The Maladies singer Daniele Marando shares a birthday with our very own Levi Fuller. I know this because a social networking site told me. In celebration, may I introduce The Maladies (and happy birthday wishes to you both).
Two events have transpired to write this short post; the joint birthday of these two fine musicians, and, after 781 days without a cell phone, I have become communicado. Now at first glance it would appear that they are two mutually exclusive events, but below I will explain that they are not.
Having moved countries a lot recently, I have never been settled enough to set up a long term phone plan. Emails and Skype have been my only form of contact for over two years. I, like most, spend most of my waking hours in front of a computer screen – work, play, writing, reading, watching, etc., etc. Generally, an email was enough to catch me for whatever purpose. I’d admit, trying to meet up with people once out of the house was difficult, especially if plans change. Social encounters were arranged like it was the 90s. Set the time, set the place and be there (and be punctual). I frequented the same set of coffee shops, gig venues and pubs as it can be easy to find a creature of habit.
I’d been looking at phone plans for a while, but I was not in any hurry to choose. A wide range of social activity was waiting, but I didn’t want to be coerced into picking a plan out of necessity, rather than satisfaction.
The Maladies have been together since 2006, playing the indie venues in Sydney and Melbourne for a few years before releasing their debut album With You Right by My Side, Baby the Deal Just Can’t Go Down in 2009. Lyrical and sound comparisons to Waits, Cave and Cash are not without foundation, while onstage power and intensity has earned The Maladies a great reputation and strong fan base.
Watch The Annandale Hotel and other great gigs on Moshcam.
With You Right by My Side, Baby the Deal Just Can’t Go Down was universally loved by the Australian street press following the finish of the full length. Four years had passed without the band recording a song, gathering support solely through live sets. Their Myspace page lay silent for four years before tracks trickled through. Leader Daniele Marando never wanted an EP, or a selection of home-studio demos. Through gigging the songs evolved onstage, with The Maladies finding their sound organically over a period of years. “We don’t have any recording that reflects the band,” stated Marando (in an interview I conducted with him a year after The Maladies were formed). “I have such difficulty with complete statements. I don’t want to be like ‘this is The Maladies: go look at it and dismiss it in 5 seconds.'”A full album is the only way The Maladies want to be judged. Hopefully this 4-piece will not wait another 4 years for an album to evolve into a musical statement, as their debut is superb. The single “This Wood and This Fire” is available here.
As luck would have it, the purchase of my phone plan coincided with Daniele’s birthday and started me thinking about this post. My careful considerations into conversational conundrums could be compared to The Maladies’ wait for their sound to take shape. Hopefully my telecommunication choice will bring me as much joy and satisfaction as With You Right by My Side, Baby the Deal Just Can’t Go Down.
(The Maladies is a sneak peak of a post I am preparing on the musical offerings of Sydney, Australia.)
