I’ve fallen in love with many a piano and bass part in my life, but with that said, there aren’t many instruments that can contribute the sweet tone a guitar does no matter what the backdrop happens to be, and while it serves a rather indulgent purpose in the new single “Love One Another” from Ranzel X Kendrick, known to us as Alias Wayne, the instrumental play is by far one of the most compelling elements of the song. There’s nothing conservatively fashioned in the presentation of the bittersweet melody in this richly adorned track, and when coupled with Alias Wayne’s dynamic lead vocal, the combination sounds like it was tailor-made for tastes of a year that feels desperate for smart, searing music from the heart of the underground.
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This is folky material, no question about it, but there’s a certain component of this track that feels rather brilliantly accessible to fans of pop music who fear that the establishment is too corrupted by alternatives to be considered relevant anymore. Indeed, under Alias Wayne’s direction, all of the pastoral cues are stronger, which is something I have not been able to say about the majority of pop and pop-leaning folk recordings I’ve listened to in 2023 thus far. This is a player committed to the peaceful, atmospheric subtext in the Americana aesthetic, which is quite honestly appealing to most of us who enjoy good balladic music.
The unforced chemistry between all of the players here and the man of the hour himself is amazing, and I appreciate that Alias Wayne didn’t try to bridge any gaps with a synthetic filler ultimately unbecoming of the artistic narrative he’s looking to construct with “Love One Another.” I think it’s more than possible to establish yourself through music that doesn’t need a lot of context, and those who would be quick to disagree with me haven’t had the chance to sit down with songs like this one in recent years.
I adore the interplay between the strings in this arrangement, especially concerning how they heat the mood of the music closer to the end of the song. All at once, the romanticism of the rhythm section becomes a bed atop which the lustiness of the melodicism can sprawl out, and while it’s not the most common way of getting a big reaction out of listeners in a track of this kind, this could be why I’m feeling like Alias Wayne is onto something special and unique with what he’s got recorded here.
For this being another indie single, Alias Wayne sounds very comfortable in his skin for “Love One Another,” and I sincerely hope I get to hear him play more material like this in the future. He’s got the right cast of characters around him to accomplish some beautiful and brooding things in this genre, and while there’s no denying his control of the spotlight from beginning to end in this track, I think he’s got such a profound attitude when it comes to originality that we don’t have to worry about his music becoming insular. If anything, this has got the potential to spread like wildfire along some of the more astute players on either side of the mainstream.
Cleopatra Patel