ALA izceļ Baltijas valstu un ASV prezidentu tikšanās simbolisko nozīmi

Raits Eglītis | 

Amerikas latviešu apvienība (ALA) apsveic Latvijas valsts prezidentu Raimondu Vējoni un Latvijas valdības delegāciju ar sekmīgo dalību ASV un Baltijas valstu samita norisē Vašingtonā, D.C. šī gada 3. aprīlī.
“Baltijas valstu vadītāju uzņemšana Baltajā namā Baltijas valstu neatkarības pasludināšanas simtgadē ir spēcīgs un simbolisks žests, kas apliecina Baltijas valstu un ASV vēsturiskās saites, ciešo sadarbību šodien un sadarbības potenciālu nākotnē gan aizsardzības, gan ekonomiskās sadarbības jomā,” tikšanās rezultātus vērtē ALA priekšsēdis Pēteris Blumbergs. Kā pozitīvu zīmi viņš saredz, ka ASV prezidents Donalds Tramps ir pamanījis Baltijas valstu ieguldījumu NATO kolektīvā drošībā un aizsardzībā un ka samita laikā ASV apliecināja savu gatavību turpināt savu militāro klātbūtni Baltijas reģionā un nodrošināt atbalstu Latvijas, Lietuvas un Igaunijas aizsardzībai. Kā konkrēts žests šajā jomā ir Baltijas nama otrdien izplatītais paziņojums par 170 miljonu ASV dolāru atvēlēšanu Baltijas valstu aizsardzības stiprināšanai, no kuriem gandrīz 100 miljoni ASV dolāru (81,4 miljoni eiro) ir paredzēti lielkalibra munīcijas iepirkumiem un vairāk nekā 70 miljoni (57 miljoni eiro) apmācību un ekipējuma programmām.
Ne mazāk svarīgs ir ASV dotais signāls un novērtējums par sadarbības potenciālu ekonomiskās sadarbības jomā. “Kā Amerikas latvietis un Amerikas latviešu apvienības priekšsēdis es lepojos, ka Latvijas prezidents Raimonds Vējonis tika uzņemts Baltajā namā un ka Latvija sevi nodemonstrēja pozitīvā veidā un saņēma komplimentus no ASV prezidenta par tās sasniegumiem ekonomikas un aizsardzības jomā,” sacīja ALAs priekšsēdis P. Blumbergs. “Mēs arī priecājamies, ka ASV prezidents atzina Baltijas valstis par labu ieguldījumu vietu, bet vienlaikus ceram, ka Latvija turpinās veikt nepieciešamos mājas darbus Latvijas investīciju vides uzlabošanas jomā,” uzsvēra P. Blumbergs, norādot uz nepieciešamajiem uzlabojumiem korupcijas apkarošanas, naudas atmazgāšanas jomā un tiesu sistēmas darbā.
3. aprīlī ALAs priekšsēdim P. Blumbergam, ģenerālsekretāram Raitam Eglītim un programmu koordinatorei Marisai Gudrajai bija iespēja tikties ar Latvijas Valsts prezidentu Raimondu Vējoni Vašingtonā notikušā US-Baltic Economic Summit ietvaros. Tāpat ALAs vadība 3. aprīlī tikās uz atsevišķu sarunu ar Latvijas Ārlietu ministrijas, Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūras, Latvijas tirdzniecības palātas Amerikā (Latvian American Chamber of Commerce), kā arī Amerikas tirdzniecības palātas Latvijā pārstāvjiem, pārrunājot iespējas veicināt ekonomisko sadarbību starp Latviju un ASV. Jāatgādina, ka ar ALA atbalstu pagājušā gada oktobrī Čikāgā norisinājās pirmais, līdz šim lielākais Latvijas un ASV ekonomiskai sadarbībai veltīts pasākums “Spotlight Latvia”, kas pulcēja gandrīz 200 Latvijas un ASV uzņēmumu vadītāju un ekonomiskā sadarbībā ieinteresētas personas. Šogad 28. un 29. jūnijā Valmierā notiks Pasaules latviešu ekonomikas un inovāciju forums, kurā plānots apspriest tālākās sadarbības iespējas ekonomikas jomā.

