One of the most unique voices in Latvian music, if not the most unique and distinctive, not to mention one of the most unique personalities, is singer/guitarist/songwriter Haralds Sīmanis.

With his long hair and beard, and voice that went from a growling bass to a melodic falsetto, he first made his mark in 1980 with the song ‘Ezers’, a song that was quite dramatically different from the Latvian popular music of the day. In fact, it might be even considered the first (if, perhaps, only) example of Latvian progressive rock.

Though ‘Ezers’ was a hit and a particularly memorable song, Sīmanis has remained a bit of a mystery over the past thirty years – slightly eccentric, not particularly prolific, he pops up every now and then only to disappear. It seems likely that he simply avoids the limelight, and prefers to stay low key.

Sīmanis again reentered the public eye in 2012 in two ways. First, the song ‘Ezers’ was performed by Agita Gabranova on the talent show ‘Latvijas zelta talants 2012’ in one of the most memorable performances of that event, which introduced the song and Sīmanis to a younger generation. Second, Sīmanis re-recorded a number of his songs in a stripped-down acoustic style and released the album Es esmu rīts.

Es esmu rīts features eleven of Sīmanis’ compositions (all the lyrics for all of Sīmanis’ songs are written by Arvīds Ulme), and these new interpretations reveal, once again, the true uniqueness and style of Sīmanis’ performances, and reaffirm his status as one of the most eclectic of Latvian songwriters.

Featuring Sīmanis on guitar and vocals, Andris Grunte on contrabass, and Ilze Grunte on guitars and additional instruments, the album provides a quite satisfying overview of Sīmanis’ eclectic songwriting and singing style.

The song ‘Es esmu rīts’ features Ilze Grunte playing the baglama, a guitar-like instrument used in Greek and Turkish music, and gives the song a rich Middle Eastern feel to it, particularly the contrabass solo by Andris Grunte. The same Middle Eastern feel is used to great effect on the song ‘Bezgaismā’.

Andris also features on ‘Zied zāle’, playing a memorable introduction on the contrabass, and Sīmanis, his voice nearly a scream, builds to a powerful crescendo at the end of the song.

Of course, ‘Ezers’, his best known composition, also appears on the album, and though the melody remains the same, in this new arrangement the song is given a fresh update – the stripped-down approach brings forth Sīmanis’ voice. What is also interesting is that this recording restores the third verse, which did not appear in the 1980 original as it did not pass the Soviet censors.

Sīmanis reaffirms his position as one of the most unique of Latvian performers with the release of Es esmu rīts. Though not prolific, every new Sīmanis release is a treat, and Es esmu rīts is no different.

Interested listeners may also want to seek out Starp divām gaismām, a 2006 re-release by MicRec of Sīmanis’ 1997 album Starp divām gaismām (as well as a number of other songs from the 1980s and 90s, including the original version of ‘Ezers’). For those seeking something particularly unique in Latvian music, Es esmu rīts exhibits one of Latvia’s finest songwriters and one of its most distinctive voices.

Spīd, the latest album from Latvian ensemble Oranžās brīvdienas is one of the most fun and creative Latvian albums to be released for quite some time

According to their website, Oranžās brīvdienas describe themselves as ‘TurboFolk’, which features elements of “ska, reggae, metal, rock, disco and other styles mixed with some folk elements”. And this is not at all an exaggeration – the album does truly feature all of these styles, though the ska element seems the most prominent of all of them.

The group has been around for a while – it was founded in 2000 by Ints Ķergalvis – guitarist, vocalist and music and lyric author for all the songs. On Spīd, Ķergalvis is joined by an army of musicians, including Māris Vaivods on bass, Kaspars Čakste on mandolin, Andžs Zvirbulis on electric guitar, drummer Jānis Puzaks, Ritvars Šilkovs playing the saxophone, two trombonists (Maksims Starodubovs and Jānis Kaličus), trumpeter Nauris Bruņinieks, as well as Pēteris Birzgalis performing sound effects.

Oddly enough, the band’s sound and style might periodically remind one of satirical Latvian group Labvēlīgais tips – both groups have horn sections, and both groups sing songs with lyrics that are at times comic, at times rather strange. For example, the title track ‘Spīd’, has a double meaning – ‘Spīd’ in Latvian means ‘shine’, but it pronounced the same way as the English word ‘speed’ – which is quite appropriate, given the song’s uptempo nature and driving drumbeat.

“Pēdējais metālists” (The Last Metalhead) takes a turn towards the heavier, with the song beginning with a metal riff that would not have been out of place on a 1980s thrash record. The horn section even joins in, making for a particularly unusual combination of sounds. It even features some growled death metal vocals at the end. Unfortunately, no lyrics to be found in the booklet or on their website, so it’s up to the listener to guess what he’s growling there!

Many of the songs are captivatingly odd, like the aggressive ‘Sašauti Merši’, where Ķergalvis sings about how his dream cars are shot up Mercedes.  Or, perhaps, the somewhat tongue-in-cheek ‘dance’ song ‘Jauno latviešu diskotēka’

Packaging is pretty sparse though, no booklet or lyric sheet, though you can find more information about the group at their website. In fact, you can even download their first album, 2011’s Evribadi tancevaķ, in full. Lyrics would have been nice to have, as they’re not easy to figure out, and would help one appreciate the album more.

Spīd is truly an eclectic journey through varying musical styles, with one surprise after another and always engaging and enjoyable. Particularly impressive is how Oranžas brīvdienas integrates all the many musicians into a very cohesive ensemble – the horn section in particular is what makes this album particularly memorable. Deftly moving between varying styles, often in the same song, Spīd, is one of the most creative recent Latvian releases.

Artist website: http://www.oranzas.lv