2008: Music
by Toni Sant
2008 was a very mixed bag of good and bad for Maltese music. The worse moment for the local music scene was undoubtedly the untimely demise of 21-year-old Jade Brincat, keyboardist with various bands, including 2007 Rockblaze winners Stillborn. The highlight of the year was undoubtedly the release of Brikkuni's debut album
Kuntrabanda. Meanwhile, the Poxx Bar in Paceville continued to establish itself as the venue for alternative music, particularly when it hosted the return of the almighty Xtruppaw supported by a reformed The I-Skandal. The newly established performance art venue Warehouse No. 8 put itself on the map too with unusual concerts by Danjeli (performing Kakofonija live), Sandro Zerafa 5tet (for the White Russian CD launch) and Hunters Palace among others. The pop scene followed the usual trails and tribulations at the Eurovision Song Contest with Gozitan singer Morena bringing in the third consecutive major annual disappointment for Maltese pop fans by failing to make it to the final round.
The number of albums released this year continued on trends established in recent years. While Brikkuni's Kuntrabanda will undoubtedly be the one we'll still remember above all others in ten years time, established acts released new work on CD in 2008: Ira Losco's Fortune Teller, Freddie Portelli's Viva it-Tewmin, Beangrowers' Not In a Million Lovers, Subculture's Revolt and Bitterside's Underrated were among the top sellers. Other notable albums included Dance of Joy by Karm Debattista mssp, Dubbien by Particle Blue, and Brian Vassallo's Angelique Beute.
EPs came in large abundance during 2008, possibly signaling the beginning of the end of albums released on CD. Chasing Pandora released two EPs this year rather than a new album: Two in June and November's Wide Eyed Beauty, a clear reference to Mel Portelli's new baby whose picture is featured as the cover art for this release. Debut EPs by nosnow/noalps (Just Rock) and The Areola Treat complimented Brian James' Ectomorph and Norm Rejection's Malta Not for Sale online releases beautifully.
Online releases mushroomed considerably in 2008 bringing the viability of "single releases" on CD. MySpace continued to be the network of choice for most releases. Among the most impressive I found Wake Up by Airport Impressions, Carrie Haber's They Turned Me To Plastic, Colourblind's Paper Planes, Cynic Pictures' Skizzo, Dean Saviour's Hallway of Kisses various collaborations between Mind's Eye Dub and Manwel T., Offset Collaborations' Sweet Lips, Shillo's Tree Breakfast Serial, Fourteen and Ride My Horse, as well as Next to Hell by Synthax and Chemicals.
Radio-play of many Maltese single tracks became very evident during 2008. The most widespread single release came from The Rifffs, whose CD single for Magic of the Sun was given away from with the Independent on Sunday's Manic magazine towards the end of the year. Nick Gravino's Catwalk Baby and Pieces (Toby's Remix) stood out as listeners' favourite's along with Amelia's Blind Girl's Whisper, Beige's Say Hey, Dominoes' Love Maze, Explicit's Sunny Again, Fakawi's Smart Song, Milk Mi's Black Sheep, Muxu's Beat My Drum, Thea Saliba's Musilicious and Vagabond Project's Time of Your Life. Meanwhile, In the House by Y4J and Jar of Clay by Salt led the fray in the increasing popularity of Christian Rock in the Maltese islands, while Traces by Kristina Casolani and Toby made its mark as a TV theme tune that played well on the radio beyond its intended television audience.
In what I like to call a parallel universe, Malta's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest reached the height of lackluster even if Morena tried to give it her all in the catchy but highly unsuccessful song Vodka by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg. The dismal result was evident to serious pundits from the moment the winner was selected at the Malta Song for Europe, Aside from remarkable songs like Jean Claude Vancell's Contradiction and Paul Giordimaina and Fleur Balzan's gem Whispers sung by Pamela, the only real stab at making a splash at the 2008 Eurovision was the mysterious inability of the Maltese SMS-happy voting public to send super-diva Mary Spiteri back to where she once belonged. I, for one, longed to see her singing My Last Encore dressed in an elegant sparkling evening gown, surrounded only by a blinding jewel light design. My belief is that she would have brought down the Belgrade Arena and returned Malta to the much coveted final round, which now seems forever elusive.
