Shawn William Clarke: Softer Scissors
EP RELEASE SHOW:
Shawn William Clarke w/ Sarah Hiltz
Saturday, April 20
The Burdock - Toronto
Shawn William Clarke first full length studio album in 7 years is out on April 19th. Recorded in Gravenhurst Ontario with Rob Currie, "Softer Scissors" sees Clarke marrying narrative songwriting with innovative arrangements. As guitarist Mike T. Kerr so succinctly pointed out, the album moves like a tape loop, where themes and ideas may come back slightly altered from when you heard them last.
Opening the album with the introspective, minimalist track "New Drug 1", Softer Scissors unfolds into a collage of various sonic influences sewn together by Clarke’s image-rich storytelling and winding melodies. From the influence of Canadian icons Sloan and Hayden on “Everybody Gets Sad” and “Time Intervenes”, to finger-picked ‘60s folk-infused “All Is Lost, All Is Fine” and ”Tall Trees”, to experimental lo-fi sprinklings on “Franny Stares” and “New Drug p2”, and closing the album with the warm and expansive “My Key Light (Quiet Company)”, Clarke keeps his listeners on their toes and simultaneously wrapped in an atmosphere of gentleness and togetherness.
Clarke shares: ”Much of the album was written during the lockdown. What was in my mind at the time shows up here. Concerns about family and friends, an unsure future, the people (and pets) who kept us sane in troubled times. I’m also interested in what constitutes love, and how love can be perceived by others."