Malka – Ratatatat (Tantrum Records)
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| Malka - Ratatat |
Release Date: 20th October 2017
So here it is. A bit like
Christmas. I’ve been waiting a good long time for this album by Scottish
song-weaver Malka and her it is all shiny, colourful and full of promise. Like
I said, a bit like Christmas. ‘Ratatatat’, love it already, starts delicately
with ‘Fell for You’ creeping out from the shadows with the child-like vocals channelling
Kate Nash but with a more elfin whimsy that is hard to resist, despite the
lyrical content being in complete juxtaposition. Recent single ‘No No No’ has
had a lot of love from the likes of BBC 6Music due to its clickety-clackety
rhythm that builds in to the kind of dance beat that feels super-contemporary
but also as though it could be played around a large, Pagan fire. By the time
we get to ‘Wonder Why’, you can see that rhythm is a real theme of this album
with the melodies being teased out from Malka (aka Tamara Schlesinger) in her
delicate, lace-like vocal and bolstered by those beat and bass combinations.
We hit peak tribalism on ‘Get Out
(The Jungle)’ as Malka’s voice is layered up like a solstice chant on top of a rhythm
that comes from somewhere inside a translucent pool of water reflecting only
the moon. ‘Freedom’ has a real sense of optimism about it between the notes
that bounce like slow motion rain drops and the bass pulse that is almost
comforting. Meanwhile, ‘Breakout’ has a dreamlike quality as those vocals and
beats intermingle yet again. It’s at this point that you realise what Malka has
done in presenting a style of music that feels very modern and as though it is
pushing some boundaries yet simultaneously this music is wrapped around the
basic and most primal musical core of voice and rhythm. It’s a difficult
balance to strike but there is a poise to this record that leaves you in no
doubt that the balance has been achieved.
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| Malka ..... winning that staring competition |
Having said all of that, ‘Gold’
takes things in a slightly darker, more subdued direction that has some 80s
inspired moments in among the sprinkled magic. The nursery rhyme vibe comes
back on ‘Falling’ which feels like it was written in Malka’s playful mind
whilst playing hop-scotch or just generally skipping around a market buying
flowers. As we approach the end of this collection, ‘Don’t Need Anyone’ slides
in from stage light to steal the show as my track of the album with it’s
hypnotic, Middle-Eastern background melodies mixing with the whispered vocals
and those persistent beats. Closing out with ‘Circles’, Malka seals the deal
with a triumphant climax that builds and releases like a bird being let out of
its cage in to a new bright world full of promise and confusion. This is a stunning
collection of intricately woven songs that have a solid base in their tribal
rhythms but a very modern twist that means these songs stand up to repeated
listens. Like gourmet versions of standard recipes, a real eye-opener and palate
cleanser.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/malkamakesmusic/
Live Dates:
1st November – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
w/Chuchoter
2nd November – Hug & Pint, Glasgow
w/Chuchoter
13th November – The Walrus, Brighton w/Charlie
& The Villas
14th November – The Lexington, London
w/Alessandro Ciminata
15th November – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
w/Danielle Cawdell