Daydreaming with serpentwithfeet
Whenever a new record by an artist whose music I thoroughly enjoy is announced, I get excited, as one does, and look forward to the record’s release. But it is very rare that I then continuously revisit the announcement in my mind, growing all the more curious as to what they will be up to this time around… as was the exact case with DEACON, serpentwithfeet’s sophomore LP released on March 26.
Admittedly, I didn’t get it right away. The album felt a bit bland, one-dimensional, cloyingly sweet, and too homogenous for my taste. The sound of Soil (the debut long-play, 2018) still loud and clear in my mind’s ear, I, perhaps, expected a sequel, a record drawing on the melancholy grandeur of its predecessor. Deacon, however, is by no means a sequel. Nor is it a follow-up EP (clocking in at only 29 minutes), or a companion piece to Soil but an independent event calling for a fresh pair of ears to appreciate all of its nuanced feeling.
Only as I cast my listening expectations aside and let the music engulf me, did I begin to see the album for what it is — a singular, self-sufficient statement that originates from a critically different state of mind. While Soil is a coming-of-age story, Deacon is one of being of age. While Soil plunges the listener in the tumult of serpentwithfeet’s tortured soul on its self-discovery quest, Deacon gently places one in the comforting crib of a soul at peace. Whereas Soil is a spectacle of provocation that defies every crusted canon and asserts its queer-ness with each second of its runtime (albeit in an unforced, stylistically coherent manner!), Deacon is a more intimate gesture of a gay black man who has reconciled with his demons and finally discovered a safe place for himself to flourish in.
After all the blisters, soil charring, and bridge burning of his younger years, serpentwithfeet seems to have settled down and has found himself a true soulmate. Without delving too much into his personal life, it is clear that the artist is thriving in a stable relationship. He is in love and eager to share his love with the rest of the world. In more than one tongue. Be it via 1) music itself, the sonic language (the sound palette, overall production style; a move towards lighter instrumental textures, more straightforward song structures, more stable rhythmic underpinnings — against which melodic motifs can shine bright); 2) the visual language (cover art, music videos, the artist’s appearance leading up to the release of the respective records — think massive septum rings, dyed beards, corsets, high heels, heavily made-up eyes, often in strident color combinations vs. beanies, turbans, blazers, in pastel hues); 3) the language (lyrics and the themes they evoke), this new record screams — excuse me — whispers healing. It is an ode to the importance of strong mental health underscored by recurring motifs of comfort, intimacy, delicacy, closeness, community, friendship, secure family ties, and, most overtly, romance.
The theme of romance, of being engaged in a tight, sensual feedback loop with another soul (so beautifully shown in the Same Size Shoe video!) on a day-to-day basis is undoubtedly one of Deacon’s major focal points that — through serpentwithfeet’s treatment — elevates the album to new heights of emotional poignancy. His openness with the listener. His willingness to share the quirky, deeply personal and sacred minutiae of their relationship, such as the couple’s „fascination with Prosecco“ (Fellowship), serpent’s yearning for his lover’s beard (Derrick’s Beard), or that genius humanised trumpet bit from Same Size Shoe (seriously, watch the video) is what makes the record so touching. Not to forget about the artifacts of black culture (the lush vocal harmonies, light piano runs, clapping-and-stomping on Malik so reminiscent of the black church) scattered throughout Deacon that lend the album an extra layer of socio-historic depth, letting us see both the roots and the current face of black (queer) culture — like on the closing track Fellowship, this glorious celebration of the whole spectrum of black love.
***
The eternal dreamweaver, serpentwithfeet never loses touch with his wildest, far-flung, endlessly sensual what-ifs even as he embraces the earthly plane, crafting an intricate daydream of a record. „serpentwithfeet… It is my little mantra. To be fluid but still grounded. Serpent… with feet. Serpent… with feet“
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