Malachiai come out to play-ay
I caught Bristol, England based Malachai on the final day of SXSW. Composed of a vocalist, Gee, and Scott on a laptop etc. They were intriguing. Really hard to classify, definitely a bit of the Bristol sound in there but they’re true magpies, grabbing shiny and dark stuff alike, to create, well the metaphor falls apart here cause there’s nothing nest-like about them.
Reading around, it’s comforting to learn that no one else seems to know how to describe them either. Their PR release quotes Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno, “it reminds me of Revolver-era Beatles but there’s this kind of early DJ Shadow vibe going on.”
If you’re in NYC you can hear them tonight at Le Poisson Rouge, opening for Ben Frost. Everyone else can check them out here here. Headliner Ben Frost is also available on eMusic.
I really, really like this album. One of my favorite of the year. I have had a really tough time trying to explain them to people also.
I also love the album (“Snowflake” is a ridiculously good song), but being unable to describe it is a problem. I tell someone they need to check out Malachai and then when I’m asked what they sound like my response is basically “ummm…..”
Craig
Thanks for the tip! I downloaded right after reading this and I dig it. They remind me of Map of Africa, but I’m not sure why. Maybe because both bands sound like modern updates of older styles (60s pop for Malachai; 70s cock rock for Map of Africa).