Don't Tell Me That It's Over

While we can safely assume that the newness of 2010 is behind us, some of us may not be back on the grind in full throttle quite yet. Speaking from a personal perspective, I'd say that it was only last week that I really got back into the swing to things properly, but this is not to say that the days before that were filled with hours of lounging around doing nothing.

One way I gauge whether we're back to "normal" at this time of the year is by the announcements I start receiving for upcoming album releases during the first quarter of the year. Two of these contribute to the contents of the 198th Mużika Mod Ieħor podcast, so I'm pretty sure that we're firmly on our way now.

After playing a track form the recently released Tea compilation Reloaded, it's a great pleasure to have the opportunity to have Marc Storace's voice heard on the MMI podcast. Krokus have just announced the release of their new album entitled Hoodoo, which is due out on the 26th of February. This new album features ten new tracks by the band and a rousing cover of Steppenwolf's classic Born to Be Wild. To promote the album ahead of its release Krokus have issued a single called Hoodoo Woman, which is undoubtedly destined to become a favourite with their fans.

Staying with overseas-based bands sporting a Maltese singer this week we turn our attention to Fraser. This London band is fronted by Fraser Gregory who Malta music fans may remember as a founding member of the Beangrowers. Last summer we heard a track from Fraser's upcoming album A Garden at the Top of the Tree, which is set to be released on the 27th of March. The single chosen to promote this album ahead of its release is called Lay It On The Line. Aside from being included on this week's MMI podcast, it was also been selected as a single of the week by IndieLondon for the past week.

Bark Bark Disco have just released a video for their Song for the Lovers from the 2009 album Your Mum Says Hello. The new video is a tribute to 70s Scandinavian porn star Brigitte Lahaie, featuring sequences from her classic film Six Swedish Girls in a Boarding School. Centre of My Heart is the track I've picked to play on this week's MMI podcast. The album remains available as a free download from the band's official website.

This week's MMI podcast is heavily slanted towards acts that are either based outside Malta or have a strong overseas connection; Bark Bark Disco is actually half German. Mark Axiak is based in Norway and I've played his music on previous editions of the MMI podcast. His guitar-driven tracks are very untypical of what most people would expect from the quintessential rock 'n roll musical instrument. Somewhere in Between is delightfully different from what anyone who is not keen on exploring experimental sounds may have heard so far this year.

For those who prefer guitars to sound like guitars, I close this week's podcast with a track from the hard-to-find 1994 Norm Rejection EP Subtly Mesmerized?, which has just been reissued on their MySpace page. As you listen to Distorted Visions you may be amused to figure out that this song was recorded 16 years ago. Expect new releases from Norm Rejection later this year, including the highly anticipated Kemm Hawn Dwejjaq fil-Pajjiż.

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