Oranžās brīvdienas, who call themselves a ‘turbofolk’ group (though their music has many varied elements, including rock, punk, metal, ska, reggae, among others), celebrated their 15th anniversary in 2015 and also released their latest album Tilti, their third album after 2012’s Spīd and 2011’s Evribadi tancevaķ.

The large ensemble – nine members in total – includes Ints Ķergalvis (otherwise known as ‘Speiss’), who, in addition to vocals and guitar is the lead songwriter. He is joined by Andžs Zvirbulis on guitar and vocals, Jānis Kaličus on trombone and vocals, Jānis Puzaks on drums, Ritvars Šilkovs on saxophone and vocals, Maksims Starodubovs on trombone, vocals and guitar, Nauris Bruņinieks on trumpet and vocals, Kaspars Čakste on mandolin, guitar and vocals, and Eduards Rēdmanis on bass guitar (who has since left the group – the current bassist is Raitis Neitāls).

With such a large, varied group of musicians, it is not much of a surprise that the music is layered and dense, but even with Oranžās brīvdienas’ frenetic style, it never descends into noise or chaos – even with almost every band member providing vocals. Tilti makes for an enjoyable ride provided by one of Latvia’s leading and distinctive alternative groups.

The group’s irreverent and hyperactive style is on full display on Tilti, beginning with the song ‘Turbo traktors’, a song about, simply, how every Latvian needs a turbo tractor. Beginning with the characteristic Oranžās brīvdienas’ sound – the interplay of heavy guitars with the brass instruments, all at a rapid speed – is an appropriate introduction to this latest Oranžās brīvdienas effort. The album also includes an acoustic version of the song, which shows a more relaxed, groove-oriented version of the song.

The humorous and quite often strange lyrics by Ķergalvis weave throughout the album, for example in the song ‘Balti ceriņi’, which begins as if it were a ballad, before Ķergalvis adapts a gravelly vocal style (somewhat like the late Jānis Grodums of Līvi). In what otherwise would be romantic lyrics – ‘manā sirdī ceriņi zied’ (Lilacs are blooming in my heart), the song becomes rougher, perhaps even cynical.

The more metal aspects of the group appear on the song ‘Spridzini tiltus’, featuring the full set of vocalists joining together in a loud male choir.

Of course, it is not always at high speed – the album closes out with the heavy ballad ‘Sniegpārsla’, which is also, at five minutes, the longest song on the album. The song, about a snowflake twisting in the wind, has an epic and dramatic sound. Over guitars and mandolin, Ķergalvis repeatedly sings ‘lūdzu tev ņem mani līdz’ (I beg you to take me with you). It may very well be a parody of similar deadly serious ballads (especially because as the song proceeds, the vocals get gruffer and gruffer, nearly to the point of ridiculousness), but this kind of approach is what makes Oranžās brīvdienas so enjoyable – at no point do they ever take themselves too seriously.

Another aspect that makes Tilti enjoyable is the crisp production of sound engineer Ģirts Laumanis. With nine members, there is a significant chance that the sound can turn to mud, but the clarity and balance of all the instruments and the vocals adds to the enjoyment of the album. Still, though, one wishes the group had included the lyrics either on the CD or on their website to help understand some of the songs. Though, perhaps, the group intentionally wants the meanings of the songs to be vague, to add to their ‘mystery’!

Tilti is another satisfying entry in the Oranžās brīvdienas oeuvre, featuring their characteristic droll humor and frenzied musicianship. The originality of the music and lyrics and their unique sound make them one of the most creative and eclectic groups in Latvian music today.

