Famed Latvian synth rock outfit Jumprava, who, having been performing off and on for 30 years, are one of Latvia’s most venerable groups. Though their zenith of popularity was in the early 1990s, they have been one of the most consistent ensembles throughout their decades of activity. Jumprava have stayed true to their electronic roots, and remain one of the most beloved Latvian bands of all time. Songs like ‘Ziemeļmeita’, ‘Tālu aizgāja’, ‘Vēlreiz’, among many others, earned them a place in the Latvian rock pantheon.

It has been a long hiatus for the band. Their last recorded output was Izredzētais, an album of music from the musical of the same name that was performed in Latvia in 2007. Their previous album of new material, Inkarmo, was released in 2005. Perhaps it is no surprise that the group has had limited activity in recent years – member Aigars Grauba has branched out into a very successful film career – directing some of the most popular Latvian movies in recent memory, such as Sapņu komanda 1935 and Rīgas sargi. However, in 2014, after this long silence, the group has returned with their latest album entitled Laiks runā.

Besides vocalist and instrumentalist Aigars Grauba, the group’s core members remain vocalist and guitarist Aigars Grāvers, as well as instrumentalists Ainārs Ašmanis and Aigars Krēsla.

Though the album itself is new, the group noted that many of the songs on the album are actually very old songs, but recorded for the first time. The band members listened to old concert recordings and ‘resurrected’ some of these songs and gave them a proper and modern treatment, as many had been unfairly forgotten.

The combination of both old and new material gives the album a sense of duality. Though certainly the synth rock style that Jumprava gained famed with is firmly rooted in the 1980s and early 1990s, Jumprava still are able to give their songs a fresh sound that never seems dated or even quaint.

The fire that Jumprava displayed in earlier songs like ‘Zem 2 karogiem’ and ‘Prom no pilsētas’ still burns brightly in songs like ‘Glāb’ (music by Grāvers, lyrics by Ritvars Dižkačs), where vocalist Grauba exhorts ‘Glāb mani – es sen vairs negribu būt kosmonauts‘ (Save me, I no longer want to be an astronout) over a thundering beat.

The song ‘Kareivis’ (music by Grāvers, lyrics by Jānis Baltauss), as its title (‘Soldier’) would imply, is in a similar vein, about a soldier dying in a battlefield, and, as time passes, new stems and new rye fields will grow, creating a new battlefield.

Jumprava have always balanced their driving and aggressive songs with more tender moments, and such a moment is on the song ‘Gaiss’ (music by Krēsla, lyrics by Rolands Ūdris), where Grāvers’ hypnotic vocals, repeating the phrase ‘nevar būt par daudz tevis’ (it is not possible to have too much of you) lulls the listener with the song’s dreamy atmosphere.

The decision to record songs that have been in the group’s repertoire for years, if not decades, give this album a sound that harkens back to their golden age of the early 1990s, and that, for many listeners, will make this record particularly enjoyable. Retaining their sense of melody, thoughtful lyrics, and even quirkiness that sustained their popularity for all these decades, Jumprava reestablish themselves as one of the premiere ensembles in Latvia today. Though they have gone for nearly a decade without recording new music, Laiks runā is an exceptional return to form, verifying that Jumprava remain at the top of their game and remain one of the undisputed cornerstones of Latvian rock music.

For further information, please visit Jumprava’s website.

Track listing:

1. Sākums
2. Saucējs
3. Laiks teiks
4. Neesmu varonis
5. Glāb
6. Kur sākums
7. No rīta
8. Gaiss
9. Kareivis
10. Māmiņ
11. Ilgas
12. Gaisma nāk
13. Sapņu nesējs

Though pianist and composer Raimonds Pauls is undoubtedly the best known and most successful of Latvian musicians, a significant aspect of his success in the field of popular music is due to the lyricists and poets that he has worked with. One of his most enduring collaborations is with Latvian poet Jānis Peters, a relationship that has been ongoing for many decades now. Peters and Pauls worked together on what must be hundreds of songs, including some of Pauls’ biggest hits, such as ‘Sanāciet, sadziediet’, ‘Mēmā dziesma’, ‘Genovēva’, and ‘Manai dzimtenei’, to name but a few. Though Pauls has worked with many Latvian lyricists, it is perhaps with Peters that Pauls created some of his most fruitful work. And, of course, Peters worked not only with Pauls, but many, if not all, celebrated Latvian composers of the last fifty years.

