the title track of his brand new album of the same name.
From the jump, the song delicately clamps down and engulfs the listener like a Venus fly trap that just took an acid bath. “Golden sun and a fistful of sand/On a beach with nothing but you/I felt it come true/It started with you.”
It’s really a song full of beautiful, if not trippy imagery, and it’s hard not to be swept into this psychedelic breeze of a tune. I can imagine sitting on a porch swing and it breaking from the structure and flying me off into space — gravity be damned — while I blissfully cling to the ropes with wide-eyed wonder as I zip past Uranus.
The haunting and enchanting chorus of “I want you” is enough to hypnotize and send you into another dimension. The echoing vocals and wailing violin are like morphine to the ears, just easing any immediate pain and discomfort. Allen offers some kind of cosmic combination of Leonard Cohen-meets-Pink Floyd-meets-Gene Ween with this track.
For more on Allen: “David James Allen wears many hats. A singer-songwriter, graphic artist, DIY record producer and poet – all of which he puts to good use in his growing body of work. In 2017, Allen established himself as a bona fide roots music auteur with his debut album When The Demons Come, a collection of wide-ranging alt-country, folk, blues and gospel influences. His sophomore album, Radiations, was released on GRMNT DSTRCT Records earlier this month, nearly as soon as it is recorded! The album is composed of 10 tracks, all of which Allen recorded, produced, designed artwork for, and released; one-song-each-month, out of his home studio in Prince Edward County, Ontario.”
