Kevin Bronson on October 26th, 2020

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“Sound the Alarm, Vol. 1: Louder Feelings” is a new digital compilation released a week ago by the Glassell Park artist collective and label Pop Can Records, and it benefits the tenant rights and homeless advocacy organization Street Watch LA.

And if one truly desires to sound the alarm, the album’s opener, Ill Peach’s “American Pie,” is just the track for it.

This is not 1971 and this is not Don McLean’s “American Pie,” but it could be. And, in fact the duo of Pat Morrissey and Jess Corazza was inspired by the long-ago hit. “We co-wrote this song with Trey Campbell,” Corazza says. “Before writing it, we spoke candidly together about everything that has been going on here in America. The title is, of course, a nod to Don McLean’s ‘American Pie.’ While he never really spoke about what his song meant, he was quoted saying, ‘basically in ‘American Pie’ things are heading in the wrong direction …’ It felt appropriate to title it the same.

“By displaying the quintessential image of the American picnic, Trey and I were able to eloquently layer in the ugliness that is hidden in the patriotism of America. I think a lot of America needs to dig through the trenches and really learn what America was built on. Slavery, thievery, capitalism and white people controlling the narrative since the idea of America began. Itʼs ugly, but itʼs true. America cannot continue to base its imagery on a fictional facade. We have to learn to stop dissociating and really face the reality of these grave times in order to help our future generations. That takes working together, having open conversations and really trying to have empathy and compassion for others.”

Pop Can Records will do a showcase Thursday at Twitch.TV/bandsintown.

||| Stream: “American Pie”

||| Stream: The whole compilation here