Folk, Americana, Canadiana
RIYL: Iron & Wine / Ray LaMontagne / Bon Iver
With a tinge of folk, Americana, and Canadiana (yes, that is a thing) Jesse Maranger of Kitchener, Ontario has penned a song that is bound to be an autumn classic for some time to come.
Musically and lyrically, Maranger discusses viewing the world through a pan-optical lens. The song and the music convey a mood that chills to the bone. This feeling comes from the lyrics where Maranger seems to ruminate on the change in seasons. Further, Maranger seems to say that no matter what time of year, he will always lament for his friend (or lover).
Using a blend of instruments, including a pedal steel played by Bob Egan, Maranger composes a sound of desolation drenched in reverb. Maranger’s voice carries above the song, providing an ethereal sound sparsely found in recent folk music to date.
While only a single, “They Can’t Tell You Who You Are,” is a promising offering, and likely foreshadowing what we can expect to hear from Maranger’s forthcoming sophomore record Dreamist, due out October 27th.
Maranger says this about the single: “I’ve worked so hard on this album and I’m really proud to be sharing this song with you today. This one is especially important to me because it gave me the chance to collaborate with a bunch of unique and talented people.”
The song, and subsequently the record, embraces the beauty of imperfect love.
If you are interested in checking out more of Maranger’s work, you can find his 2014 debut release So I Love You As You Are here. The sprawling nine-track release carries some of the same moods and themes, but it seems that the forthcoming record will build on that framework in a positive way.
