First Tracks: Marlon Chaplin and “Wanderer By Trade”
May 21, 2016, Toronto,Canada
Marlon Chaplin’s new album “Wanderer By Trade” represents the debut EP of works for one of Toronto’s most soulful singer-songwriters. Chaplin, known for his multi-instrumental skills, country-rocker vocals and mad stage moves, brings us a 6 song collection of jewels.
I’ve been obsessed with Chaplin’s lyrics from the minute we heard “Don’t You Fall” 2 years ago on set with Jessica Speziale in the Felideye shoot. “You move in like a vulture on my sepulchre you've inscribed a lie; where fortune meets the fabled I'm enabled to prescribe what I like; It's my crime”– poetry far beyond the banal repetitive catch lines of today’s pop music. You can watch that video here: https://youtu.be/-RxO8kT26PM
“Wanderer By Trade” offers a brilliant combination of meaningful and relatable well-crafted lyrics with the catchiness of memorable pop-country/rock music. We recently reviewed “In Stars” after the initial release of the music video a few weeks ago, directed by Karly McCloskey, and found a goldmine of lyrical twists to enjoy:
“Lay me down in stars, And I will concede and forfeit at the head of the charge, I’ve been hunted and the brunt left me stunted, Sliced to ribbons, confronted, Fractured, feathered and tarred, And it all goes black”
We previously reviewed “In Stars” for Listen Up Indie! : “Marlon Chaplin, one of our most favourite soulful Toronto-based independent musicians has come up with not only the catchiest tunes of the spring–reminiscent of some of the biggest hits from the era of Apocalypse Now and Yellow Submarine–but presents a unique music video that blew us away. Blend comic book cultishness with a flare for dynamic rock ‘n roll with a funky-rockabilly undertone, and we have In Stars!"
See the video for “In Stars” here: https://youtu.be/EhZ0FcztogE Other songs on the EP (streamable at CBC.com this week) include:
“Skeleton Key”: Chaplin carries us eastward to a dockside jam with an infectious rockabilly shuffle and a touch of maritime fiddle highlighted by a catchy yet poetic lyric and gorgeous balady breakdowns -- pushing this song beyond the expected genre. Think Lumineers meets Big C unplugged at a Maritime wedding—joined by the Beatles! A highly danceable song, “Skeleton Key” is the perfect opener to this album featuring his genius combination of lyric poetry and musicianship to create what is sure to be a live crowd pleaser and the perfect driving song as listed on Chaplin’s CBC’s profile here: http://music.cbc.ca/#!/artists/Marlon-Chaplin/albums/Wanderer-By-Trade)
“Carmeline”: With Carmeline, Chaplin continues to bring a strong sultry vocal to his songs that wanders outside of the obvious melody into both fresh and refreshing territory. One of the features of Chaplin’s music that catches my attention from beat one to the end is the way in which he is able to intuitively morph the structure and melody of his songs away from what you might expect to hear. Carmeline is an excellent example of this as he breaks down post-chorus and post- verse with a waterfall of single harmonic steps--reminiscent of the Rembrandts and Collective Soul—that have me singing the hook over and over. A perfect nod to Chaplin’s unique musicality, Carmeline mixes raw highland fiddle with an ethereal synth touching ever so slightly into world music territory for a moment of distraction that keeps the listener engaged and pleasantly surprised.
“Conviction” – Chaplin takes us out to the set of a period western flick with a country tango that has me whistling to a Quentin Terantino cast as they stare each other down, hands resting on holstered pistols. The quiet snare and simple soloing electric guitar build alongside a single fiddler and saloon piano as Chaplin weaves his story of loss, love and faith with a rhythmic complexity that once again elevates his work beyond the typical 4/4 ditty into an artful composition.
