Marcos The Arrow – “I Got Swagger Now” – There’s enough inspiration here to immerse oneself in!

Marcos The Arrow’s willingness to experiment and challenge himself as a songwriter always makes for a good listening experience, if not perfect – and consistently proves his brilliance as an original artist. The British singer-songwriter with Spanish and Cuban roots, looks back on what he’s accomplished thus far and celebrates his continued artistic freedom with a fresh sound on his latest single, “I Got Swagger Now”. The music’s serious, genuine moments are balanced out by a good dose of the artist’s usual lyrical theatrics. Marcos The Arrow’s has always had a flair for the dramatic, and the genial.

Here he rolls those two elements into one, on a track dedicated to Exuma, the Obeah Man, an eccentric and eclectic musical figure who grew up in the Bahamas and moved to New York during the 60’s, where he often performed along with Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Peter Paul and Mary, Jimi Hendrix and Barbara Streisand, eventually landing a major recording contract with Mercury Records.

Marcos The Arrow’s trademark lyrical theatricality, strong vocals, and confidence are all present on “I Got Swagger Now”. The song explodes out of the gate into an ambitious electro-pop powered jaunt, with an alt-rock twist, heavy percussion and few chances for the singer to catch his breath, in a stream of consciousness delivery.

The song fits the sparky showmanship attitude as well as its title and theme. Marcos The Arrow has thrown everything including the kitchen sink at this track, in terms of retro synths, brass and vocal layers.

The deep-voiced chorus is unable to be contained, as Marcos The Arrow’s resonant voice is able to rip holes in the ground with how far down it can reach. Despite some of the records serious undertones, there is so much clear enjoyment coming from Marcos The Arrow on this track – a great guy having an amazing time doing what he loves best – a vibe that is infectious. There’s enough inspiration here to immerse oneself in.

“I Got Swagger Now” is stately in scope, and propelled forward with enough drive to stick in the head and heart. It’s for those who want to see yet another side to this prolific musical mind, and it’s a voyage worth taking. There is an eerie, almost spooky quality that artfully winds in and out of the record, as lyrically, Marcos The Arrow is able to embrace the poetic, sing in metaphors, make literary allusions, and paint pictures as vivid as life itself.

Marcos The Arrow has always been superbly gifted with an ability to make music that is both timeless and a perfect snapshot of the era in which it was created. Moreover he appears to revel in pulling together a bunch of seemingly disparate sounds, watching them bounce off each other and shoot into places they wouldn’t usually be heard.

There’s always a genius alchemy at work in his music, and it is present here too. I’m not sure what Marcos The Arrow has been putting in his cereal lately, but he is firing on all cylinders on “I Got Swagger Now”.

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