Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The band’s facebook page betrays it all. There is no pomp, ceremony, ritual ego to be found; just a simple statement tucked away in corner, hiding in plain sight, four words, four simple words that reveal the ethic behind the five members of Maltese band The Crowns…It’s about the music.
The bands 2013 album release, Someone Else, demonstrates this perfectly. Subtle and musically cunning, the music digs deep into whatever soul you take pleasure in having and transmits a feeling that before long will be transported to the face and a wide appreciative grin will take root. The job done, it is only a matter of time before the album is one of those that you find rooting for on a summer’s day, fingers crossed that the sunshine takes you back to the moment when you first heard the tracks.
The five members of the band, vocalist Victorio Gauci, guitarist Gianluca Cappitta, bass player Chris Ciantar, keyboard player Jean-Paul Mollicone and drummere Luke Vella Clark, have captured a vibe that is easy on the ear, in time with a foot that demands to be tapped and sits with the same unrepentant pleasure as a burnt out workaholic finding space on a beach in which to lose themselves.
From the opening tracks of Hold On, 19th December and the album title track, The Crowns show easily what can be achieved with patience and timing, a rare commodity in a world that never seems to want to slow down. Whether it is the islanders’ belief to enjoy each day as a series of perfect moments whilst never denying the rain that should inevitably fall is not perhaps for anyone not attuned to Maltese life to speculate upon but there is a feeling of serenity that filters through, a emotional sentiment to get it right in the brave new world that Maltese people find themselves in.
With tracks such as the excellent Midday Crisis, Till The End and She’s Gone Mad all begging for attention, it will be a pleasure to listen Someone Else again and again, a reminder of what sometimes is missing in a life crammed to bursting, the chance to relax to some great music.
Ian D. Hall