Wild Young Hearts

It has now been exactly five years since I started living with the fact that I suffer from WPW Syndrome. Discovering that I'm afflicted by this heart condition has given me an answer to previous unexplained questions about my health, but it has also made me acutely aware that I'm no longer an invincible young man.

In many ways, living with WPW Syndrome is hardly inconvenient. I take a little pill every day and all seems well, for the most part. However, stress is obviously something that I try to avoid at all costs. This is not always possible, of course. To rephrase a noble truth: life is stressful. And yet, life goes on.

Five years is a long time, but in the greater scheme of things it's not really that long. Time is such a fascinating phenomenon. Over the last three years or so I've taken to measuring it through my weekly Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast. On the one hand I can't believe we're already up to podcast number 177 in the series, but on the other hand I'm not surprised that this has happened because it's the natural order for this sort of activity, when it's done consistently. It was August 2005 when I first started experimenting regularly with podcasting.

If for no other reason, I look forward to each edition of the MMI podcast for the new music it brings with it. I honestly doubt I hear about some of the recordings I play from week to week. One such pieces comes from a singer who represented Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003. Like other worthy Eurovision performers, Julie Ann Zahra has gone on to do more that sing silly pop songs in her musical career. She's just given a couple of concerts at St. James Cavalier with guitarist Jimi Savage. This follows on from the recent release of No One In Heaven, a single written by Owen C.

Speaking of recent releases, Airport Impressions released an EP containing all the recordings they've released to date. This band has been gathering popularity in Malta through various high-profile gigs and TV appearances. They also won several awards last year and are now clearly more than just a guitar duo. You can hear their song Genuine as the second pick on this week's podcast.

Soundscape Foundation have the potential to be the next Airport Impressions in as much as they're starting out as a guitar duo singing their own songs. Savannah has an old grunge feel to it but still packs a distinctive punch. Simon Cutajar and Daniel Cassar would do well to keep at it. I'm looking forward to more songs from these guys. Eventually they may even expand the band to make a lasting impact on the local alternative scene.

I'm always very appreciative when Maltese musicians and performers send me their CDs by post. Digital downloads are cool, but CDs will still be with us in the foreseeable future. This month I've received about half a dozen new CDs. Fire's Thrill Me is among them, of course. This band is among the foremost classic rock outfits in Malta. Their recordings sound so good not only because they are excellent musicians but also because guitarist Robert Longo produces all the band's recordings in his own Padd Cell Studios. Back Home is a brilliant example of the dynamic range this band has managed to achieve in the few years it's been together.

The RSS feed for the Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast is available here or you can simply click here to subscribe directly with iTunes. You can also follow each new episode through the MMI Podcast: Facebook Fan Page or on MySpace. If you have no idea what any of this means, just click here or listen to the podcast on the player right below this text.

Piece of Me

Anyone following my Facebook page in recent weeks knows that I've just undergone a colonoscopy at Whitby Hospital. This my third such intervention since 1994 and things have never been as bad as the first time. I'd even go as far as saying that I'm now better than I've ever been. I'm very touched by all the kind words and wishes of good health I've received over the last few weeks. I'm also very grateful to the NHS staff in Whitby who took care of my procedure.

I've now almost fully recovered from the whole thing. To prove it, I've even gone ahead with producing the 101st podcast in my weekly Mużika Mod Ieħor series today. I'm not pushing it. I'm really not. So much so that I'm also giving a lecture to our third year Digital Media students on Monday morning.

Anyway, the purpose of this blog entry is to tie-in with the 101st MMI podcast. This week it's business as usual with three brand new tracks, one new comer act and an interesting connection between two previously unrelated performers.

Dominoes is a new trio on the Maltese music scene. They seem to have appeared out of nowhere with their debut song Love Maze, grooves in a T-Rex kinda way. They're now gearing up to appear as one of the supporting acts at the upcoming 22 February launch of the nosnow/noalps EP. More from them all in the coming weeks and months, no doubt.

Now that we're in the second month of the new year I'm no longer surprised to see new recordings being released on a fairly regular basis. Eve Ransom give us their new song entitled Just the Way I Am, and it's a grungy tune in an early 1990s kinda way.

If you're looking for a sound like no other look no further than Sky of Yuggoth. This long running project from Joseph Mercieca, the same performer who gave us the trippy sounds of MJ.5, has reemerged with a new release called Three Seals of Masshu. Music doesn't get much darker than this without the lyrical grace of a Leonard Cohen or some sludgy blood-drinking metal monster.

By contrast, this week's closing track comes from Russian singer Julia Kay who qualifies for an appearance on Mużika Mod Ieħor by virtue of her marital status to the man behind the previous track on podcast number 101. The song I've selected to play comes from the band she used to sing with before she moved to Malta. Luxeterna is the name of the band and the song is called Angel Teardrops. Next time you'll hear the name Julia Kay in relation to music in Malta it will either be as a Eurovision contender or in some delicious electro-gothic combo...and remember, you read about it here first.

The RSS feed for the Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast is available here or you can simply click here to subscribe directly with iTunes. You can also add the latest episodes to your My Yahoo! page. If you have no idea what any of this means, just click here.