The first track on Għera, Plato's Dream Machine’s (PDM) new album, is an immediate indication of things to come. With haunting vocals and a melody that combines contemporary Maltese music with traditional, folk roots, Fik is a strong introduction to an album that never once fails.
Followers of the band have long been waiting for PDM’s album after their first recording, Tal-Qamħa, placed them squarely on the list of musicians that are contributing to the strengthening of Maltese music.
But though Tal-Qamħa was already a valid EP, maybe it was not ground-breaking on a local level.
Għera, however, turns everything we knew about PDM on its head. It bridges the distance between ‘good’ and ‘remarkable’ with 11 tracks that present a totally fresh sound.
It is a sound that evolves into a multitude of genres and layers that can only be described as an explosion of aural beauty.
The second track, Flien, launches with an organ motif that slips into the listener’s subconscious, making this a song whose melody will be looping through your mind at random moments of the day.
Temenza is probably my favourite track. The energetic intro seamlessly merges into the vocals, delivered in an effectively matter-of-fact way. The lyrics contribute significantly to the value of this track; indeed the whole album is very lyrically strong.
Tal-Qamħa’s lyrics were mostly in English, bar for one entry; Għera uses Maltese as its only language, a very sound decision by the band. Songwriter and singer Robert Farrugia Flores uses the language exquisitely. Most of the tracks pretty much qualify as poetry set to music, but there is nothing pretentious about the final result.
A multitude of genres and layers that can only be described as an explosion of aural beauty
Lines like “Meta nħares f’għajnejk l-għanqbuta tal-ferħ; tiġbidni lejk” (from Int) and “Fil-kenn tal-imħabba sibt faraġ bla qies; Xufftejk ġabuli l-ġenna fl’abiss” (from Apatija), can’t help but stick in your mind.
The album artwork includes a printout of the lyrics, another good move as I’m sure many others will enjoy doing what I did, following the lyrics while they listen to the album.
And yeah, shamefully I had to ask around for the meaning of some words, and am still trying to figure out ‘flien’. Respect for interesting and creative use of the Maltese language, which the band carries off without scaring its listeners away.
Il-Ġnejna, 4am is my other favourite track; it has a decidedly more nostalgic feel which is, however, combined with the occasional electronic chord that brings it back to contemporary times.
Describing it as multi-layered is simplifying matters somewhat, and the track requires multiple listens in order to appreciate the different musical components.
Halfway through, the album takes on a mood that is more mellow and sombre. Apatija marks this switch with a track that lives up to its name, every single word and chord imbued with a quiet kind of melancholia, until it reaches a gorgeous explosion of sound.
Il-Qattiel continues to build on this mood, an entry that starts out in a deceptively understated manner but suddenly takes you unawares with a totally beautiful, instrumental section. The track is the longest one on the album, clocking in at over six minutes. Not one second is wasted.
Wiċċ is another track that does a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde number on the listener, switching from punctuated percussions and riffs to flowing organ and mellifluous vocals.
Kollox Effimeru? brings us vocals that, for me, at one point were vaguely reminiscent of Radiohead in their OK Computer days. This is a continuously shifting, disturb-ing track which, of course, is a very good thing.
L-Ineffabli is purely instrumental, merging imperceptibly into Int, a touching ode to love if there ever was one.
The album then comes to an end with the ever-questioning Kimera, a track that keeps changing sounds and vocal tone so that you are never quite sure what the mood is, or what to expect next. In short, an ambivalent chimera.
Għera will undoubtedly qualify as one of the strongest contemporary local releases of the year, as it continues to help revolutionise the idea of what constitutes Maltese music.
Plato’s Dream Machine will perform at Earth Garden, Ta’ Qali on June 6. The album was supported by the Malta Arts Fund.