It seems Latvian popular music has been at a nadir recently. New faces have been few and far between, with the more recent work by better known names like Prāta vētra and Astro’n’out not quite exceeding expectations. Latvia, much like elsewhere, is awash with reality show singers who, after a while, begin to all sound rather depressingly similar.

However, the tide may have turned, as Tavs stāsts, the latest album by the group The Sound Poets, and their first album entirely in Latvian, is a joyous reaffirmation of the treasures that can still be found in Latvian popular music. Combining musical and lyrical talent, this album is one that we have been waiting for for a long time.

The genesis of the Sound Poets is in the group S.P.D., which formed in 2007. S.P.D.’s debut album, Sound Poetry, featuring songs entirely in English, was released at the end of 2008. Two of the members of S.P.D. then went on to form the Sound Poets in 2011, having released a few singles since then, now bring forth their full album Tavs stāsts.

Even though there was a long wait before their album was released, the Sound Poets remained firmly in the public consciousness with a number of songs that became hits during the past few years. Songs like ‘Kalniem pāri’, ‘Nāc līdzās’, and ‘Emīlija’ provided a tantalizing preview of the forthcoming album, Tavs stāsts, which was finally released in 2013, and the long wait was certainly worth it.

The Sound Poets pay particular attention to melody and arrangements, and their musical style could be compared to groups like Coldplay and Arcade Fire. The group, made up of Jānis Aišpurs (vocals and guitar), Normunds Lukša (guitar), Gints Bīmanis (bass), Undīne Baloda (cello), and Pēteris Lunde (drums), were also noticed by the biggest Latvian band, Prāta vētra, and were invited to be the opening act on their 2012 tour of Latvia. Aišpurs also provides the lyrics for all the songs.

The attention to detail and arrangements is evident in all the songs, particularly the first single off the album, ‘Emīlija’. From the tender piano motif in the beginning, to the melodic vocals, which then moves into a driving middle section, with its crashing crescendo at the climax, and then fades out with just the piano, this song takes the listener on a particularly emotional journey.

Perhaps the most beautiful song on the album is ‘Nāc līdzās’, where the author sings about leaving messages on windowpanes with his breath. Featuring an uncredited (at least in the CD booklet) appearance by the choir Kamēr… singing harmonies, ‘Nāc līdzās’, with its pleading, earnest lyric, is one of many high points of this album.

‘Kalniem pāri’ shows the band’s more up-tempo side – the thundering baseline brings a sense of dramatic urgency to this song about the trials and tribulations that occur in every relationship – how even if you make it over one mountain, there will still be more mountains to cross. This song also displays the rather remarkable vocal range of Aišpurs, who deftly moves from full voice to falsetto in a memorable vocal performance.

The title track, ‘Tavs stāsts’, is of a more philosophical nature, about how one must write their own story and how it may be praised and derided throughout time. Aišpurs’ use of falsetto here may remind the listener slightly of singers like James Blunt, with his vocal leaps and, at times, fragile voice.

The album closes with the pulsating, deliberately tempoed song ‘Augšup’, a somewhat meditative work, balanced on the bass guitar. With its repeated refrain, or perhaps mantra, ‘tas pieder mums’ (it belongs to us), it brings the album to a satisfying conclusion, as the guitar slowly fades out at the end.

The only critique I have of the album is actually of the booklet – though all the lyrics are included, they are handwritten, to simulate notes in a notebook. Though this certainly is charming, and belies the personal nature of the lyrics, the words are quite often unreadable!

Tavs stāsts is a refreshing and memorable entry in the field of Latvian popular music. With their attention to the craft of songwriting and details of melody making, Tavs stāsts breathes new life into the world of Latvian popular and rock music. Not content with simplistic, generic songs, the group manages to bring together lyrical prowess and musical skills to make for some of the best songwriting recently heard in a Latvian release. Hopefully this signals a new rebirth in Latvian music – the Sound Poets have, with one album, made their mark in a rather dramatic and memorable fashion.

The Sound Poets on draugiem.lv – http://www.draugiem.lv/thesoundpoets/

The Sound Poets website: http://www.thesoundpoets.lv/lv

It is an ironic truism in the music world that a musician’s death always raises interest in the musician’s work. Album releases follow, sometimes with new music, more often re-releases of earlier works. The archives will be searched for previously unreleased songs and albums will undoubtedly follow. In a somewhat perversely positive way, songs that might have never seen the light of day while the musician was alive are then brought to listeners.