Amerikas latviešu apvienība (ALA) ir centrālā organizācija, kas pārstāv un vieno ap 90 000 latviešu visā Amerikā. ALA ar vairāk nekā 140 dažādām latviešu organizācijām (biedrības, baznīcas un kultūras organizācijas) un gandrīz 5000 biedriem no visām pavalstīm ir lielākā latviešu organizācija ārpus Latvijas.

Labvēlīgais tips release new album, filled with their usual good humour

Egils Kaljo | 

Latvian satirical and irreverent group Labvēlīgais tips, seven years after their last album Kurvis (or ‘Basket’), returned in 2017 with the follow up, appropriately titled Kaste (or ‘Box’).

Kaste, their eleventh studio album, collects fourteen songs in the group’s inimitable style, again finding inspiration in topics that at first may seem mundane and ordinary, but, upon a closer look, they still find the comic elements in these everyday occurrences and situations.

The ensemble continues to use a veritable orchestra of instruments – singer Andris Freidenfelds is joined by keyboardist Normunds Jakušonoks, guitarist Ģirts Lūsis, Kaspars Tīmanis on trombone, Oskars Ozoliņš on trumpet, guitarist Artūrs Kutepovs, bass guitarist Pēteris Liepiņš, keyboardist Haralds Stenclavs and drummer Ainis Zavackis.

Labvēlīgais tips still display as much energy as when they started out, almost a quarter century ago, even with their seemingly commonplace topics, such as receiving lots of boxes in the mail in the song ‘Kaste’, or the contradictory need to be both brutal and romantic when wooing a woman in the song ‘Brutāls un romantisks’, or love driving one to madness in ‘Du bist spazieren’.

Still, when listening to these songs, there is a vague sense of having heard them before. For example, Labvēlīgais tips sang about the legendary thriftiness of Latvians in the song “Skopuļa serenāde” on their album Naukšēnu disko, and on Kaste there is a song in a similar vein – ’Pa lēto’. The band also have had songs that were ‘sea shanty’ type songs like ‘Bocmaņa dziesma’ or songs about the sea in general, like ‘Tā man iet’, and on Kaste there is a song in a similar style – ‘Dzimtais krasts’.

Otherwise the lyrics of the songs on Kaste are even more opaque and full of non-sequiturs than usual, making any kind of lyrical analysis impossible. Perhaps that is the point, as the group has always insisted there is no deeper meaning in their songs (though some might say that there is no meaning at all). This is made even clearer on songs like ‘Frāzes’, which is partly just common small talk phrases gathered together to make for a (rather uninteresting) song.

That is not to say there aren’t quite a few bright spots on the album – for example the bouncy ‘Ciemos pie malkas’, the catchy ‘Ciema aristokrāts’, or the low-key and dreamy ‘Bilbao’ are among the stand out tracks on the album.

One might have thought with seven years between studio albums allowing for a bit of creative battery recharging, the group would have come back with a set of stronger songs. Particularly when considering that Kurvis was a late career highlight for them, and perhaps even their best album. However, the songs on Kaste, though containing the right ingredients and their trademark irreverent attitude, are simply not as strong as on other albums. Their most memorable songs have always been the ones about what might otherwise seem uninteresting – like a ride on a slow tram, a bus driving into someone’s garden, or a boisterous crowd at the Song Festival. However, the songs on Kaste rarely make much sense, and aren’t as catchy as their songs in the past. The group’s songs have been a bit of hit and miss throughout the years, particularly in their earlier career, when they were putting out a new album every year.

