1 2 3 4 5
Reviewed for FasterLouder

Sydney’s The Maladies have been playing together for a few years now,  taking their time getting around to recording an album. That has worked in the listener’s favour as the clumsily titled With You Right By My Side… is 40 minutes of consistently brilliant songwriting, lively playing and the exceptional voice of Daniele Marando.

The thing that hits you straight away is the big warm sound and production courtesy of Jamie Hutchings. He has nailed the mood and controlled chaos of their live show and at the same time allowed the songs to flex and breathe. There is a tumbling feeling through many of The Maladies songs that conjures up images of danger, darkness, wracked souls and dances with the devil.

Continuing the southern gothic streak that Nick Cave has trademarked, The Maladies tell stories of lost love and life’s trials and tribulations. Their swampy blues incorporates chain gang vocals on This Wood & This Wire, Take Me Down and I Feel So Fine. All three songs are so infectious I’ve woken the next day still humming and singing their echoing refrains.

The immediate star of the show is singer Daniele Marando who truly possesses one of the most life affirming voices I’ve heard in a long time. His ability to switch from a delicate and sweet croon to an aching and tortured wail of a scream is spine tingling. When he sings ‘I feel so, feel so, feel so fine…’ it is as if he testifying to save his soul. So many singers these days can harness similar elements but Marando’s range and conviction are compelling.

Marando’s singing is like a much more realized and gospel-ized Finn Andrew of The Veils. It also has the warm falsetto of Roy Orbison as well as a sweet, sweet country croon that he uses beautifully on a cover of Don Walker’s Silo.

The rest of The Maladies are crucial components to their intoxicating sound. They know when to play with passion over technique and when to play with sensitivity restraint. Drummer Josh Harvey uses more than his standard kit to build clatter and harsh percussive sounds into the music while Daniel Babekuhl plays with a diversity that shows a strong knowledge of different guitar styles and emotions.

With You By My Side… isn’t all doom and gloom, the final track You And Your New Tattoo… is a fun waltz-like shuffle sounding like a Greek gathering in the back room of a bar, possibly a tip of the hat to some of the members cultural heritage.

The Maladies have produced the strongest possible renderings of their songs and captured what makes them such a great live band. Hard to believe it is their debut, it confirms them as undeniable talents on the local scene with a sound that will also transfer well to international audiences. Listen and you will be singing along to one of the best Australian debut albums of 2009.