For further information, please visit the Oranžās brīvdienas website

 

In the history of Latvian alternative music, the group Hospitāļu iela remains one of the brightest stars. With their combination of varied musical styles, offbeat lyrics, and general quirkiness, songs such as ‘Par Pogu’ and ‘Par Raimi’ became hits. However, after their third album, 2007’s Pūķis, the group went on extended hiatus, and officially broke up in 2010 (though their final performance was in 2011). The group’s leader and songwriter Edgars Šubrovskis remained active in various projects (most notably the band Gaujarts and 2014’s tribute to Māris Šverns and Baložu pilni pagalmi – Brāļi un māsas), and now has a new project entitled Manta, who released their debut album Ansamblis Manta in 2014.

Along with Šubrovskis (on guitar, bass guitar and vocals), Manta’s other members are Edgars Mākens on organ, stylophone, and backup vocals, as well as Oskars Upenieks on synthesizers, samples and backup vocals, and Raitis Viļumovs on percussions and backup vocals.

The immediately noticeable difference between Manta and Hospitāļu iela is that keyboards are now a significant part of the sound, giving Manta a more electronic sound. The presence of the synthesizers gives the music a strong resemblance to Latvian electronic music pioneers Dzeltenie pastnieki – which may not be completely coincidental, considering that the producer of the album is one of Dzeltenie pastnieki ‘s founders Ingus Baušķenieks. The electronic flavor of the music gives the songs an additional creative dimension, allowing for more experimentation and creativity. Additionally, the presence of the electronic music is not overbearing, and is well balanced with the rest of the instruments.

With the first track, ‘Viva Voleros’, Manta define themselves as subdued, but intense performers. Šubrovskis’ picturesque lyrics relate views of the Voleri area of Riga – an area of abandoned factories, ports, and small gardens, with a variety of inhabitants, many of whom look suspiciously on unfamiliar visitors. The unease of an outsider visiting Voleri is reflected in the lyrics – ‘Kā tu domā, kā es te izskatos?’ (How do I look here, what do you think?)

The songs at times have images of fleeing and alienation, such as the song ‘Suņi seko’, which tells the story of a search for a fugitive shooter, while at the same time appearing to be an allegory for trying to find someone that cannot be found, with bitter memories. The plight of the fugitive is summed up with the song’s central lyric – ‘Vientuļa bēgļa vienīgais draugs ir nikotīns’ (The only friend of a lone fugitive is nicotine).

Manta provide their own variation on the Latvian legend of Kristaps, entitled ‘Antikristaps’, where the devil curses Kristaps to carry a child over the Daugava RIver, only to find the child getting heavier and heavier, until Kristaps, having reached the middle of the river, sinks. The slow and plaintive vocals, sung over a simple and deliberate electronic beat, give the song an eerie, atmospheric feel.

The slow, wistful ‘Tūkstošreiz’ closes the album. As with many of the songs of the album, the lyrics appear to be about travels to lesser known or unusual places – there is a sense of searching for something that cannot be found, a feeling of solitude and loneliness – ‘tur, kur kādreiz es braucu tūkstošreiz, bet nu arvien retāk’ (Where I used to go a thousand times, but nowadays rarely).

As was often the case with Hospitāļu iela, the lyrics can be a bit opaque from time to time. Interestingly, the group chose to include English translations of all the lyrics in the booklet – though that does not always help determine what the song was about!

It would always be a challenge to follow up on the success of Hospitāļu iela, which was one of the most popular and influential alternative bands in recent Latvian music history. Instead of copying previous successes, leader Edgars Šubrovskis takes things in a new direction, and with successful results. Manta has released an impressive debut album – it is not much of a surprise that Ansamblis Manta was awarded the Latvian Great Music award for best alternative album in 2014. Featuring quirky and intriguing lyrics, engaging music, Manta distinguish themselves from other alternative groups with their creativity, and have made a memorable album.

For further information, please visit Manta’s Facebook page.

 

So popular and beloved is the group Prāta vētra (known as Brainstorm internationally) that they have the artistic freedom to do just about whatever they like on their albums, and fans will rush out to not only buy the album, but attend their concerts – Prāta vētra regularly gather tens of thousands of listeners to their concerts.

