(2021) Jesse Marchant - Antelope Running


Review:
…Enlightened and literate, Jesse 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 Antelope Running is a classic deserving a wide audience. A tour de force, “An Accident (from 3 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. 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.





Track Listing:
01 - Hard to Say the Meaning
02 - Go Lightly
03 - An Accident {from 3 perspectives}
04 - Dirty Snow
05 - Antelope Running
06 - Hatchet of Destiny
07 - Century
08 - Challenger
09 - Far Away / Heartache
10 - I Never Knew
11 - The Stream Rushes On


Media Report:
Genre: folk-rock, indie-folk
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits