Jambrains - The Road Less Taken

​Jambrains

The Road Less Taken
self-released; 2022

By Jamie Funk
​

It’s been a couple years since Jambrains aka Swedish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Johan Alm released new music. I’ve been familiar with the artist after reviewing a number of his previous releases including Faded Dreams, 900 Days and Life, Love & Lies. His latest release is entitled The Road Less Taken. Alm mentions “the album is retrospective, looking back on choices made and decisions taken, be it to leave the suffocating small town, the friends you grew up with or perhaps a lover.”

The album begins with “Big Dreams” and you are greeted with a solemn and pensive energy. There’s some atmosphere, guitar and keys at first and soon enough drums enter into the song as well. The song is dynamic although the song veers towards melancholy the chorus feels powerful and as the song progresses it sways back and forth between different sorts of emotional states. 

“A Black Dodge Charger” is catchy and a little more upbeat and single-worthy. There’s a heavy sense of nostalgia on this song with Americana-like vibes. The chorus is undeniably infectious and the verse goes on to tell a narrative but not all of it is positive. I would say the line about his friend getting shot came to mind. 

“The Road Less Taken” starts off as a pretty straightforward piano ballad. It’s sincere and tender. The song has a major shift in energy which is established with a faster BPM. There’s even a synth in this song which I wasn’t expecting but works perfectly in the mix.

“The Vanishing Horizon” starts off as an intimate song on guitar and vocals. The song builds as the strums get more intense and eventually more instrumentation enters making the song feel grand and epic. 

“Weather the Storm” was one of the highlights. I loved the vocals on this song and how the song explodes about halfway through. This song felt very positive and optimistic about the future. “Pick Up the Pieces” is fast paced the whole way through and you get another memorable chorus on this song. “I Remember” is a solid closer which seems to revolve around a past love. It’s not all bittersweet though. He reminisced but it felt like at points we were looking back fondly.

​This was arguably the most realized and cohesive release from the artist. The album has gentle yet dynamic flow and the songwriting is better than ever. Recommended.

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