Album Review: Jesse Marchant’s Illusion of Love Gets Political

Jesse Marchant’s Illusion of Love plays exactly like that, an illusion. Songs spume upward with the images we thought about love, and the reality we gained with relationships. Love is a humbling experience because it teaches us that it can be magical, but it still is earthbound.

Marchant’s vocal style is quiet like, a foggy day by the sea. Clouds come in the form of chords that strike and haze with memories of all the times you had a “love plan” and it did not go accordingly. Yet, his lyrics struggle with whether they still went right or wrong ? Tracks like, “Nightships”, “I’ve Got Friends”, and “Frame For One” feel embattled with loneliness, and the constant reminders we give ourselves that we are NOT alone. Heck, I have been in a party and felt lonely, which is why I am so fascinated by Marchant’s Illusion of Love. He captures sadness and makes it stunning, but also makes it socio-political.

“All These Kids I Never Knew”, “Heart of Mine”, and “Owl In The Dark” are Jesse Marchant going “Neil Young on ya! He moves from personal to political, but bridges both back to an individual’s illusions of love. How and what political ideologies you approach stems from and reveals how you see love. This idea explains why, eventually, every political conversation boils down to whether you are loving towards others or hateful. Do you only provide compassion for those you know, like your family, but restriction for those you do not? For Marchant, anyone’s inability to love beyond themselves or those they consider apart of “them” does not merit enough virtue to say they are an “us” person. It is a bold statement that he veils under spiritual nuance. This is a truth; love is unlimited, and if you put barriers upon it then you put illusions.

I have to say, I admire any artist that becomes political, but I truly revere artists that go beyond ideologies to scope through moralities. If you feel your politics do not reveal or grow your capacity to love, then it is time to change your politics because love is not something you should lose. Marchant’s album ranges from piano ballads (“In This Short Time”) to more rocker marches, (“6&5”) but it follows a single theme; look at how you love, and you will see how you look. For More Information On Jesses Marchant And To Buy Illusion of Love On January 26 Click Here.