Ghosts CD
$25.00
MZAZA’s second studio album Ghosts, released in 2015, has attracted accolades from critics and peers alike, receiving the Queensland Music Award for best song in both 2015 and 2016 and being showcased at festivals internationally. Mixed by ARIA-nominated engineer Robin Mai and featuring a collection of talented musical collaborators, Ghosts spent three weeks in the AMRAP Metro Charts, was feature album on Melbourne’s PBS and spent five weeks in 4ZZZ’s top 20.
With much of the original material in French or English and inspired by Balkan music, Ghosts delves into stories of ancestors and migratory pasts. The impressive musicianship of MZAZA – realised with accordion, violin, percussion, double bass and Flamenco guitar – delivers a dynamic and intense live show that is sure to make listeners be transported to another time and place.
Track listing
- Enfants du Chemin (Children of the Road) 3:46
- Les Mensonges (Lies) 4:07
- Nightwatch 4:01
- Ghosts 4:19
- Sous la Lune (Under the Moon) 4:54
- Ansi Ansi 3:28
- Esta Montanya d’Enfrente 6:02
- When I Was a Child 4:31
- Dying to Dance with the Devil 2:40
- Love on TV 3:10
- Fire in my Blood (Le Feu au Sang) 5:22
Credits
Pauline Maudy: vocals
Stephen Cuttriss: accordion, ney, kaval, vocals
Greta Kelly: violin & shah keman, vocals
John Robertson: guitar, vocals
Chloe Ann Williamson: double bass, vocals
Jordan Stamos: darabuka, cajon, tapan, toph
Michael David Thomas: vocals (track 9)
Linsey Pollak: gaidanet (track 6)
Michael Taylor: ud (track 2 & 6)
Andre Bonetti: cimbalom (track 3)
Recorded by Pix Vane Mason at Pix Studios, Conondale, Australia
Mixed by Robin Mai at Woodstock Studios, Melbourne, Australia
Mastered by Ross Cockle at Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne, Australia
Graphics by Mel Baxter at Moonshine Madness
MZAZA would like to thank Linsey Pollak, Andre Bonetti, Robert Davidson, Michael Taylor, Michael David, Boris Bergman, Aron Saltiel, Danielle Jones, Siyavash Doostkhah, Chris Bowen, Kim Queen, Christophe Mallet, Jo Pratt, Bruce and Jocelyn Wolfe, Gwen Warnick, Paul Watson, Natasha Ryan, Jo Lampert and Dana Cohen, as well as everyone who supported the making of this album through our crowdfunding campaign, the purchase of our music, and the attendance of our shows.
Mzaza are hugely grateful to the donors who made our album Ghosts possible:
Karina Veal, Olaf Grawert, Christine Maudy, Jacques Maudy, Cécile Couper, Anand O Hara, Ellen Reiner, Steff Wong, Mark Aird, Julie Romaniuk, Kim Cakes, Barbara Kelly, Nonie Malone, Yael Levy-Zauberman, Jennifer Burton, Robert Davidson, Cathy Appleton, Richard Ferrari, Lilli Forrest, Emmanuel Hernaez, Peter Chappell, Michael Bourne, Ilja Grawert, Robert Miller, Thalia Battlecat Anghel, Margaret Woolcock, Melinda Miller, Eleanor, Julie Romaniuk, lody levy, Susan Giblin, Nahum Szumer, Brigitte Grath, James Bassett, James Gorman, Luke Holcombe, Ella van Tienen, Gina Geurgis, Little Hat, Susanne Gannon, Szechuan Sage, Andrew McInally, Debra Hilda Hood, Brianne Davis, Murray Phillips, Suzy Wilson, Jocelyn Wolfe, Josh Donellan, Rod Gregory, David Megarrity, Jacob Kinniburgh, Andre Bonetti, Chris O’Kane, Shaun Charles, Jan Donoghue, Kate Turton, Pierre Elias, Marta Walenda, Jarrah Storey, Lauren, Wayne Jennings, Remi Confida, Amanda Jones, Elizabeth Lawrence, Chris Kotmel, Danelle, Brooke Newall, Ian Dearden, Erin Collins, Joel Robertson, Matt Stonehouse, Moya Harvey, Serena, Sue Williamson
© 2015 Mzaza. All rights of the owner of copyright in this sound recording reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion, public performance, or broadcasting without the authority of the copyright holder is prohibited.