Case in point – pianist, vocalist and composer Uldis Stabulnieks.  The composer of a treasure trove of songs, Latvia mourned his passing on September 27, 2012. By far his most beloved composition was the song ‘Tik un tā’, with words by Māra Zālīte, which, considering that the song was released in the early 1980s, was a song of love for Latvia (unusual as it was to even mention ‘Latvia’ in songs during Soviet times).

With just this one song, Stabulnieks earned his star in the constellation of Latvian music. However, right as he reached the zenith of his popularity, Stabulnieks seemed to drift into obscurity. Though still active as a composer and performer, his creative output seemed to diminish in quantity through the years – in the 1990s and beyond the composer almost completely disappeared, though he still performed occasionally at hotel bars in Riga.

The release of the posthumous Es mīlu dzīvi skaistoat the end of 2012 was a pleasant surprise as it didn’t seem to be common knowledge that Stabulnieks was still actively composing and recording songs. The most striking thing about these recordings is that no time at all seemed to have gone by – the songs contained on the CD could have just as easily come from the 1980s as after the turn of the century (these songs were recorded from 2005 to 2007). Having not lost a bit of his flair as a musician and a singer, it is quite the pity that these songs needed to wait for his death before they could be heard.

The scat vocals of the title track ‘Es mīlu dzīvi skaisto’ (lyrics by Jānis Rokpelnis), along with Stabulnieks’ creative vocal gyrations giving the song a particular joie de vivre corresponding with the lyrics of the song. The performance shows that Stabulnieks had not lost any energy or enthusiasm in his later years, or even humor, with which the music is imbued.

The song ‘Kā ūdens nemitīgs’ (lyrics by Jānis Ziemeļnieks) is a more somber song, with Stabulnieks reaching a crescendo on Ziemeļnieks’ text ‘likteni, kas spēcīgs, spožs un skarbs’ (a fate that is powerful, vivid and bitter).

All the songs feature Stabulnieks on piano (or synthesizers) and vocals, and though Stabulnieks is better known as a composer, his piano talents cannot be overlooked – such as on the song ‘Mazs putniņš’ (lyrics by Vizma Belševica), with the melancholic piano performance providing a lovely background for the wistful lyrics, particularly the repeated refrain ‘tu nāc, tu ej’ (you come, you go).

Stabulnieks’ humor is once again on full display when he sings about cheese in the song ‘Sieru dziesmiņa, dziedama ap Jāņiem’ (lyrics by Guntars Godiņš). With a playful piano background, Stabulnieks sings about saying goodbye to cheese rolling away ‘kas stipri smaržo un kas nikni ož’ (that has a strong scent and smells bad)

Stabulnieks also composed five different songs with the same text by Jānis Sudrabkalns in ‘Piecas variācijas par Jāņa Sudrabkalna tēmu “Tāls vakars”’. Deftly moving through various styles and tempos, Stabulnieks displays a range of emotions and feelings that distinguishes all of the variations. Ranging from somber to humorous, each song has a different perspective on Sudrabkalns’ poetry.

One of the best known of poems by Aleksandrs Čaks, one of the most popular 20th century Latvian poets, is his love letter to Riga, and on this CD Stabulnieks puts music to ‘Vecā, sirmā Rīga’, with its powerful words “Ak, mana Rīga, vecā, sirmā Rīga, Tu manu sirdi augšup nes!” (Oh my Riga, my old gray Riga, you carry my heart upwards!) The earnest and sincere words by Čaks are given a fitting musical form in this celebration of the city.

Some might say that one of the reasons Stabulnieks faded from public view is the fact that his style did not change much with the times – where other composers like Raimonds Pauls and Imants Kalniņš explored new musical avenues and worked with younger singers, Stabulnieks continued to compose in his own style and stubbornly sang almost all of his songs himself. That is perhaps what is so commendable and enjoyable about this collection, as these songs contain some truly beautiful moments, like in ‘Zviedru vārtu romance’ – the song would have been the worse off had it been someone besides Stabulnieks singing. Though it took his passing before it was released, the collection of songs on Es mīlu dzīvi skaisto still show that Stabulnieks had not lost a bit of his creative energy and his obscurity was undeserved and unfortunate. Fortunately, Stabulnieks’ talents will not soon be forgotten, and Es mīlu dzīvi skaisto is a fitting epitaph to this composer’s career.