However, the group’s most recent albums, though popular, may not have left the impression on listeners that their earlier works did. 2008’s Tur kaut kam ir jābūt, with its hip-hop elements, and 2011’s uneven Vēl viena klusā daba, with its very subdued melodies and focus on keyboards (no surprise, considering that keyboardist Māris Mihelsons was the lead architect on many of the album’s songs), were perhaps not as satisfying efforts as albums like 1996’s periodically anarchic Veronika or 2001’s polished pop music collection Kaķēns kurš atteicās no jūrasskolas. However, the group – made up of Renārs Kaupers on vocals, Jānis Jubalts on guitars, Māris Mihelsons on keyboards, Kaspars Roga on drums and Ingars Viļums on bass – are not content to rest on their laurels and continue to craft some of the best Latvian pop songs.

Now, in 2015, more than a quarter century after the group’s founding in 1989, the group released 7 soļi svaiga gaisa, their 10th full length Latvian studio album (many of their previous albums have been released in English and Russian language versions). One never quite knows what to expect from a new Prāta vētra album – will they continue their experiments in different genres, or might they return to sounds that have brought them success in the past.

It would appear that 7 soļi svaiga gaisa is indeed a ‘back to the basics’ album. Almost entirely devoid of the hip hop elements that distinguished Tur kaut kam ir jābūt, the focus is on the music and making songs slightly more accessible to listeners. This becomes clear from the lead off title track ‘7 soļi svaiga gaisa’, with its U2 like guitar effects at the beginning, slowly expanding like a bright sunrise and singer Kaupers singing ‘gribās stāvēt un elpot’ (I want to stand and breathe). The only sour note in the song is the slightly forced concert singalong section – which does not quite fit in with the rest of the song.

In a song that reminds the listener of the slightly harder edge of the songs on 2005’s Četri krasti (also perhaps not a surprise, as producer Alex Silva also produced that album, and has a knack for getting a great and clear guitar sound), is the second track ‘Ēdenes dārzs’ – a joyful, exuberant song. It is reassuring to hear the prominent guitars of Jānis Jubalts on a Prāta vētra album, as in the past they have sometimes been relegated to the background, and Prāta vētra works best as a guitar oriented band.

Prāta vētra also have a knack for bringing out the emotional and tender in their songs, such as ‘Tu izvēlējies palikt’ and ‘Spogulīt spogulīt’, and the song ‘Kad zvaigznes pār alejām krīt’ can certainly be considered an entry just as worthy. With its repeated lyric ‘kaut es spētu būt tev klāt’ (if only I could be with you), over a simple keyboard line and beat, the song is immediately memorable. This song, as well as a majority of the songs on the album, features lyrics by new Latvian poet Emīls Buiķis, whose lyrics may also have injected new life into the band. In fact, Buiķis wrote the lyrics for or shares a lyric credit on seven of the ten songs on the album.

Still, though, the album is not without its ‘experiments’. This time around, there are funk and disco-like elements in songs such as ‘Pilsētas ugunis’ and ‘Pastkastīte’, though, these are some of the weaker numbers on the album, and are a bit jarring with the rest of the more earnest songs.

The group is indeed confident in the material on the album, as they have announced that during their summer tour they will play all the songs from it. Unfortunately, with each tour, Prāta vētra play fewer shows in Latvia – there will be only four this summer (Jelgava, Ventspils, Valmiera and Riga).

Though it is difficult to compete with their seminal earlier albums, 7 soļi svaiga gaisa is one of their most cohesive albums in recent memory. Prāta vētra tone down the experimentation and return to a guitar based sound, and that makes 7 soļi svaiga gaisa overall a highly satisfying album. Though relatively short (the ten songs clock in at almost exactly 40 minutes), the album is indeed, as the title would indicate, a breath of fresh air. After more than a quarter century of existence, and with their place in Latvian music history secure, Prāta vētra show that they have not lost a step.

For further information, please visit the band’s website.