Modern life wants to steal our dreams away from us. The sobering realities of this world threaten our capacity to do anything outside engage in consumerism and burn our days away at work. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel, any life outside of the warehouse? There has to be more to all of this… right? Marcus Brown of Nourished by Time believes there is, through love, through perseverance, through fight. It’s just an uneasy road to get there, one that not everyone manages to survive.
The Passionate Ones sees the Baltimore born auteur re-examine what the American dream even means in an increasingly individualistic society. We live in a state that worships the dollar and wants to sell us something at every turn. Most workplaces transformed work from something honest to fund the machine with our hard earned money, our sacrifice at the altar. War crimes are still committed, the horrors exists outside our windows everyday. Nourished by Time sees how all of this strips us of our love, our creativity, our humanity. All we have left are paychecks, this slighted idea of “success,” a glorified hamster wheel unless we’re willing to exploit others.
Consequently, cynicism roots in our hearts if we aren’t careful. Marcus Brown reveals his hand early on “Automatic Love” on how to evade such an easy route. “It was love that kept me waiting. It was love that got me through. My body wont feel nothing until my skin touches you,” Nourished by Time howls.
Nourished by Time Navigates Pain, Love, and The American Dream on The Passionate Ones
If that sounds like an oversimplification, it is. But Marcus Brown isn’t naïve either. The Passionate Ones isn’t one of those convenient acoustic albums that deals in rosy ideals. It’s not as easy as dusting our hands in one unified love. The record deals in pain, one that airdrops you into the dizzying, overwhelming horrors of bombings and the dread and weariness in our souls from corruption alike.
Some of the most harrowing moments on The Passionate Ones see Brown look coldly inward at himself. On “It’s Time,” he admits that his determination oftentimes wanes. “I look myself in the mirror, cant say I feel any clearer. We don’t always conquer madness in the moments we want,” Nourished by Time croons over stark, overcast chords. Throughout the rest of the song, he pulls back and forth between knowing he must forward and admitting that the baggage he has hinders his “vision of love.” By the end of the verse, he sighs that he can’t escape from his problems forever through drugs.
It’s the interconnected nature between love and pain that defines The Passionate Ones. Ultimately, it culminates in a deep weariness in his resolve. On “Tossed Away,” Nourished by Time zeroes in on isolation and disillusionment that comes with modern living. Chasing his dreams in today’s hellscape continuously bleeds him dry. As a result, the connection between himself and who he loves grows dim. Still, his resolve remains firm. “You know I been tossed away, you know I been let down. But I want you to know that I’m reaching for you,” Brown aches.
Nourished by Time Stresses Perseverance in The Face of Fear on The Passionate Ones
Additionally, take the core of the album “Jojo,” where “the ebb and flow isn’t ebbing right” and the self doubt is crippling Marcus. “I been working so hard too, on this railway from me to you. Though the season may be over, we can only try. But ain’t it what you say when lovers die?” Nourished by Time posits.
Meanwhile, UK everyman Tony Bontana raps the kind of starving, motivational verse that cemented legends like DMX in our hearts. He’s the album’s beating heart; Brown carefully balances the scale, maintaining his ‘love conquers all’ disposition with a staggering loneliness and a necessary uncertainty. But Bontana synthesizes Brown’s album-long thesis. In every long night, looking up at the sky, asking any deity that will listen for answers. But he already knows– it’s just difficult. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. So every verse, every song, every album matters, even if it might take forever. The hard times breed strong men and creates fuel to keep going. Rather that create callouses, it should strengthen our love and our desire for better. “I know it’s pain but you gotta let that pain get inspired. We hard wired for love,” Bontana ends his verse.
Nourished by Time does offer a radical alternative on the dizzying “BABY BABY” though: don’t play the game at all. “If we all strike right now, the gravy train stop,” he stresses. Alas, quitting the game outright may not be practical if people aren’t all on the same page. So on the liberating dance track “9 2 5,” Marcus Brown extends the ethos of Dolly Parton’s classic with beautiful empathy for the working class. As our souls deteriorate at dead-end jobs that don’t pay us nearly enough, get drunk, let out a good cry every once in a while. But never stop writing those love songs by night. Nurture the dreamer amidst a hateful existence.
The Passionate Ones is an exercise on perseverance and how vital it is to secure a portion of ourselves in a world eager to take it all away from us. The American Dream isn’t a tangible opportunity for people anymore. Consequently, Nourished by Time urges us to stop worshipping false idols. Late-stage capitalism won’t save us. But if we carve out space for ourselves, maybe our dreams will.
The post Nourished by Time Grapples With The Complications of The American Dream on ‘The Passionate Ones’ appeared first on VICE.
