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Show notes for the 286th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

Natalie Gauci – Ha Ha Ha
Former Australia Pop Idol Natalie Gauci has toured Europe last summer and has now relocated to Cologne, Germany where she has been recording, writing and producing new tunes set for release 2012. This is the first of those tracks for the album that’s going to be called U. I really like the new direction she has taken, and I’m a great sucker for anything with a tuba.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuLlOfDQQiM

Kantilena – X’Ubidù?!
Several months ago I heard snippets from this new band on one of their social media pages (probably Reverbnation) and I really wanted to wrap my ears around full tracks and finally here we are with their debut release, which was launched on their Facebook page 31 January 2012. They are not only remarkable because their songs are in Maltese but they also have a refreshing approach to folk music, which I’d really like to hear more of in the coming months and years.

Jesper Ejrup – Holding On To You
This Danish singer-songwriter is slowly but surely becoming a permanent feature of the local music scene. The video for his new song was not only produced by Maltese production company No Sweat Productions with HeartBeat Productions, but it is also shot in Malta and features some very uniquely Maltese elements. I also like this song particularly because, to my mind, it echoes some of the traditional guitar licks at the heart of Maltese għana, without overdoing it.

Ħolma Qattusa – Eyalura
Martha Vassallo is a new performer to me, but somehow I feel like I’m already familiar with her work; it’s an eerie feeling. I’m delighted that she is now collaborating with Antoine Vella (of Particle Blue fame) on this new project, which has already yielded several tracks available on YouTube and Soundcloud. I’m sure I’ll be playing another track from them in an upcoming edition of the MMI podcast, especially if they keep producing new tracks too.

Stefanos – Rescue Me
Guitarist Stefanos is working on another album, called Still Waters Run Deep, which he plans to release around September 2012. It’s likely that he will release at least one other track from it between now and the official launch. I prefer his acoustic tracks, but I must say that this one is among the best electric tunes that he has ever produced.

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 enjoy listening to the podcast on the player right below this text.

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Show notes for the 284th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

Jane Doe – Shivery
Introducing the first of new female-fronted band for 2012 in the guise of Margherita Bonello, I’m sure this band will be on high rotation on some of the local radio stations, but only time will tell whether they’re here to stay.  I like their softer moments and the singer has hints of great potential.  It’s definitely a watch-this-space scenario as far as I’m concerned.

Athelstone – Jaaz
Another new band features Funk Initiative guitarist Daniel Cassar (yes, there’s another one by that name on the local scene) who has released an impressive album called The Quiet Before the Storm, which is available as a digital download here. This particular track (from this 3-track album) features the vocal presence of Dana McKeon. It’s quite lovely and I dare say very good too.

Mimi Paris – Bittersweet Goodbye
Michelle Paris is well-known in certain musical circles as a harp player, but she has also been performing less traditional music in recent months as this recording demonstrates. Mimi Paris was brought to my attention by a fan of hers late last year and I had hoped to include her music on a 2011 MMI podcast, but as it happens I’ve finally managed to get a copy of this demo recording, which is hopefully a mere harbinger of things to come.

Martina Borg feat. William Thorne – Dear Mother
I had never heard of William Thorne until a few days ago, but Martin Borg is one of the few Maltese pop singers who stands out as much more than a Eurovision wannabe, which she isn’t. Music is in her (paternal) genes and it would seem that with this song she’s giving a reverential nod to her mother. Not sure about the full provenance of this song, but I’d be surprised if it didn’t receive some serious radio airplay in Malta…and hopefully elsewhere too.

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 enjoy listening to the podcast on the player right below this text.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:44 — 13.6MB) | Embed

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Show notes for the 283rd Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

Brikkuni – Tiddi x-Xemx Fuq Din L-Għodwa Moħlija
The long awaited second album from Malta’s foremost alternative Maltese-language band will be released in Valletta on 11 February, so ahead of the release we’re given a preview with this track and an accompanying brief promo video (voiced by Kevin Drake) to promote the launch gig.

Errormantics – Finale
Sven Bonnici and Mauro D’Amato return in full force on the local scene with this new duo and a debut song with an attention grabbing promotional video. People who have seen them live over the past couple of months say that they’re an interesting act and one, I’d add, we’ll certainly be hearing more from this year.

Cable 35 – Saturated
Taken from last year’s album Louder, this track not Cable 35 not only comes with another music video, but also accompanies them on their UK tour which spreads well over these first two months of this new year. Their next (and only announced) gig in Malta will be at V-Gen on 24 February 2012.

The Violent Violets – Fantasy 3
The opening act during that Cable 35 gig at V-Gen I just mentioned, will be this new band. The Violent Violets released an eponymous 5-track EP just a few days before Christmas, so, just like the rest of the stuff of this week’s podcast didn’t manage to make it to the MMI 2011 Listeners’ Picks poll. Rest assured that it’ll be included in the 2012 list of nominations. The EP is also available as a free download.

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 enjoy listening to the podcast on the player right below this text.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:25 — 13.3MB) | Embed

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