Different Strings first made its presence felt on the local scene in May 2005 with the low-key release of debut single Dead Man Walking, which featured former Limestone Kick frontman Alan Mayo on vocals. The warm reception for the single, especially from rock audiences, gave Chris Mallia - the one-man band behind Different Strings - the momentum to complete his debut long player. As the title suggests, this is really a beginning of sorts and, given the opportunity, more intense post-production would certainly add to this record’s focused appeal and extended vision. As Mallia admits, this album is home-made in every sense of the word. He was responsible for the songwriting, programming, performing, recording and production of the record - except of course the vocal parts, which Alan Mayo so ably pulls off!
What is immediately obvious about this album is the strong progressive influence behind its 45 minutes of meticulous rock ambience. Aside from the “shorter” vocal tracks (including new single All Over Again) the album comes into its own on the longer, epic pieces – conceptual prog compositions that ooze more than a touch of Yes here and Floyd there, while retaining their own hard rock identity and direction. The end result is a reflection of Mallia’s musical engagement and creative expression, and should certainly please those already enamoured of his Dead Man Walking single! Strongly recommended for anyone with an old-school rock heart!
The album It’s Only The Beginning will be launched at 4pm on Sunday 18 February at Exotique in Bay Street, St Julian’s. Entrance is free. The price for the album is LM3.95 or LM4.95 for both album and the previously released Dead Man Walking CD single. For more info, email [email protected].
CD COURTESY OF WWW.LIB66.TK
INDIGO
‘Struck’
Released a few months ago, Indigo’s debut album Struck has been warmly received by pop and rock fans alike. Its articulated guitar edge reflects singer Marvic Lewis’s long-standing passion for rock music, a characteristic that had already been evident in the handful of singles she released with her previous band, So Chronic. Her latest incarnation as Indigo actually builds on that and takes it to the next level, churning up the guitar presence and injecting dark-lined melodies and a harder feel into the mix. The end result is what Indigo likes to call “Gothpsych”, and with good reason too!
Much of this album is lined with the same characteristics that many will associate with the likes of Evanescence but, in my book, the true inspiration here may actually be more indebted to the original 1980s Goth scene. In fact, the kinship that Indigo bears to original Goth band All About Eve’s Julianne Regan is uncanny. With a decade and a half of experience behind her, Marvic Lewis has developed a vocal dexterity that allows her to boost each song’s clout even further. This is mostly evident here on the title track and popular radio single Scarecrow, but she adapts her range to bring out the brittle side on Like The Sun and In My Head. Backed by some of the top talents on the island - including Sean Vukovic, Adam Bonello, Alex Mallia, Sandro Grech, Steve Cannibal, Boris Cezek and George Curmi amongst others - and produced by Howard Keith, Indigo’s debut is an accomplished offering with much promise of greater things should she get that elusive lucky break! For more information, visit www.indigo.com.mt.
CD COURTESY OF WWW.LIB66.TK