Meet Sydney’s very own Bob Dylan, singer-songwriter-guitarist-all-the-things, Marcus Gordon aka SPOOKY LAND. Now, we know, comparing someone to Dylan is a pretty huge thing to do and Gordon is only 20. But he’s got the brooding, witty vocals down. He’s got the folk-style guitar down. He’s even got a smattering of harmonica to top it all off.
Spooky Land is a gifted storyteller. At his shows you’ll be enthralled, mouth agape, letting lyrics about summers past, about defeat and lust, wash over you in waves of “yes, this is so great, how is he so great? I am so jealous that someone gets to be this great.”
But I forgot to say that Gordon is undeniably unique, completely unlike the rest of the indie scene. He’s got Nick Cave’s swaggering charm, and comes from the same kind of Australian suburban origins. His voice, warbling and awkward, yet with a wide-for-a-folk-singer range is capable of tapping into wells of shared human experience. The moment when he starts wailing in ‘Failures,’ well, it gets me. It gets me right here, in the chest.
Check out 2010 EP Kill One Bird With Two Stones for a showcase of all Spooky Land’s strongpoints (and there are many).
Better yet, you could get down and see him. He’s playing at The Newsagency, Marrickville tomorrow night (March 3) with Bradley Cork and Farmer Barrett. For event details see HERE.
Words by Hannah Story.
