The Ajjancy – To Be Arranged (Self-Released, 2024)
Remember the glory days when legends were born in smoky clubs, playing cover tunes with a twist that made you rethink everything you thought you knew about rock? The Ajjancy is tapping into that same renegade energy on To Be Arranged, a 7-track debut that takes a wrecking ball to the walls of genre. This isn’t just a tribute, it’s a deconstruction of the greatest pop and rock moments from the 1960s to the 90s and beyond, offering up a kaleidoscopic mashup of iconic sounds that defies expectations.
Instead of playing it safe with note-for-note covers, The Ajjancy reinvents the game, mixing tracks you’d never expect to hear together but somehow work thanks to shared DNA in chords and rhythm. It’s part homage, part sonic experiment; a nod to the boundary-pushing ethos that made classic rock both timeless and progressive in the first place.
In a wild roll call of influences, The Ajjancy stirs together Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Taylor Swift, Metallica, Daft Punk, Chicago, The Who, Yes, Kanye West, King Crimson, The Moody Blues, Glenn Frey, OMC, and Renaissance. It’s like a playlist gone rogue, bending time and space to make the impossible happen.
But here’s the thing, it’s a mixed bag. Some pairings hit like lightning. The Renaissance and Zeppelin fusion? Pure genius, like two titans from different eras discovering they’ve been speaking the same language all along. But then there’s the Chicago mashup with rap. Honestly, that’s where the wheels come off. It feels like a mismatch, a clash that’s more grating than groundbreaking.
As a Gen X artist, The Ajjancy brings all the baggage of that generation: the joys and pitfalls of parenthood, the search for meaning in a world that’s spiraling out of control, and the hope that somehow refuses to die even when everything else feels bleak. It’s this balance, the melancholy against an unrelenting optimism, that makes To Be Arranged more than just a cover album. It’s a bold statement wrapped in nostalgia, daring you to hear the classics with fresh ears.
Musicians: the ajjancy on vocals; Fernando Perdomo on guitars and Mellotron; Dan Feiszli on bass;
Terry Branam on drums; Matt Lebofsky on piano; Jeremy Nesse on Chapman Stick; Horns for Hire on horns; “Hamstrings” on strings.
Additional vocals – Brooklyn Ajjan, Mark Heisey, “PeeWee Durante”, HH Tay; additional guitars – Orbel Babayan, Emiliano Mercuri, Josh Parker; additional drums – Daniel Charavitsidis; and additional keyboards – Nick Barra, Matt Brown.
Arranged & produced by the ajjancy
Get To Be Arranged.
Many thanks Kevin for the kind words!