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Lyrics
Enfants du Chemin (Children of the Road)
toujours d’un pays ailleurs plus loin
on se construit de rien, enfants du chemin
nous sommes les enfants perdus
de terres lointaines méconnues
on survit de miettes de souvenirs
c’est le sang dans nos veines
qui nous pousse et qui nous mène
à chercher les traces de nos vies
toujours d’un pays ailleurs plus loin
on se construit de rien enfants du chemin
on continue à tisser
nos histoires dans les fils dorés
de la voie lactée qui nous entraîne
le ciel lui nous sert de toit
je serais toujours chez moi
du moment qu’il sait me reconnaître
Enfants du Chemin (translation)
we are built from nothing, children of the road
we are the lost children
of misunderstood lands, far away
we survive from crumbs of memories
it’s the blood in our veins
that pushes us and leads us
to search for the traces of our lives past
always from somewhere else, further away
we are built from nothing, children of the road
we continue to weave
our story in the golden threads
of the milky way that leads us
the sky is our roof
I will always be at home
as long as it knows me
Nightwatch
ce sont les vigiles de minuit
qui veillent sur les gens endormis
mais bientôt l’aube régnera
sur les marques de nos pas
ils nous cherchent et ils nous appellent
nous on rit car la vie est belle
pour les affranchis les braves
qui ont quitté le rivage
orphelins la main dans la main
tu me tiens face au destin
on s’faufile entre les pavés
derrière une lune effilée
par les nuages de la ville
qui essayent de s’évader
le bitume danse comme un serpent
sur une musique d’antan
qui se déverse de nos doigts
et se marie avec nos voix
orphelins la main dans la main
tu me tiens face au destin
mais sur le coup des cinq heures
ils nous trouvent comme des enfants
qui jouaient à cache cache
avec l’inquisiteur sanglant
ils nous cherchent et ils nous appellent
nous on court car la vie est belle
ils nous cherchent et ils nous appellent
nous on court car la vie est belle
Nightwatch (translation)
who keep an eye on the sleeping
but soon dawn will reign
over our footsteps
they search and they call for us
we laugh because life is beautiful
for the brave and the free
who have left the shore
orphans, hand in hand
you hold me in the face of our destiny
we slip through the cracks of the pavement
behind a moon torn
by the clouds of the city
that try to run away
the bithumen dances like a snake
to a song from long ago
that flows out of our fingers
and marries itself to our voices
orphans, hand in hand
you hold me in the face of our destiny
when 5am sounds
they find us like children
who played hide and seek
with the bloody inquisitor
they search and they call for us
we run because life is beautiful
they search and they call for us
we run because life is beautiful
Ghosts
when I wake in the dark of the night
the emptiness reigns over me
the time for dreams, all the sacred hours
slide away right in front of me
I’m haunted by memories that i have never lived
the lives of those long gone sticking to my skin
the light of the world slipping through my fingers
all the world, all the world
the crash of a train rolling through the hills
a life I have learned can never stand still
pictures of memories lost forever
all an illusion that I can’t surrender
won’t you stop calling me
every bone my body
won’t you stop calling me
under the orange tree
the long hours spent holding each other close
as the sounds of our land faded in the distance
the salt of your skin / forgotten on my lips
haunts me still, haunts me still
the crash of a train rolling through the hills
a life I have learned can never stand still
pictures of memories lost forever
all an illusion that I can’t surrender
Sous La Lune (Under the Moon)
on rit sous la lune
et tu danses comme un diable
j’ai un poid sur la gorge
et un sourire au visage
quand le soleil
se glissera dans la chambre
tu prendras ton sac
et tu me laisseras
tu fais ce que tu peux
pour me faire oublier
et pour me faire rire
de notre fragilité
promets qu’tu reviendras
ou mieux t’en vas pas
j’ai peur pour toi
j’ai peur pour moi
on rit sous la lune
et tu danses comme un diable
j’ai un poid sur la gorge
et un sourire au visage
je tiens ta première lettre
si fort sur ma peau
pour mieux te sentir
sentir le goût de l eau
un soir au port
je m’suis fait graver
ta plus belle phrase
a l’encre sur le pied
promets qu’tu reviendras
ou mieux t’en vas pas
j’ai peur pour toi
j’ai peur pour moi
ils rient sous la lune
et ils dansent comme des diables
j’ai un poid sur la gorge
et un sourire au visage
Sous La Lune (Under the Moon)
and you dance like a devil
I have a weight on my throat
and a smile on my face
when the sun
creeps into our room
you will take your bag
and you will leave me
you do what you can
to make me forget
and to make me laugh
at our fragility
promise you’ll come back
or better yet, don’t leave
I’m so scared for you
I’m so scared for me
we laugh under the moon
and you dance like a devil
I have a weight on my throat
and a smile on my face
I hold your first letter
so tight against my skin
to better feel you
to taste the water
one night at the port
I get engraved
your finest words
in ink on my foot
promise you’ll come back
or better yet, don’t leave
I’m so scared for you
I’m so scared for me
they laugh under the moon
they dance like devils
I have a weight on my throat
and a smile on my face
When I was a Child
ils se retournent dans leurs tombes
tout ceux qui n’ont pas cédé
quand on accepte la pénombre
des cochons affamamés
aux armes aux armes
ou laissez moi rêver
je n’vivrais pas pour vous voir
dépenser sans trop penser