As Peters celebrates his 75th birthday in 2014, the record label MicRec, continuing its series of honoring the wordsmiths at the heart of Latvian popular music (which began with Imants Ziedonis on the Dziesmiņas par prieku collection) with the CD Sanāciet, sadziediet…, collecting some of the most popular songs with words by Jānis Peters.

One of Pauls’ most famous works is ‘Tava balss (Mēmā dziesma)’, performed by Nora Bumbiere, a song about muteness all around, in the sky and in the field, but that one should still rely on their own voice to be heard. Perhaps due to this text being written during Soviet times, when poets had to be careful with their wording and present the song’s meaning in oblique ways, this song has what could be considered as having some of Peters’ strangest lyrics – ‘Un ja nu dvēselē zied egle, Un savu likteni svin suns?’ (And if the soul blossoms in a fir tree? And a dog celebrates its destiny?). Nevertheless, it is one of Pauls’ most beautiful songs, thanks to the pensive and moving lyrics by Peters.

A pleasant surprise was the inclusion of the newer version of the song ‘Tā diena’, recorded by Viktors Lapčenoks and Normunds Rutulis, with Peters musing about ageing (metaphorically speaking about ‘tas tramvajs, ko negaidu es’ – the tram that I am not waiting for), but with Pauls’ music turned into a lively song with Latin-like rhythms.

What also makes Peters’ lyrics memorable is that they can also be quite fun and humorous – case in point, the song ‘Genovēva’, performed by Žoržs Siksna. The song, where the singer implores the girl Genovēva ‘allow me to be your bad boy’, in what is an altogether humorous attempt at wooing.

Peters’ words for the song „Manai dzimtenei”, which has become one of the most popular choir songs in the modern Latvian repertoire, celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Latvian Song Festival. The lyrics, which reference Rainis’ lyrics for the choir song ‘Lauztās priedes’, evoke the celebratory nature of that event, as well as the hardships that would befall Latvia in the future (notably the line ‘vēl nāks piektais gads, asins lietus līs’ – ‘there will still be 1905, rain with blood will fall’, a reference to the 1905 revolution). Though the version included on the CD is the original version, performed by Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks, it may have been better to have the choir version of the song, since it is through this song’s appearances at Song Festivals that this text and melody have become legendary.

Though Peters’ main collaborative partner was Raimonds Pauls, Peters’ words have been used by many composers throughout the years. This collection includes songs by many other celebrated Latvian composers, such as Uldis Stabulnieks (‘Mans bišu koks’), Mārtiņš Brauns (‘Dvēselīte’ performed by Sīpoli, ‘Lai Jums izdodas’ performed by Edgars Liepiņs), as well as Ivars Vīgners (songs such as ‘Ar mīlestības pinekļiem’ performed by Ingus Pētersons and ‘Dziesmiņa par Parīzi’ performed by Rūdolfs Plēpis). Many composers throughout the years have found inspiration in the words of Peters and this is but a small sampling of those.

The only critique of this CD release is once again relating to packaging – as there is no booklet or lyrics, just two photographs. This CD reveals the problems plaguing the Latvian (as well as worldwide) music industry, as record labels release the same old songs for the second or even third time (most of these songs have already appeared in CD format before). Besides the common theme of Peters’ lyrics, it just seems like yet another re-release of old songs. It would have been most helpful to include some biographical information, or an essay on Peters’ importance to Latvian culture, or anything to make this release more than just a collection of songs.

Still, as a collection of songs from the last few decades of Latvian popular music, it does indeed reaffirm Jānis Peters’ significance as a poet and lyricist. These songs have resonated through the years, and will continue to be part of the Latvian popular music canon for generations to come. Peters’ lyrics have inspired, and continue to inspire composers, even in the field of academic music (for example, one of composer Pēteris Vasks’ most famous choir works is ‘Māte saule’, with words by Jānis Peters). Sanāciet, sadziediet.. is a memorable testament to this significant and beloved Latvian poet.

For further information, please visit the MicRec website at www.micrec.lv