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Show notes for the 222nd Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers in or from Malta:

Wayne Micallef – Slip Away
Returning to prove that he is indeed one of the most prolific pop rock singer-songwriters in Malta, Wayne Micallef has managed to produce a song that is not only radio friendly but really worthy of repeat listens; pay special attention to the acoustic guitar solo and the sublime arrangement on the backing vocals. If only more of his peers would take a leaf from his book. At this rate, I expect he’ll be releasing a greatest hits album in the coming years.

Plato’s Dream Machine – The Aristocrat
It’s getting better all the time for one of Malta’s most endearing bands on the underground scene. They’re about to appear at Madliena Lodge with the Moulettes from the UK on Friday 20 August 2010. Their new DIY CD will be available from that day, featuring new tracks like this delightful waltz, recorded last month by Steve Lombardo at Hell Next Door Studios in Gudja.

Brooke – Achilles Heel
An appearance on the main stage at this year’s Farsons Great Beer Festival has brought young Brooke Borg to the attention of a wider audience in Malta after a couple of relatively high profile gigs abroad. If her debut song is anything to go by, it would appear that the future may indeed be very bright for this singer. She seems to have some of the things certain types in the industry look for. Now, will the market go for it? I guess that’s the million dollar question after all.

jon lukas woodenman – Can’t Afford to Lose (Club Mix)
I was saddened to hear that one of Malta’s most venerable musical exports has been taken seriously ill with lung cancer recently. He claims that he brought it on himself from years of heavy smoking, but I’m sure that doesn’t make it any easier for anyone. Jon Lukas has been a fighter throughout his four-decade long career and so it’s charming to see him perceptually reaching out to younger audiences as jon lukas woodenman with a new song that bears the same title as his original hit from 1970, Can’t Afford to Lose. This new club mix was created in collaboration with David A. Nash and Toby.

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.

Mużika Mod Ieħor podcasts are brought to you by Vodafone.

Show notes for the 221st Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers in or from Malta:

Claudia Faniello – I Hate This Song
An album called Convincingly Better is forthcoming from one of Malta’s best-loved pop singers. This single was released to promote the album and it’s wonderful to see that this singer has musical ambitions beyond representing Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest. She certainly has a remarkable voice and an onscreen (and stage) presence to go with it, as you can see from the video for this new song.

Chasing Pandora – People
This new song comes from an upcoming EP and new band members for Chasing Pandora are providing a slight change of direction for this act from Gozo. The accompanying video for this new song makes the best of the unique atmosphere in and around the Victoria main square. You can also take advantage of the free download offer for this track from the official Chasing Pandora website throughout the rest of this month.

Chess – Stillettos
Muxu is slowly but surely gripping the Maltese pop scene in a very solid way. He’s clearly behind the idea of presenting Fran Galea as Chess with this new song of his. The way the word in the title of this song is enunciated here is a little annoying, but that shouldn’t diminish from what is a delightful pop song from a singer who hopefully has the best of her repertoire ahead of her. I’m really glad my friend Pierre Cachia brought this song to my attention.

Dimal ft. Maddee – Shake It, Shake It
The perfect combination of two musicians who have decided to make Malta their home enriches the local dance scene tremendously. Dimal clearly understands what fills a dance floor these days, while Maddee’s voice is a beacon of sophistication that many young Maltese hopefuls must and should look up to. It would be great to see them collaborating more directly and openly with others in the local scene.

Angèle Cristina – Stronger
Toby’s productions tend to have a distinctive sound to them. You can tell it’s one of his tracks almost immediately. What really distinguishes on song from the next in many cases is the vocal track. Here it’s the delightful and quasi-mysterious voice of newcomer Angèle Cristina, who I’m quite keen to hear again in the coming months.

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.

Mużika Mod Ieħor podcasts are brought to you by Vodafone.

Show notes for the 220th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers in or from Malta:

Fire – Always There
Another single lifted from Thrill Me, the band’s second CD album. It seems that this one received some decent airplay in Malta in recent weeks. The classic rock sound of Fire is among those that blend in more easily with the sort of music on some of the radio playlists in Malta. It’s good to see that some of the better tracks on this CD are still getting played outside the bands live gigs. That’s probably always a good thing.

Indigo – Still Here
Following up on her debut album Struck, Marvic Lewis returns with Indigo’s second CD album. This one is entitled Dark Psyche and the single released to coincide with the album launch indicates that while the songs may be a little darker on this new collection, fans are in for more of the elements they enjoyed so much on the first CD.

Frenzy Mono – Vicious Circle
There’s a clear sense of maturity in O.B.E. the new album from Frenzy Mono. They’ve now really found their groove and it’s hard retro rock with a twist. The track I’ve selected is possibly even inflected by their alter ego activities in Nomad Son along with bassist Albert Bell where the retro groove gives way to a heavy tome of doom, the likes of which have become very popular with metal fans around the globe over the last couple of decades.

Saving Alexis – Lipstick Lies
Hailing from Imqabba, this new young band has a delicious pop rock sound that can only get better in the coming years. There are glimpses of a group that wants to do more than simply emulate the plethora of guitar bands that littered the pop scene since the 1990s. They’ve made quite a splash in Malta with this debut release, so unless they lose their way, I’m pretty confident that Saving Alexis will be around with more and better things in the coming months and years.

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.

Mużika Mod Ieħor podcasts are brought to you by Vodafone.

Show notes for the 219th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast featuring music by performers in or from Malta:

Scream Daisy – Last Goodbye
In preparation for the release of their third album Scream Daisy return with another track featuring a new guitarist. Tony Bartolo from the Retrophytes replaced Jeremy last year and the band are now on their way to return to the same level of public exposure they enjoyed with their previous album in 2007.

Kristina Casolani – Heartless
The queen of Maltese R&B releases her second single this year. Following up on last winter’s Get Out this new song shows her maturing beyond the abilities of many other Maltese wannabes. Surprisingly, this song sees her collaborating with Toby once again, but this is understandable when considering the fact that Kristina will also be releasing an album of all her songs so far (and some more) in the coming months.

Winter Moods – Sun Won’t Shine
One of Malta’s longest standing bands will be staging a mega-concert at The Granaries on Wednesday 28 July 2010. Few other Maltese bands would even dare attempt to host a show of their own on The Granaries and to my knowledge this is indeed a first. They have also recently released their fifth album celebrating their 25 years on the local scene entitled Argento. The song I’ve picked is the opening track from this CD.

Explicit – Daydreaming
Stephanie Chetcuti is one of the better Maltese rock singers. She makes her band sound a cut above most others on the local scene and shines beautifully when singing material that brings out the excellent quality of her voice. This new song may not grab you right away, but make sure you listen to it more than once, especially beyond the first minute or so. If you like what you hear, remember that you can also catch them live at the Farsons Beer Festival at Ta’ Qali on Tuesday 27 July 2010.

Skimmed – Napoleon
During my recent visit to Malta I had the good fortune of attending the launch of a new video by Skimmed at Rookies in Bugibba. Their live act is captured splendidly in their recordings and this video takes their quirky punky pop songs to a whole new level verging on the surreal. I’m really looking forward to more material from this band because they have something quite unusual about them and I believe that as time passes they’ll find new ways to make that what they’re remembered for.

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.

Mużika Mod Ieħor podcasts are brought to you by Vodafone.

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