quand j’étais enfant je ne savais rien
maintenant j’en sais encore, encore moins
on nous piétine et on nous ment
nous on y croit jamais vraiment
comme des rats sur une roue géante
on court en regardant devant
aux armes aux armes
ou laissez moi rêver
je n’vivrais pas pour vous voir
dépenser sans trop penser
quand j’étais enfant je ne savais rien
maintenant j’en sais encore, encore moins
When I was a Child (translation)
the ones who never gave in
when we accept the darkness
of the ravenous pigs
to arms to arms
or let me dream
I won’t live to watch you
consume without thinking
when I was a child I knew nothing
now I know even less
we get trampled and deceived
but we never really believe it
like rats on a giant wheel
we look in front and keep running
to arms to arms
or let me dream
I won’t live to watch you
consume without thinking
when I was a child I knew nothing
now I know even less
Dying to Dance with the Devil
I made a few mistakes or two – my darling
but not enough to for you to sue – me darling
two steps from heaven
but dying to dance with the devil
love led the ball – sliding from wall to wall
communication of the mind – is charming
but there’s interference on the line – my darling
two steps from heaven
but dying to dance with the devil
love led the ball – sliding from wall to wall
you took the blame but gave it back – beloved
if that’s the way the aces stack – I’m worried
two steps from heaven
but dying to dance with the devil
love led the ball – sliding from wall to wall
admit you took me for the ride – i’m running
don’t strike me out without a match – to burn in
two steps from heaven
but dying to dance with the devil
love led the ball – sliding from wall to wall
Love on TV
je n’crois pas à l’amour
des ames soeurs retrouvées
on me trouve bien trop jeune
pour etre si blasée
mais je n’ai pas mal
je sais bien pleurer
comme je sais sourire
et je sais embrasser
je crois à la tendresse
et aux mots murmurés
je crois à l’égoïsme
et aux choses partagées
je crois à la peur
de mourir eloigné
mais se retrouver seul
vaut mieux que mal aimé
mais je n’ai pas mal
je sais bien pleurer
comme je sais sourire
et je sais embrasser
je crois au désir
et aux moments volés
je crois à ta chaleur
et à ton amitié
gardez vos amours
qu’on voit à la télé
fait de feux et de paille
de formules fatiguées
Love on TV (translation)
of soulmates reunited
they find me too young
to be so blaze
but I am not hurting
I know how to cry
I know how to smile
and I know how to kiss
I believe in tenderness
and it soft whispers
I believe in selfishness
and in sharing it all
I believe in the fear
of dying isolated
but waking up alone
is better than badly loved
and I am not hurting
I know how to cry
I know how to smile
and I know how to kiss
I believe in desire
and in stolen moments
I believe in your warmth
and in your friendship
so keep your love
that you show on TV
made of fire and straw
the same tired stories
Fire in my Blood (Le Feu au Sang)
dans le fin fond de l’automne
j’entend ton souffle à mes cotés
une fois le souffle de mon ami
maintenant celui d’un étranger
ce souffle qui supplie qu’on le pardonne
qui cherche les cendres de notre amour
comme l’eau qui s’évapore au soleil
il s’efface un peu tout les jours
et le vent me pousse gentiment, gentiment
vers les bruits les couleurs
remet le feu à mon sang
quand je sens au loin le malaise
je crie au soleil de m’réchauffer
sa caresse sur ma peau qui m’apaise
elle n’saura pas me briser
et le vent me pousse gentiment, gentiment
vers les bruits les couleurs
remet le feu à mon sang
et le rire qui résonne dans nos corps
s’inscrira dans les mémoires
ce sentiment d’être si bien vivants
dans la peine et dans la gloire
et le vent me pousse gentiment, gentiment
vers les bruits les couleurs
remet le feu à mon sang
Fire in my Blood (translation)
I feel your breath next to me
once the breath of a friend
now belongs to a stranger
this breath that begs for forgiveness
and looks for the ashes of our love
like water evaporates in the sun
it fades a little more every day
and the wind pushes me gently, gently
towards the noise, the colours
puts the fire back in my blood
when I feel pain approaching
I ask the sun to warm me up
its caress on my skin appeases me
and wouldn’t know how to break me
and the wind pushes me gently, gently
towards the noise, the colours
puts the fire back in my blood
the laughter that resonates in our bodies
will inscribe itself in the memories
the feeling of being so alive
in sorrow or in glory
and the wind pushes me gently, gently
towards the noise, the colours
puts the fire back in my blood
siteManager –
The Courier Mail
Brisbane-based Mzaza sing in French and English but their music is as exotic as their family backgrounds, pulsing with Balkan and other Eastern rhythms. They say there’s “fire in my blood’’ in one of their tunes and that’s in the music too. Vocalist Pauline Maudy is of French and Jewish Sephardic descent, a people who escaped the Spanish Inquisition via Morocco. Enfant Du Chemin (Children of the Road), winner of best world music song at last month’s Queensland Music Awards, is derived from traditional Macedonian roots, opening with Maudy’s Gallic vocals and featuring a mix of violin and accordion. The stories are timeless: in Sous La Lune, village women wonder if their men will return from the sea; in Nighwatch a “sans-papier’’ couple hide from police; Love On TV compares real love with the fiction kind. There is a cover of Serge Gainsbourg’s Dying to Dance With The Devil too, but the originals are its equal. Ghosts? There are plenty here in a world where the past is ever-present and music knows no borders.
Noel Mengel