“The dark rasp of Marcus Blacke will hit you from behind, and the way it sneaks up will make you want to follow it through the hauntingly beautiful intricacies of Blacke’s new self-titled record. Hailing from Australia, Blacke’s voice has the world-weary, lived-in feel of a rail-riding wanderer.” Glide writer Maeri Ferguson described the new self-titled record from Marcus Blacke exactly a month ago, adding that “a true rambling troubadour like Blacke should be treasured in the folk scene for his offbeat strangeness and authenticity.” The singer-songwriter is not exactly a household name, especially here in the States, but he is definitely deserving of your attention. Throughout Blacke’s new album, it’s almost inevitable to want to compare his unique, gritty style of vocals to Bob Dylan, yet both in his tone and softness, Blacke also brings to mind contemporary acts like Hiss Golden Messenger’s M.C. Taylor.
As a whole, the collection of songs on Marcus Blacke’s new album embrace darkness and melancholy, and it would be a stretch to say it is a light listen. However, there is a whimsical, catchy quality to many of the songs that allows them to transcend the suffocating idea of simply being sad music. One of the standout tracks is “Upon The Wheel”, an airy, piano-driven number that captures Blacke’s ability to write an infectious chorus, not to mention a proper road song.
Today Glide Magazine is presenting an exclusive premiere of Marcus Blacke’s new music video for “Upon The Wheel”. The video is a fitting visual for the song and was filmed near Brisbane, Australia.
Marcus Blacke shares some insight on the song and making of the video: “The song was written while I was driving my 1986 Ford Laser to work one day. I don’t know how I didn’t have an accident to be honest, it was raining pretty heavily. I was just like, fuck it, for some reason I need to write this song. The video was shot by Jeff Anderson in varying locations around the Gold Coast. We lucked out in Springbrook with the fog and got some super nice nature shots. He didn’t put the shot in when I was smoking a cigarette on a fractured rock, separated by a waterfall on the edge of a cliff; which was one of the scariest things I have ever done, but yeah it happened. I will do almost anything for a cigarette some days. He did a great job with basically just himself me and the very limited budget.”
Watch “Upon The Wheel”:
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Marcus Blacke’s self-titled album is out now. For more music and info check out marcusblacke.com.