“Country Shack” continues the grassroots feel of this album with a lyrical gritty swing reminiscent of the Stone’s “Sweet Virginia” from their 1972 album “Exile on Mainstreet”. Chaplin’s use of single soloing instruments and a paucity of digital effects reinforces the organic quality of this album as a whole and reflects an influence of classic tracks. One can imagine the individual musicians on the track sitting in a room playing together in place of the faceless digitized computer-generated beat-mixes- a purely musical treat.
“Family Of Three” – a Dylanesque tale with a Jaggerish twang and a Dire Straits drive is the best way to explain the gem that is “Family Of Three”. In what is fast becoming typical soul-felt Chaplin-story-telling, you’ll find no-holds emotive vocals that shine above a dramatic musical accompaniment meant simply to help deliver the story, chapter by chapter, like a novella.
Overall the album, “Wanderer By Trade”, reflects the story-teller and emotive performer that is Marlon Chaplin, against an elemental musical background of guitar, drums, piano, fiddle and the occasional synth and backing vocal. A raw, honest and unembellished body of work that is clearly and conceptually played with the heart and soul we are coming to expect from this talented multi-instrumentalist, composer, poet and producer. Kudos!
Listen Up Indie Interviews Marlon Chaplin
Listen Up Indie!: Marlon, please explain “Wanderer By Trade” – your new album, where did the name come from?
Chaplin: Wanderer By Trade is a collection of songs that explore a theme of interpersonal deterioration, mainly due to an unwillingness to give one’s self over completely. It touches on notions of compromise, fear, insecurity, passive aggression and the consequences of living a relationship with one proverbial foot always out the door.
Listen Up Indie!: Who would you consider to be your musical influences?
Chaplin: My influences run deep, and are eclectic but for this record my intention was to give the material over to musicians I know and trust, who’ve had a history together in one form or another and could lend a creative ear to the process without overthinking anything. These are folk songs at their root and I booked studio time intentionally giving the band a limited window to learn the songs, the intent of which was to create something fresh and timeless, which we achieved. The bed tracks were done live off the floor, lead vocals included. Records that have been done this way that I love and that influenced this process include Bob Dylan’s Desire, Neil Young’s Tonight’s the Night. You can draw sonic similarities to Beggar’s Banquet by the Rolling Stones and certain cuts from Jack White’s two solo records.
Listen Up Indie?: What is the chronobiology of your musical journey up until now?
Chaplin: I first got turned on to the drums at nine, played obsessively throughout my teens during which I’d taught myself piano and guitar and joined several bands. Writing allowed me to explore a part of my imagination visual art had taken up until that point. I could now see landscapes and paintings in my head through creating music. I still see a song arrangement or a final mix as a painting. Balance is key. I founded a band called Broken Bricks with Luke Kuplowsky in 2007 that lasted six years and we shared the writing down the middle. We released two records and a single. Through a mutual connection our band shared, I joined Freeman Dre & the Kitchen Party two years later, began playing the Cameron House/Dakota circuit and subsequently met Ada Dahli and became her bandmate/co-writer and producer on Ada Dahli & the Pallbearer’s first album Tangents. Being involved with so many projects on a regular basis allowed me to exercise all kinds of muscle and helped me gain invaluable experience that’s contributed to the release of Wanderer By Trade.
“Wanderer By Trade” can be streamed on CBC.com here: http://music.cbc.ca/#!/artists/Marlon-Chaplin/albums/Wanderer-By-Trade Marlon Chaplin will be performing songs off the album “Wanderer By Trade” tomorrow (Sunday May 22) at The Drake Underground- 1150 Queen St. W. Toronto, ON Doors at 8 pm, Show at 9 pm $15 at door, $10 in advance
He will also be previewing his newest music video for the song “Conviction” by director Karly McCloskey—sure to be a unique experience!
For Advance Tickets Go Here: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1185633?utm_medium=459899
Join Listen Up Indie and Across The Board at Marlon Chaplin’s CD DROP Party Tomorrow Night! We will be coming to you LIVE on Facebook at some point during the evening. Stay tuned or better yet, come out to The Drake Underground.
