Jesse Marchant – Antelope Running
AntiFragile Music – 25 June 2021
Have you ever had a secret you wanted to share, but knew from the moment you’d shared it, it would never be just yours again? That’s a bit the way I feel about Antelope Running by Jesse Marchant. An album so brilliant the world should hear it, yet once the secret gets out everyone can lay claim to him. It’s a conundrum. Enlightened and literate, Marchant draws comparisons to artists like Nick Drake, Mark Kozelek and Jim James. Yet, at the end of the day, there really is no one who really matches his set of skills. Make no mistake, his fifth album is a classic deserving a wide audience.
A tour de force, “An Accident (from three perspectives)” reveals the trauma of a snowboarding accident Marchant suffered in his teens. The music starts gently, yet there’s an insistent drumbeat that rings what could be a death knell. The beat gets louder as the song turns more towards what could an ending. Told from the perspectives of his brother who watched the accident, his mother who stayed by his side through the dark hours after transporting him to the hospital and his own perspective, it’s a fascinating bit of songwriting, one not often seen let alone experienced from three different points of view.
Written in a rented home in the Catskills, ”Go Lightly” mirrors the stream that ran outside the place, gentle piano with flourishes of woodwind setting a peaceful tone. Yet the song recalls an old love and seems to reflect a middle-aged perspective, illustrating that things aren’t always as peaceful as they might seem, “Well we don’t live so quietly now/ And lies have followed me around/ Light fissures forming cracks/ In a dull life leading you to stray.” Less like lyrics, more like poetry, Marchant offers so much thought and so much for listeners to think about.
Almost a prayer, “Dirty Snow” reflects on life and how so much seems to get in the way of who we are and what we want to be. The piano, joined by an electric guitar, seems to plead for both forgiveness and understanding. When Marchant sings “Please understand me” it is a plea for both understanding and forgiveness for the man he is. It’s also a moment that brings shivers to your soul.
Listening to the last few tunes I get the feeling of John Martyn, yet lyrically Marchant and Martyn are worlds apart. Woodwinds and guitars frame songs that have a slight jazz feel and where Martyn would sing simply, Marchant seems to be on a slightly deeper plane, it’s hard to imagine Martyn singing, “To the dustbin of love/ A good fortune/ In you and I/ Was sent to me.” These moments he brings to life breathe in the air and feel real.
What Jesse Marchant has done with Antelope Running is nothing short of extraordinary. The soul of a poet, in the guise of a songwriter, creating music that is timeless. This is his moment. Do not miss it.
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https://www.jessemarchant.com/