Disappointment is known to us all. There are seasons we fail to achieve what we set out to accomplish. Sometimes, this is so painful we stop wanting altogether. The line between acceptance and defeat, between persistence and masochism, is difficult to navigate.
These past few months I’ve grown so scared I don’t even feel the fear anymore—my oldest friend, big nothing, hocking its wares, professing itself as home. This is a character song. Still, like the speaker in “Jonathan”, I wish to find the courage to want again too.
Musically, the piano arrangement pulls heavily from my love of the album Nina Simone and Piano! and vocally from ANOHNI’s speed-shifting vibrato. In the mix, subtle sonic choices, such as roughing up the reverbs by sending them through old radio speakers and heavily distorting some of the piano microphones through classic tube preamps, combine with modern vocal processing to deepen the intersection between the wearing of age and the excitement for being alive in the now.
What is it to remain sensitive in an increasingly callous world?
Toronto-based alternative artist Marshall Jacklin pries this question open with every note that leaves his mouth. The classically trained pianist has developed an individual sound that is equal parts past, present and future. Ravel, Monk, Simone, Shawn Everett, DangerMouse, Sparklehorse; they all reside in one sonic world.
A complete musician, Jacklin writes, produces, performs, and records all his material. Honouring his wide cultural upbringing, a gift from the neighbourhood of Rexdale where he grew up, this is singer-songwriter music with a textured, shifting backdrop. Elements of jazz, hip hop, country and indie rock glide together, building a layered musical bed for a lyrical storytelling of the mundane, often ignored moments where true and sustainable growth actually happens.
Following two live recordings in the summer of 2023, Jacklin released his first official single on November 23rd, 2023. A complete reworking of the emo classic Came Out Swinging by The Wonder Years, the song was featured on blogs Surviving The Golden Age and Tinnitist, and received airplay on numerous Canadian college radio stations. His second single Movement was released this past February, and received placements from Canadian Beats, Obscure Sound and Exclaim’s “The Eh List”.
During his formative years Jacklin performed alongside rising Canadian acts Aysanabee, Ten Kills The Pack and Jeremie Albino. He has opened for Ontario indie legends Dizzy and Chastity as a member of the band Native Other.
If you feel a wish to remember the immense beauty of everyday living, this music is for you.