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  • If There’s Any Justice in the World

    Once again I find myself in a European city in May for the annual Eurovision Song Contest. This year we’re in Düsseldorf, Germany. If I’m to be honest, this year I’m here almost exclusively for the Eurovision Research Network (ERN). We’ve organized three events this year: our annual symposium, our annual round-table, and the final of three workshops in the ‘New’ Europe series, which started last February at Royal Holloway, University of London.

    I know that most of my regular blog readers are not surprised by any of this, but you’re also expecting me to engage with the annual context, from a Maltese perspective, with a slightly less academic approach. So, I will try not disappoint you. Perhaps I’ll blog some more about the ERN later this week, once Malta is either no longer in the contest or while I get a respite before I blog about how miraculous it is that Malta has returned to the final without first establishing a significant pan-European presence for either it’s entry and/or the performer it selected to represent it.

    So, in the spirit of not voting for your own country, I give you my personal picks for the 10 qualifying songs in the ESC 2011 Semifinal 1, which will take place tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 9pm CEST. I’m factoring in various prediction factors and a little of my personal experience with the Eurovision Song Contest…so this will undoubtedly be a very subjective and relative selection.

    Albania
    I don’t think this will make it to the final but I firmly believe it belongs in my top 10 picks for this year’s first semifinal. I’d probably like it more if it wasn’t sung in English.

    Turkey
    This year’s Turkish song has almost the same effect on me as the Albanian one. If only one of the two make it to the final, it’ll certainly be this one, even though the other sounds a little more sincere to me.

    Serbia
    An obvious throwback to the swinging ’60s a la Austin Powers. I can’t see Eurovision fans not liking this one – and it looks amazing live in the arena.

    Georgia
    One of the most interesting songs from a musical perspective and if offers a good alternative to most of the other songs in this year’ semifinal 1. However, I admit that I’ve rarely not liked Georgia’s ESC entry.

    Russia
    Can you honestly imagine a Eurovision Song Contest final without Russia? Now that would be a real shocker.

    Iceland
    I’d be very surprised if Iceland’s song didn’t make it to the final this year. If it doesn’t it’ll certainly mean the end of an era…but this is Eurovision so I expect it to get through simply because it appeals considerably to the main demographic for this show’s audience.

    Hungary
    Very catchy melody and exactly the sort of song you expect at Eurovision. This sort of thing is often hit or miss, but in relation to the songs its competing against it stands a very good chance.

    Lithuania
    If there’s any justice in the world, Evelina Sašenko’s C’est Ma Vie will become a Eurovision classic…but perhaps it’s now a couple of decades or so too late. It’s the most beautiful new pop ballad I’ve heard in a very long time. This song gave me goosebumps the first time I heard Evelina sing it live in the Esprit Arena. What a stand-out! If Andrew Lloyd Webber had written a song as good as this for Jade Ewen, the UK would have won ESC 2009.

    Azerbaijan
    A favourite with the bookmakers and it’s very spectacular live in the arena. You can still catch some of that spectacle on TV but perhaps the singers leave a little to be desired for those you seek something worthy of the spectacle and the honey sweet musical arrangement.

    Greece
    I can’t imagine a final without a Greek entry but stranger things have happened at the Eurovision Song Contest. Bringing in hip-hop in Greek is a brave and bold move, the type I wish the Maltese would take, so I’ll be watching this one closely to see whether my hunch is more than just that.

    Keep in mind that at least four of the top acts tipped to win the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest are not taking part in the first semifinal along with Malta and the rest of the songs presented on Tuesday.

    DISCLAIMER: The “predictions” made in this blog post are for your amusement only. I’m pretty sure that these will not be the 10 countries whose songs will actually qualify for Saturday’s final.

    CLAIMER: I’ll be greatly amused to see how many of my 10 picks are also the ones that will be seen/heard again on Saturday.

  • I Can

    Show notes for the 255th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

    Relikc – Take the Blame
    This band has been a favourite of MMI podcast listeners since they first appeared a couple of years ago. I like their tight pop rock sound and they are quite radio friendly. Come the end of the this year, I have a feeling that this track will be among the highest ranking listeners’ picks for 2011 singles, or whichever category I’ll have nominated it for.

    TroffaHamra y los Mechones – In the Streets of Barcelona
    It’s not often that I play music in my podcast that surprises me as pleasantly as I’ve been by the sound of this Barcelona-based outfit. The connection with Malta comes in the Troffa Ħamra in the name of the band, who is none other than Ruth Abela, perhaps best known for playing clarinette with Brikkuni or sax with The I-Skandal. The bossa nova you hear here, along with the other tracks they’ve released on their MySpace page are simply delightful.

    Genn & Mayo – Princesses In Dungarees
    Annemarie Mayo and Janice (that’s Genn to you) Ellul came together as a duo after meeting in the ŻĦN’s Strummin’ Home annual concert a couple of years ago. With a little help from some friends (including some musicians from Relikc) they’ve made some public appearances as well as recorded some tracks, including the one you can hear on this week’s podcast. Mayo’s voice is the first of two great new voices on the Malta music scene. I hope to hear (and share with you) more of this in the coming months and years.

