Nourished by Time : The Passionate Ones
The highest praise to pay Marcus Brown, better known as Nourished by Time, is that he has exquisite taste. He likes good music and knows what makes it good. That much was clear on his debut record Erotic Probiotic 2 in how he melded new jack swing and quiet storm, two genres nearly at odds with each other despite their shared means. That’s before getting into the synth-pop, post-punk, and house he also pilfered through. Listening to Nourished by Time is like hearing your dad play his favorite guitar solo from memory alone. Replication is not the goal. Brown is the vessel and the filter through which his influences must pass, and nothing passes through him unmodified by his being. His aura codifies all that he does.
Erotic Probiotic 2 played like a miasma of the ’80s, decadent in their synths and emotions, projected onto the cynicism of the ’90s, evident in ground-level observations and the growing gulf between the individual and the industry. Financial insecurity, spoken word wishes about moderating one’s guilty pastimes, embracing death’s certainty, all were dealt with through a rotoscope of R&B, pop, and dance that huffed the fumes of nearly empty ’80s neon paint. Brown tapped into nostalgia for its implicit heartbreaking qualities, the longing it held for a better time removed from its context, flawed as that time may be. He dropped in and out of styles with wanderlust, almost like how he moved to Los Angeles years ago because he wanted the “David Lynch vibe.”
By contrast, The Passionate Ones reflects some of Brown’s more buoyant tendencies. The thick soup of genres present on Erotic Probiotic 2 remains, fortunately, but The Passionate Ones is denser and more active. And, for a record marketed as emanating from the underbelly of capitalism, The Passionate Ones is neither fiery nor whiny, and that’s to its benefit. There are so few ways to critique capitalism with enough bite to feel novel, exciting, or even necessary. Brown has stated that his music is not political, and this is true, because it’s storytelling, as influenced by its setting as it is Tony! Toni! Toné! Look to “Daddy” or “The Fields” from Erotic Probiotic 2 and how they take interest in the characters affected by money and class, like when Brown describes the confusion in the eye of the advertising and religion storm on “The Fields”: “Once or twice, I prayed to Jesus/ Never heard a word back in plain English/ More like signs or advertisements/ Telling me to keep consumerizing/ Church on highway intersections/ Look at what the future has been rejecting.”
The Passionate Ones depicts how its narrators adapt to their circumstances and ecosystems. “Cult Interlude” speaks of saving someone from a manipulative organization by integrating into a healthy community, “It’s Time” reconciles with personal growth and its hangover when one’s potential isn’t reached, and “9 2 5” is about, well, that should be obvious. However, love and religion also exist in this ecosystem, acknowledged as actors but given the same lack of specificity as capitalism. The Passionate Ones is, then, a Festivus album, rallying against the flaws of these structures by portraying how they hemorrhage the mind. It’s affective rather than explanatory.
And, in this same Festivus manner, The Passionate Ones’ gripes are delivered lightheartedly thanks to Brown’s increased confidence. The baritone mumble that made Erotic Probiotic 2 a bedroom staple has matured into wails, among other bold decisions, like the shouting euphoria of “BABY BABY” or the dancefloor-designed “9 2 5.” Brown presents a more nuanced take on the tired adage that the club is a respite from the day’s doldrums by pairing them, insinuating that neither can exist without the other. In other words, working at a restaurant during the day and making love songs at night is a life worth living, though not without irritations.
It’s important to note the specific type of joy on The Passionate Ones. It’s neither rebellious to the system surrounding it nor a coping method. It’s a glow that pokes through Brown’s religious and romantic dilemma. That’s why some of these tracks are the most giddy he has sounded, making good on the promise “The Fields” made of energetic instrumentals with equally energetic vocal performances. “Automatic Love” shows that from the outset. Brown explodes through the mic with more heft than all of Erotic Probiotic 2.
While The Passionate Ones emboldens Erotic Probiotic 2, it retains the same basement studio feeling that made the latter so irresistible. It’s music made for one person, Brown himself, melting time and genre and status and love into a vase stained with his fingerprints. Only, he’s more confident with his craft. So while the vibe may be different, prouder and louder rather than alchemic, the spirit is the same.
Label: XL
Year: 2025
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Nourished by Time : The Passionate Ones
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