Marcel Borrack

Melbourne singer-songwriter Marcel Borrack has been called an “urban troubadour” and a “suburban cowboy philosopher”. He finds this label a bit embarrassing, but with two stunning albums of sweet and rootsy heartbreakers, the troubadour tag, with its feeling for the toil of a musician’s life, seems to fit him.

Marcel’s heartfelt songs have good bones; poignant stories of everyday life condensed into the melodically sweet and musically spare gems found on his critically successful debut album Help and now upcoming release I Was Only Dreaming. Songs like Eight Items Or Less, Regent to Ruthven, Down In New York City or Perfect Then have made him a critical favourite, garnering comparisons to Elvis Costello, Ron Sexsmith and Josh Rouse.

Marcel considers his sound to be rootsy pop with a ragged, handmade production ethic. As he not only writes, but records and produces his songs he’s very clear about the sounds he wants on his records. His enthusiasm for the recording process has seen him collaborate with many different musicians in his home studio, recently contributing recording and guitar playing duties to Suzannah Espie’s album A Few More Days.

After years kicking around live venues in bands, the first solo album threw Marcel into a whirlwind two years of live performances. With the release of Help in 2004, he played frequently, solo and with a six-piece band, with supports for Lisa Miller, Tim Rogers, The Blackeyed Susans and Mick Thomas and The Sure Thing.

Which brings us up to the present. I Was Only Dreaming is a genuine, confident second offering, finding its heart in the lush pastoral environment it was made in, as much as in Marcel’s unpretentious storytelling and subtle arrangements. And if you’re inclined to appreciate albums on headphones, “you’re likely to hear lots of cows and birds in the background,” promises Marcel.

I Was Only Dreaming is already generating buzz, with music writer Jeff Jenkins (Inpress) saying “Marcel Borrack's Help was my Album Of The Year in 2004. And I think I Was Only Dreaming might be even better. In his own understated way, this guy could be destined to be one of the songwriting greats"

I Was Only Dreaming is out now on Croxton Records.