It’s hard to remember a voice more destined to polarise listeners than that of Marcus Gordon, singer, multi-instrumentalist and mastermind of new Sydney act Spookyland. How to describe it? Think of a young Nick Cave, howling in prepubescent rage in the moments before his voice breaks. Think of Bowie as Ziggy Stardust doing his best impression of The Tallest Man On Earth doing his best impression of Bob Dylan. And even then we’re just getting started.
Lead single ‘The Silly Fucking Thing’ has been doing the rounds for a while now. It’s that rare and utterly magical kind of song that leaves you remembering when and where you first heard it. At its most basic, ‘The Silly Fucking Thing’ is a break-up song. But there’s never been a break-up song quite like this. For all its brilliance, though, one of the big questions posed by the song was whether Gordon’s eccentric singing style would hold up across a longer platform. Would he be like other vocal oddities: best consumed in small doses?
Ultimately the jury remains out on that for the time being, but based on the additional three songs that comprise the Rock And Roll Weakling EP, Gordon and his Spookyland accomplices are a force to be reckoned with.
4/5.