On a rather encouraging note, the 2008 edition of YTC's Għanja tal-Poplu was won by Brikkuni. This marked a significant departure for this song contest, which this year successfully attempted to attract a broader audience. Singer-songwriter Walter Micallef placed second in the same festival, ensuring that a strong tradition of excellent Maltese songs is maintained within this event. Pundits agreed that this year's contest was one of the best, if not the outright best, ever.
My weekly podcasting series Mużika Mod Ieħor hit the 100th edition early in 2008. The series continues regularly and the podcast is a great way to keep abreast of the Maltese music scene, even if my personal taste very often plays into the selection of what's featured on the series. Now that the podcast has gathered a solid following via Facebook too, I believe that the coming year may be an appropriate time to consider expanding what's offered to devoted Maltese music lovers.
by Toni Sant
2008 was a very mixed bag of good and bad for Maltese music. The worse moment for the local music scene was undoubtedly the untimely demise of 21-year-old Jade Brincat, keyboardist with various bands, including 2007 Rockblaze winners Stillborn. The highlight of the year was undoubtedly the release of Brikkuni's debut album
Kuntrabanda. Meanwhile, the Poxx Bar in Paceville continued to establish itself as the venue for alternative music, particularly when it hosted the return of the almighty Xtruppaw supported by a reformed The I-Skandal. The newly established performance art venue Warehouse No. 8 put itself on the map too with unusual concerts by Danjeli (performing Kakofonija live), Sandro Zerafa 5tet (for the White Russian CD launch) and Hunters Palace among others. The pop scene followed the usual trails and tribulations at the Eurovision Song Contest with Gozitan singer Morena bringing in the third consecutive major annual disappointment for Maltese pop fans by failing to make it to the final round.
The number of albums released this year continued on trends established in recent years. While Brikkuni's Kuntrabanda will undoubtedly be the one we'll still remember above all others in ten years time, established acts released new work on CD in 2008: Ira Losco's Fortune Teller, Freddie Portelli's Viva it-Tewmin, Beangrowers' Not In a Million Lovers, Subculture's Revolt and Bitterside's Underrated were among the top sellers. Other notable albums included Dance of Joy by Karm Debattista mssp, Dubbien by Particle Blue, and Brian Vassallo's Angelique Beute.
EPs came in large abundance during 2008, possibly signaling the beginning of the end of albums released on CD. Chasing Pandora released two EPs this year rather than a new album: Two in June and November's Wide Eyed Beauty, a clear reference to Mel Portelli's new baby whose picture is featured as the cover art for this release. Debut EPs by nosnow/noalps (Just Rock) and The Areola Treat complimented Brian James' Ectomorph and Norm Rejection's Malta Not for Sale online releases beautifully.
Online releases mushroomed considerably in 2008 bringing the viability of "single releases" on CD. MySpace continued to be the network of choice for most releases. Among the most impressive I found Wake Up by Airport Impressions, Carrie Haber's They Turned Me To Plastic, Colourblind's Paper Planes, Cynic Pictures' Skizzo, Dean Saviour's Hallway of Kisses various collaborations between Mind's Eye Dub and Manwel T., Offset Collaborations' Sweet Lips, Shillo's Tree Breakfast Serial, Fourteen and Ride My Horse, as well as Next to Hell by Synthax and Chemicals.
Radio-play of many Maltese single tracks became very evident during 2008. The most widespread single release came from The Rifffs, whose CD single for Magic of the Sun was given away from with the Independent on Sunday's Manic magazine towards the end of the year. Nick Gravino's Catwalk Baby and Pieces (Toby's Remix) stood out as listeners' favourite's along with Amelia's Blind Girl's Whisper, Beige's Say Hey, Dominoes' Love Maze, Explicit's Sunny Again, Fakawi's Smart Song, Milk Mi's Black Sheep, Muxu's Beat My Drum, Thea Saliba's Musilicious and Vagabond Project's Time of Your Life. Meanwhile, In the House by Y4J and Jar of Clay by Salt led the fray in the increasing popularity of Christian Rock in the Maltese islands, while Traces by Kristina Casolani and Toby made its mark as a TV theme tune that played well on the radio beyond its intended television audience.
