Kantilena have been teasing their followers with titbits from their upcoming debut album, Senduq, for the past few months now. It started with a video to accompany their single Stumalla, which was recorded live on a sightseeing train going round Rabat.
This was followed by a video for X’ubidu, which was recorded during a mini-performance at Crystal Palace, the iconic pastizzeria – also known as is-Serkin – in Rabat.
The combination of poignant lyrics and traditional background attracted enough attention to make the video go viral in under a day. A video of Il-Ballata ta’ Nenu, another single from the album, followed.
Again, this was recorded during a live performance in another original location – the Oratorju San Ġużepp in Vittoriosa. I was lucky enough to be present for this mini-gig, and I was struck by the raw emotion that Kantilena’s lyrics and music are imbued. It is the kind of emotion that transports you to your own private world, leaving you lost in thought.
And finally, the last single before the album launch – Ġaħan – with a video that panders to all our childhood fantasies about the ‘simpleton’ synonymous with Maltese folklore. From the intro, which depicts a doorway in the middle of a field, leading to nowhere, the viewer knows he’s in for a whimsical ride.
All four videos promise only good things for the band’s upcoming album launch, which takes place with a full-length performance on Saturday. This launch is set to be a special, one-off event taking the stage at a rather unusual location, the Greek Threatre at the girls’ secondary school in Blata l-Bajda.
In an effort to pull off the album the way it will sound to those who listen to it at home, the band is bringing together 12 musicians to perform their sections in pieces for the launch performance – an occurence that the band says is unlikely to repeat itself. How did the four videos lead to this?
“Usually, live music is ex-perienced by people specifically attending concerts or events. The idea behind the recent videos was to make our music more accessible by going to certain locations which are not usually used for performances. We also wanted to bring out the spontaneity of our music and encourage the public to relate more to our lyrics and songs,” James Baldacchino (violin and viola) says.
The band’s favourite, he adds, is probably the Crystal Palace one, which was unique in terms of the small space, the smell of pastizzi and the participation and reception of people who would not typically attend Kantilena’s concerts.
“We were quite impressed with the level of interest shown in our music. That performance made us feel like we were doing something good with it,” he continues with a smile.
The album has been in the making for exactly a year; the process started wht the recording of rough scratch tracks of all the songs the band had been performing live. After detailed dissection, some tracks were changed drastically, others not so much.
The idea was always to make past and contemporary features of Maltese culture accessible to today’s audiences
“All the tracks will be presented in a completely new light in Senduq,” Drinu Camillieri (guitar and vocals) continues. “The process also opened up new avenues for creativity and led to the writing of two new tracks which will also feature in the album.”
The album was not tackled as a concept album, but instead focused on the overall concept and ideal of Kantilena itself – which has always been that of creating music which is contemporary and relevant.
“The idea was always to make past and contemporary features of Maltese culture accessible to today’s audiences,” Camilleri says. “Senduq is a reflection of the work that started with the inception of Kantilena. The album evolved along with the band and reflects a number of different ideas, stories and cultural references.”
It is partially for this reason that the name Senduq was chosen, a reference to the fact that many Maltese households still retain this large piece of furniture, resembling a huge trunk, in prominent positions in their houses.
“The contents of the senduq are rarely revealed. Yet, its size allows for so many different things to be kept inside, leading to an almost insatiable curiosity to open them up and have a look inside. We want people to open up our album, have a listen and hopefully find something with which they can connect,” Baldacchino interjects.
The band has grown considerably through the six years it been around. Today, its core members are Baldacchino, Camilleri, Alessandro Lia (piano and vocals) and Albert Garzia (accordion), with all four collaborating in the music creation process.
“We all have different roles to perform, and usually different opinions too,” Camilleri says with a smile. “This lead to our rather unique sound, which is made up of our diverse influences and ideas. We also work very closely with a number of other musicians. For instance, Manuel Pulis’s input on drums has been invaluable, as has been Alan Portelli’s considerable knowledge when it came to re-interpreting our bass lines.”
A rather long list of other musicians have also been involved in the recording of the album, and the final instrumental line-up includes trumpet, trombone, euphonium, clarinet, viola, cello and mandolin, besides the usual suspects.
Most of the lyrics were penned by Lia and Camilleri. Kantilena’s works speak about a wide variety of topics; however, the overarching feel and taste remains very introspective, which the musicians believe is what probably leads to the great sense of nostalgia.
“The musical process also aids this by means of prominent nods to tunes which are iconic in Malta, such as Lanċa Ġejja u Oħra Sejra in Baħħar. The album contains more of these, in fact.” Traditional Maltese themes and language are two things that remain very close to the band’s heart. Baldacchino says that they all feel very heartened by the current scene. At least three albums in the Maltese language (including theirs) were launched recently.
Baldacchino says that the band always believed this is a great way to reflect our generation and its culture and values, making Maltese ever more accessible and relevant to our generations.
“We’re very happy to be part of this growing current scene and are looking forward to working on collaborations with other musicians in this vein,” Baldacchino concludes.
But in the meantime, there is the launch of Senduq to think of, followed by an appearance as the local closing act for this year’s edition of Għanafest next Sunday.
Senduq was supported by the Malta Arts Fund. The album will be launched with a full performance on Saturday at 8.30pm at the Greek Theatre at the Kulleġġ San Ġorġ Preca, Blata l-Bajda. The band will also perform next Sunday during Għanafest at the Argotti Gardens, Floriana.
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