Ask the DJ: Marshall Cecil – Top 10 Songs from The Dark & The Light

Genre-blending Danish group, Marshall Cecil’s latest single ‘Soliloquy (Wouldn’t Feel Alone)’ takes the listener on a symbolic journey through front man Daniel Abraham’s mind; “it’s a self-examining conversation with myself that spins out of control and ends in a cathartic rap. It’s a song open for interpretation but for me it’s about the relation between excessive self-examination and loneliness.”

The title, ‘Soliloquy’ refers to a theatrical device used within a play, when a character talks to themselves – thinking out loud, as it were – so that the audience better understands what is happening to the character internally. “When we wrote the song, I was in a place where music made me look within myself more than noticing the world around me. It made me feel lonely. Music can be a monster like that. It can treat you like a manipulative partner and end up playing you. The rap part in the end is me wrestling with that monster.”

As for their playlist: ‘’One of the recurring themes in our music is the relation between the darkness and the light,” says Abraham. “Instead of seeing the two as divided and opposites – we try to make songs that can encompass, nuance and unite both the darkness and the light. Here’s 10 tracks by different artists that I think in their different ways manages to do that.”

1. Francis & The Lights – ‘Take Me To The Light (feat. Bon Iver & Kanye West)’

“This song always puts a small on my face. It makes me want to throw away all the worries going on inside of me and just dance. It’s both a beautiful, funny and serious song – all at the same time. Also, I love the lines: ‘The stars will align – every time – you ain’t lying.’’’

2. 070 Shake – ‘I Laugh When I’m With Friends But Sad When I’m Alone’

“Shake battles with the dark along with her whole generation on this track, but in her voice there’s always a power and sense of hope in that power. I’m really looking forward to hearing more from this artist.”

3. Mariam The Believer – ‘To Conquer Pain With Love’

“A wonderful song from Swedish Mariam The Believer that manages to carry and balance both strength and weakness.”

4. Perfume Genius – ‘Otherside’

“A short but powerful song shifting in contrasts between the lo-fi & the hi-fi, the minimal & the grandiose, the modest & the limitless. We are everything and Perfume Genius knows that.”

5. Bon Iver – ‘33 ‘’GOD’’

“Bon Iver’s 22, A Million album was the album that finally made me love his music. This cryptic and fragmentary song about faith and doubt is for me one of the centrepieces on the album.”

6. Chance The Rapper – ‘The Big Day’

“A low-key strange track from Chance The Rapper where it’s hard to understand if he’s struggling or he’s just straight up happy. It reminds me a bit of ‘Perfect Day’ by Lou Reed. I just like its contrasts, its straight forwardness and playfulness.”

7. Kanye West – ‘I Thought About Killing You’

’The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest.’ Kanye West takes us on a journey inside his head where everything is possible. The song is like going to philosophy class at Kanye University. It’s easy to write this song off as crazy but as it is with Kanye – it’s way more fun to take his words seriously and see what they do to you.”

8. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – ‘Push The Sky Away’

“I guess you could consider this song one of the few – if not the only – ‘inspirational poster’ that Nick Cave has ever made. It’s a beautiful one though – with a slogan that tells us to break though the darkness that can hold us back and instead push ourselves into the light.”

9. Joni Mitchell – ‘Both Sides Now’

“To me, this is just perfect lyrical songwriting. If someone reading this hasn’t heard the song and checked out the lyrics, please make sure you do. A magnificent song about looking at the key-concepts of life from both sides.”

10. Leonard Cohen – ‘Anthem (Live in London)’

“Leonard Cohen was a master at uniting both the darkness and the light. Even when his songs are peaking in darkness, he always managed to create a light of hope for the listener. ‘’Anthem’’ is a beautiful example of that. Just these lines: Ring the bells, that still can ring / forget your perfect offering / there’s a crack in everything – that’s how the light gets in.’’

Marshall Cecil’s latest single ‘Soliloquy (Wouldn’t Feel Alone)’ is out now via Heady. Watch the video HERE.

You can listen to all Ask the DJ playlists on the FMS Magazine Spotify CHANNEL.

Find Marshall Cecil’s playlist below and HERE.

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