The year that has passed in between Yews launching her alluring debut EP Selene at Blitz last January and For Strings Inn dropping their Feathers & Stones album just a few weeks ago at Razzett L-Aħmar has been an incredibly fruitful one for Maltese music. Compared to previous years, we’ve had a great number of new releases in 2014 and a good chunk of them of great quality, with many artists raising the bar to make this a stand-out year.
Perhaps the most significant aspect is the fact that, of the 30 or so local album releases this year, no fewer than 10 featured songs sung in Maltese.
Most of these expressly reflected the pursuit of new areas where to take the Maltese language within the musical spectrum and as a result we have further proof that, contrary to all the denigrating claims that our mother tongue is too harsh to sing, our language can and does indeed sit well within more contemporary sounds and textures, even those that are perhaps not so mainstream.
Indeed, I dare say it probably fits in even better away from the mainstream and much of the work presented this year has been essential in doing away with the detrimental novelty angle that had been hindering true and proper appreciation of the use of the Maltese language in modern music.
It’s always hard to pick favourites but this year has proved particularly harder as, from the moment Corazon released Hawn Jien, each Maltese language release has brought out new exciting ways to appreciate our language in music. Perhaps, none as fluidly as Plato’s Dream Machine’s shape-shifting Għera.
Fastidju’s self-titled debut opted for a more primal, yet, equally fluid blend, while Kantilena’s Senduq focused more profoundly and rather effectively on a folk ethos.
In contrast, Mistura’s U D-Dinja Tkompli Ddur saw our language given a touch of Blues and classic rock and the much-lauded Ħabullabulojb from Brodu threw caution to the wind, adopting a 360 degree approach that embraced anything from punk to grunge to doom metal and folk ballads throughout its 60 minute emotive journey.
Of course, there were several other notable releases, The Areola Treat’s Walk into Nothing and The Violent Violets’ Tame being among the forerunners on the indie side. Flying in under the radar, the young and immensely talented Robert Farrugia released not one, but two works of glistening ambient music.
From a metal aspect there were less than a handful of albums of which Albert Bell’s Sacro Sanctus’s debut album Deus Volt I found particularly engaging and Saħħar’s two offerings, unveiling a new chapter in Maltese black metal, are also worth mentioning.
Airport Impressions’ Mariette consolidated their position among the A-listers of the local rock scene, while The Rifffs delivered in full with their sophomore album Can’t stop the people. Chris & Moira marked their recording return with Ninety Nights and a Monday and Gozo’s Divine Sinners gave us Losers Rule, brimming with their signature melodic stride and tongue-in-cheek wordplay.
The jazz scene too produced some fine records. My personal favourite being Nadine Axisa’s exquisite Velvet, but with Jes Psaila’s commendable debut and Vinny Vella Jr’s Another way clocking up a fair amount of spins.
Perhaps the most significant aspect is the fact that, of the 30 or so local album releases this year, no fewer than 10 featured songs sung in Maltese
There were a good number of EP releases too. NoSnow/NoAlps’s Go Go Go Go reconfirmed the band’s verve and versatility. Norm Rejection’s The Radical Underground was a sturdy statement that all of the band’s metal and political roots remain intact.
One of the biggest revelations was Juno & The Wolf’s debut, a collection of songs that hit as hard on record as they do in a live setting. Despite their lo-fi quality, China’s Take Me to the Beach and Kriz Haze’s Ad Hoc remain firm favourites that I would love to re-experience with some better production, something that might also benefit The Busker’s EP3 and Four. Both awesome offerings of unbridled folky rock with the right tinge of pop.
Dana McKeon’s Street Art offered a glimpse of what the future holds for this multi-talented artist. Jane Doe’s Homeostatic Cover is among my top picks this year, featuring a handful of tunes that point to much potential.
I must also mention The Cosmic Erotic, whose music I was truly taken by and look forward to more of, along with a handful of the singles and/or videos that have helped keep the scene (not to mention my weekly radio playlists) colourful and alive.
The first of these is Fuzzhoneys’ amazing Soul, a band to look out for in 2015. The second is Massacre House Party’s Uh Oh, another band that I look forward to more music from this coming year and third is Lyndsay’s Regent Street, a gorgeous slice of quirky, leftfield pop.
Red Electrick’s Young Again, though a tad predictable does its job well. Other tracks that made my list include new offerings from Jon Lukas Woodenman, They Come In Twos, The Cosmic Sect, Mind’s Eye Dub, Sempliċiment tat-Triq, Sonitus Eco, Chess, Stimulus Timbre, Rumbull and Lucy’s Last, the latter a band I’m also expecting more goodness from.
Finally, a quick nod to the incredible Caravana Sun and Nicky Bomba, who graced our shores with their explosive live performances this year.
A big up to all those who gave us some incredible live concerts and festivals. It’s going to be hard to top 2014, but not impossible.