Composer, painter, and outsider recording artist Allan Jamisen immerses with “The Coalition,” a darkly cinematic and politically charged new single that confronts the machinery of power behind modern conflict. Fusing trip-hop precision, industrial textures, jazz-inflected flourishes, and spoken-word intensity, the track stands as one of Jamisen’s most uncompromising and conceptually driven releases to date.
The song opens with a consuming refrain — “It’s better than before” — delivered over ghostly synth shimmers and tightly controlled, trip-hop-inspired rhythms. Percussive thumps push the track into an industrial-leaning soundscape as Jamisen’s debonair, nocturnal vocal delivery cuts through with stark clarity: “This insulated coalition / Preys upon its own volition.” Cinematic tension builds as flashes of brass and slithering woodwinds emerge, injecting a jazz-soaked elegance into the ominous atmosphere. Alternating vocal registers, hypnotic rhythmic momentum, and moody brass accents give “The Coalition” a riveting sense of motion — equally suited to late-night introspection or the closing credits of a political thriller.
Lyrically, “The Coalition” is a direct confrontation with the entanglement of political authority, military power, and corporate interest. “‘The Coalition’ is a political and social commentary exploring how interconnected political, military, and business enterprises are,” Jamisen explains, “and how some global conflicts are created, justified, and sold to the public using a deceptive pretext of protecting democracy and freedom.”
The refrain “It’s better than before” carries a chilling dual meaning. “It’s a reference to the psychology of demagogue oppressors rationalizing the use of violence to achieve their goals and objectives,” Jamisen says — a mantra-like justification repeated until brutality feels normalized.
Musically, the track emerged from an entirely experimental process. Jamisen collaborated with a newly graduated recording engineer in Phoenix who had posted an open call offering free studio sessions to local artists. “It was an offer that was both generous and impossible to refuse,” Jamisen recalls. Using a mobile Pro Tools setup, the pair began constructing the song from rough, lo-fi sound sources — including textures generated from a Casio CK-1. As the groove took shape, Jamisen envisioned what he describes as an “industrial soul” direction, responding with a spoken-word, rap-inflected vocal approach to match the edge of the production.
The evolving atmosphere evoked something distinctly cinematic. “The vibe reminded me of a film soundtrack from a 1960s or early 1970s spy movie or TV show,” Jamisen notes. That sensibility is punctuated by deliberately jaunty jazz references woven throughout the track — a purposeful contrast to the song’s ominous core. These moments nod to a time when American culture projected creative freedom and artistic vitality onto the global stage, even as it wrestled with its own contradictions.
The Phoenix recordings were later refined in Los Angeles with longtime collaborator John X Volaitis, a veteran engineer and co-producer whose credits include The Rolling Stones, Whitesnake, Tracy Chapman, and Bonnie Raitt. In addition to engineering and mixing, Volaitis added further musical dimension through additional drum programming and piano, sharpening the track’s cinematic impact.
Ultimately, “The Coalition” stands as a stark musical indictment of the military-industrial complex — a system Jamisen portrays as one that profits from manufactured conflict, sustaining corporate interests while exacting devastating human costs. Following recent releases like “Rock & Roll American,” “All I Am Is You,” and “Gotta Do,” Jamisen continues to expand his sonic and thematic range, unafraid to challenge listeners with music that confronts power, illusion, and complicity head-on.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
