Latvijas bākas follows the Latvian coastline from Lithuania to Estonia as it tells the story of lighthouses.

What could be quainter than the lowly lighthouse? Its simple purpose has always been to shine a light out over the coastline to guide ships.

One might think that such a simple construct would not have much scope to be beautiful or to be a work of art—just a basic tower with a light at the top. In this modern era, with radar, sonar, GPS, satellite and many other navigation tools, shining a light over the water would be a relic of a bygone age.

As it turns out, the lighthouse can be a work of art. Realizing this, Ivars Putniņš, president of the Latvian computer services firm Capital, was inspired to publish a book about Latvian lighthouses. Latvijas bākas (Lighthouses of Latvia), published at the end of 2010, is a tribute to these simple yet historical buildings. The book was written by Andris Cekuls, historian of the Rīga Museum of History and Navigation, and there is also full English translation of all texts, provided by Maija Treilone.

Latvia, with a coastline that is more than 500 km long, has many distinctive and impressive lighthouses. The book follows the coastline, beginning with the Pape lighthouse near the border with Lithuania and ends with the Ainaži lighthouse near the border with Estonia.

Though full of beautiful color and black-and-white photographs, it is the detailed and thorough description of each lighthouse that is the most impressive and most valuable aspect of this book. Not only does the reader get the exact latitude and longitude of the lighthouse, but they learn about the lighthouse’s history, with many interesting facts and figures. For example, there are quite a few interesting facts about the historical Cape Kolka lighthouses (this being the northernmost point in the Kurzeme region of Latvia, where the Gulf of Rīga meets the Baltic Sea). The author notes that the origins of the name Kolka may have come from the Liv language, where ku-olka means “expect your death; be ready to die.” A Kolka lighthouse was first referenced in 1341, and there are notes about 10 Swedish ships wrecked in the storm of 1625, as the landowner at the time had not received payment for firewood, so the light had not been lit.

Also interesting is the Baltās baznīcas (White Church) lighthouse, located in the north of Rīga. Originally built in 1786 near the Daugava River, the wooden tower of the church collapsed due to the unstable ground. The church with its light beacon in its tower is unique in Latvia.

The Ģipkas lighthouse, in the Roja municipality in the Kurzeme region, was build by the Soviet Army in 1953 and has a distinct square steel structure.

The Akmeņrags lighthouse, also in Kurzeme, was officially named a historical site by the Latvian government. The lighthouse was repeatedly attacked during World War I, when 46 grenades were thrown at it, of which only 10 exploded. The lighthouse was finally destroyed by the German minesweeper Arcona. It was progressively rebuilt, and only fully renovated in 1957, at which point the Soviet government considered it a first class military lighthouse.

Particularly helpful in the book is the list of lighthouse-related terminology, explaining concepts such as nautical miles, leading light, nautophone and radio lighthouse.

The book is also full of historical photographs and historical document facsimiles, which makes for fascinating reading. What I found particularly interesting was that the lighthouses do not all look alike . They all seem to be unique in design or color or construction, as if each lighthouse has its own personality.

Though the lighthouse itself is a simple construct, this valuable book proves that lighthouses are steeped in history and are well worth reading about. The detailed texts and lush photography in this 152-page book provide a very thorough guide to the many lighthouses of Latvia. Cekuls must be commended for what was clearly a large amount of work to prepare these texts.

Latvijas bākas is not just a historical treasure, but also a pleasure to read and view the many photographs, making clear that the lighthouse has been a valuable aspect of Latvian seafaring for hundreds of years.

Kurvis is the 10th studio album by the popular Latvian band Labvēlīgais tips.

Veteran Latvian satirical and humor ensemble Labvēlīgais tips returned in 2010, after a gap of three years since its last recording, with the studio album Kurvis.

The members of Labvēlīgais tips blend satire and humor with many different and varied styles of music. They almost always succeed in recording catchy, memorable songs that often leave listeners smiling.

Whether it be the often strange lyrics (seemingly simultaneously both very deep and deceptively simple), or the deep bass of lead singer Andris “Fredis” Freidenfelds, or the musically adept performances of the rest of the band, the Labvēlīgais Tip’s popularity endures. Now past its 15th anniversary as a group, the band still packs them in for highly anticipated yearly shows at the Rīga Congress Centre.

What remains most impressive is that the group shows no sign of getting “tired.” Even after all this time, Labvēlīgais tips is still able to write songs that remain in the listener’s mind, even after only one listen. Kurvis is no exception.

Though released in 2010, these are songs that have been recorded over the past few years, and many of them have become hits. Perhaps because the band has not released a new album in a while, Kurvis is the longest—a full 18 songs. Alhough long, there is rarely a dull moment over the course of the album.

The songs are seemingly about mundane, everyday topics and events, yet many of them are memorable. One of the older songs on the album is about how having a mobile phone means that you are unable to escape certain people (“Paraparita”). A song from 2008—“Tu man virsū negāzies”—celebrates the Song Festival that year and is about the difficulties in singing in such a mass choir (people tend to step on your toes).

Labvēlīgais tips often sings about forms of transportation in Rīga, such as “10. tramvajs,” “Himalaji” and “Omnibuss.” Kurvis features a song that the band notes is a “sequel” to “10. tramvajs.” Called “Āgenskalna priedes,” it is a Latin-tinged song about a seemingly unending journey on a trolleybus through the Āgenskalna priedes area of Rīga, where every other person on the trolleybus has a dog with them, and one even has skis (in the middle of summer).

One of the most stylistically different songs the group has done is “Čiekurs – egles dēls,” which is, oddly enough, about pine cones. The song itself is in a very electronic techno style, something along the lines of German group Kraftwerk—not quite the style you would think of when singing about pine cones. In this song, the mighty fir tree gives the lowly pine cone advice, in that one shouldn’t freely give themselves to squirrels.

Politics also has been a topic that Tips sings about. This time around, there are odes to former Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, simply entitled “Vaira,” which is more about the travails of the former president’s tailor, who is entrusted with always preparing the most elegant of dresses. Veiled references to the controversial former deputy mayor of Rīga, Ainārs Šlesers, are found in the song “Pētergailis.” Šlesers has been known for some of his unique suggestions for improving Rīga and Latvia, and in “Pētergailis” some rather odd ideas also are presented—such as the necessity of having a second Daugava River for redirecting transportation.

Labvēlīgais tips often reference obscure places in Latvia. One of my favorite tracks on the album is “Līzespasta Disnejlenda.” Līzespasts is a small town in the north of Latvia. I am quite mystified by the lyrics, as I remain slightly unclear what Disneyland is doing in such an obscure corner of Latvia. The song, however, is quite catchy and describes all sort of amazing things that seem to happen at this Disneyland.

The songs of Labvēlīgais tips are hard to describe, as the lyrics often do not make much sense (which, I think, is part of the band’s charm). The group does have the occasional serious song, such as the title track “Kurvis.” In Latvian slang, to give someone a kurvis (a basket) is to toss them aside, and the song is about a guy who does not seem to have much luck throughout life.

Kurvis is one of the most satisfying Labvēlīgais tips albums. It has humor, a large amount of musical variety, and songs that are simply fun to listen to. Ten studio albums into the band’s career (which is more than many groups in Latvia) shows no signs of slowing down, so this latest basket of tunes is well worth checking out.