YouTube held up with the promise of serving as a new outlet for Maltese music videos in 2008. It was particularly utilized for clips from the Malta Hit Song Contest, which was won by Miriam Christine. The winning song, Alone Again, eventually had a proper music video made for it too showing what a strong cultural presence this singer has on the local scene. The Virtual Rockstar contest by Malta's XFM returned for a second year, providing YouTube videos by Silence Kills You (No Button To Rewind) and Frank & Chris (The Toad Song), among others. The contest was won by newcomers Wax, with their song Thoughts. Also most welcome were videos from Frazer Gregory, Chasing Pandora, Muxu, The Beangrowers, Milk Mi, and Quicksand; as were a couple of live clips from gigs by Grimaud. In looking back at 2008, I'd also like to mention the Malta-related overseas releases. The most publicized record in this category was Claudio Baglioni's version of Paul Abela and Alfred C. Sant's L-Aħħar Bidwi f'Wied il-Għasel, which was released on CD in March. Baglioni managed to give a new life to this song, which for many Maltese will be forever associated with the late Sammy Bartolo. The new arrangement infuses the song with a Mediterranean-flavoured groove that has made this classic song resonate brilliantly for a whole new generation. UK-based releases were dominated by Sharleen Spiteri's Melody album, but alternative releases included EPs by Airstip One (Into the Silence), Spriggan Mist (Konditions of Change) and Tom Caruana (Is it Free?). Maltese-Australian releases included the album Australian by Andre Camilleri & the Broken Hearts, the EPs Jah in the Moment by Nicky Bomba and Halfway Here by Misfire, and Carra's Gaia. Among other Malta-related releases overseas that stood out I would mention Skambomambo's Made in Polska album in Poland and Joe Mizzi's Falling Apart in Germany.  Jon Lukas Woodenman was extra productive this year. My Time and Far Away showed this venerable UK-based Maltese performer in top form. Audiences in Malta particularly enjoyed a show he gave in Malta, which featured an unplugged duet with Marc Storace on his 1971 hit Can't Afford to Loose. Another memorable outdoor concert was performed by Winter Moods, who attracted a crowd of approximately 8000 fans at the Valletta Waterfront in July. Fish, Duran Duran, the Kooks, Enrique Iglesias, and Michael Bolton are among the international artists who gave concerts in Malta during 2008. |
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In what I like to call a parallel universe, Malta's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest reached the height of lackluster even if Morena tried to give it her all in the catchy but highly unsuccessful song Vodka by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg. The dismal result was evident to serious pundits from the moment the winner was selected at the Malta Song for Europe, Aside from remarkable songs like Jean Claude Vancell's Contradiction and Paul Giordimaina and Fleur Balzan's gem Whispers sung by Pamela, the only real stab at making a splash at the 2008 Eurovision was the mysterious inability of the Maltese SMS-happy voting public to send super-diva Mary Spiteri back to where she once belonged. I, for one, longed to see her singing My Last Encore dressed in an elegant sparkling evening gown, surrounded only by a blinding jewel light design. My belief is that she would have brought down the Belgrade Arena and returned Malta to the much coveted final round, which now seems forever elusive.
On a rather encouraging note, the 2008 edition of YTC's Għanja tal-Poplu was won by Brikkuni. This marked a significant departure for this song contest, which this year successfully attempted to attract a broader audience. Singer-songwriter Walter Micallef placed second in the same festival, ensuring that a strong tradition of excellent Maltese songs is maintained within this event. Pundits agreed that this year's contest was one of the best, if not the outright best, ever.
My weekly podcasting series Mużika Mod Ieħor hit the 100th edition early in 2008. The series continues regularly and the podcast is a great way to keep abreast of the Maltese music scene, even if my personal taste very often plays into the selection of what's featured on the series. Now that the podcast has gathered a solid following via Facebook too, I believe that the coming year may be an appropriate time to consider expanding what's offered to devoted Maltese music lovers.