    Monobrow MP – Wet Roads
    A couple of weeks ago this duo released a limited edition of their online only 5-track EP featuring what is clearly some of their best work, even though most of it is their version of songs you already know (and possibly like) from worldwide stars; their version of Gnarls Barkley’s Who’s Gonna Save My Soul is blindingly good. Since I so rarely play covers on the MMI podcast, I thought I’d pick Wet Roads instead since I’ve been assured that it’s actually one of their original songs. Still, I think I’ll include their Gnarls Barkley cover on a future edition of the MMI podcast anyway.

    Divine Sinners – Cactus Rose
    I’ve been fascinated by the DIY, almost simplistic, sound of this duo. I was therefore thrilled to see that they’ve now even extended this to a new video for one of their songs. It’s a superb rendition of life on a Gozitan farm today, even if there’s very much a firm tongue in cheek approach to the whole thing.  Watch the video and if, like me, you like this brand of quasi-anarcho-folk you’ll certainly appreciate that this band is on its way to make an indelible mark on the local music scene.

    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: 19:29 — 13.4MB) | Embed

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  • Helplessness Blues

    Show notes for the 254th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

    Brooke – Love Not War
    One of Malta’s better pop exports has been making the round on radio stations for several weeks with this song. So I thought it’s about time that I include it on my podcast too. As pop dance tracks go, this is quite a catch one, with quite an appropriate timeless cliche that has stuck with us for over forty years now, but somehow still sounds as fresh as ever.

    Christabelle – Everything About You
    Although she is probably better known as a singer, Christabelle will forever remain to me as the first Maltese model to be prominently featured in a photo at Malta’s Addolorata Cemetery. It’s an interesting mix of pop, glamour and gothic asthetics in a way that were probably unthinkable (at least in Malta) just a generation ago.

    South Central – Paris in the 20th Century
    Just in time for their live set after tonight’s concert by Fat Boy Slim in Ta’ Qali, Malta’s most high-profile incognito electronica duo appear on my podcast with a track off their new album Society of Spectacle, which they’ll be launch officially in Malta on the 4th of June at Gianpula.  More about that in the coming weeks as it also coincides with the next major series of M3P events in Malta.

    Carlo Gerada feat. Scott Walker & Azazel – Can’t Stop
    After a couple of months in the pop/dance radio charts in Malta, with two consecutive weeks  at the top of the Malta’s Top 10 on 89.7 Bay earlier this month, I thought it’s the right thing to do including this multi-talented release on my podcast, especially since I would be totally amiss not including it among the nominations for the 2011 MMI Listeners’ Picks later this year.

    Malcolm Pisani – Day of Evolution
    My good friend Mario Axiaq told me that he liked this song very much when he first heard it. I wasn’t as impressed as he was on first listen, but then I heard it a couple more times and found it better than it seemed on first listen. Malcolm Pisani repertoire tends to have that affect of me and I wish I could put my finger on what sort of singer he really is. Perhaps he’s still looking for the style that best suits him, unless he plans to make this ambiguity his hallmark for the rest of his singing career.

    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: 19:00 — 13.1MB) | Embed

    Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

  • Rolling in the Deep

    Show notes for the 253rd Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers from or in Malta:

    Bridget Bone – Monkey Role
    During my most recent visit to Malta I meant to attend the filming of what is presumably the upcoming video for this song, one Saturday afternoon. However, I was caught up in all sorts of other meetings, mostly relating to the M3P in one way or another. This is a cracking pop rock song and I’m sure it will receive considerable airplay on Maltese radio stations – possibly even making it to the very top of one or two top 10 charts. It’s exciting enough that I’m more than pleased to open this week’s podcast with it.

    KulTural – Irraprezenta
    Here comes what is probably only the second band from Malta to include a didgeridoo. Unlike the other ethnic appropriation of this indigenous Australian instrument, KulTural marries this sound (and others) with the Maltese language in a delicious way. While this new sound comes from Malta, or rather Gozo (produced by Keith Anthony – of Chasing Pandora fame), it can be classified as a very Maltese-Australian vibe, but that’s only because of the distinctive sound of the Aboriginal instrument of choice. Even without that, KulTural is one of the most exciting new things to come out of the Maltese islands this year.

    Marc Galea – Innu Malti
    Equally exciting, but only for slightly different reasons, is a new recording by guitarist Marc Galea, which is a cool jazz take on Malta’s national anthem. This track is lifted from his forthcoming CD album, which is set to be released on the evening of the next M3P conference at St James Cavalier on Friday 3 June 2011. More about that in the coming weeks, of course, but meanwhile listen to this wonderful recording and you’ll never hear the national anthem in the same way ever again.

    Footprints – My Saviour
    When the album 777 came out earlier this year from one of Malta’s foremost Christian rock bands, I played the track that was released to promote it, which appeared with an accompanying music video. To mark the Easter celebrations this year, Footprints are releasing this track from the album. This is quite appropriate for obvious reasons, but I would have liked to see a companion video too…but maybe I just missed it and it’s out there, or the song is simply too long for a video. In any case, Happy Easter y’all!

    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: 20:09 — 13.9MB) | Embed

    Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More