While Kaste may not reach the memorable heights of previous efforts (which is a bit of a surprise, considering how strong their previous album Kurvis was), the album still has many flashes of what makes Labvēlīgais tips one of the most endearing and enduringly popular of Latvian ensembles. The irreverence, often nonsensical lyrics, and general good humor in their songs have been their trademark, and Kaste does not diverge from that formula at all, though perhaps the songs embrace that formula too closely. Though there are a few occasional glimpses of brilliance, as a whole, Kaste is not one of their stronger efforts.

For further information, please visit the Labvēlīgais tips Facebook page.

Kaste

Labvēlīgais tips

LTIPS 003, 2017

Track listing:

  1. Doriana Greja vecā seja
  2. Kaste
  3. Brutāls un romantisks
  4. Ciemos pie malkas
  5. Frāzes
  6. Ciema aristokrāts
  7. Du bist spazieren
  8. Nianses
  9. Vīrs ar pleznu
  10. Bilbao
  11. Pa lēto
  12. Lai piepildās
  13. Aiza
  14. Dzimtais krasts

 

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.

Manta’s album “Karaliene Anna” stretches musical boundaries

Egils Kaljo | 

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Edgars Šubrovskis has been, for decades now, a leading figure and creative force in the Latvian alternative music scene. With groups like Hospitāļu iela, Gaujarts, and, most recently, Manta, his distinctive vocals and creative songs have found a large audience in Latvia and elsewhere.

Manta’s self-titled debut album was released in 2014, and, with its quirky, catchy songs, at times humorous, at times menacing, as well as its retro electronic sound (courtesy of producer Ingus Baušķenieks, of Latvian electronic music innovators Dzeltenie pastnieki), was a landmark in Latvian alternative music. In fact, the album won the Zelta mikrofons award for best alternative album.

Manta returned with their follow-up album – Karaliene Anna – in 2017, again recorded and mixed by Baušķenieks, and which continued the development of the group’s sound and music in multiple different directions, some expected, and some unexpected and difficult. On the record, Šubrovskis is joined by Edgars Mākens on keyboards, Oskars Upenieks on synthesizers, and Raitis Viļumovs on percussion.

Even before the first listen, the album cover and booklet immediately give warning that this will be a darker and bleaker album. With its dark tones and blurry pictures, it is clear that this may be a challenging musical journey for some. Somber keyboard tones open the first track – ‘Zīme’, a song simply chronicling the staggered journey of a drunken man along the street, eventually collapsing. With its sound effects and dark, atmospheric sounds, this song sets the stage for the album, with Šubrovskis’ vocals at once dour and resonant.

The group certainly has more ambitious musical plans on Karaliene Anna, stretching musical boundaries, such as on the nearly nine minute space rock epic ‘Pārestības’. The lyrics, tinged with bitterness and sadness, provide the introduction to the extended jam that concludes the song, perhaps indicating a solitary journey in the vast emptiness of space.

The titular queen Anna has died, and the song is presented as a requiem for her (though, as is often the case in Šubrovskis’ songs, who might this queen be and why her death is so significant is unclear), however, the song is one of the most beautiful on the album, with its haunting synthesizer tones on top of a mournful piano melody.

The intentionally archaic electronic sounds frequently heard on the album are used with great effect on the song ‘Eva Eva’, a song that again has a twinge of romantic sadness, particularly in lyrics like ‘Pāris sadodas rokās. Tas ir tik skaisti. Bet mēs tie neesam.’ (A couple join hands, that is so beautiful – but it is not us).

One can perhaps see parallels in the progression from their 2014 album to Karaliene Anna in the progression of Šubrovskis’ earlier ensemble Hospitāļu iela. Their 2004 album Pilnmēness was also full of quirky, catchy songs, but subsequent albums (2005’s Nav centrs and 2007’s Pūķis became more and more eclectic and challenging). Perhaps Šubrovskis gravitates towards bleaker themes and sounds, as his singing style in many songs makes them sound like funeral dirges, with their slow and weighty vocals. Though Karaliene Anna was clearly meant as a gloomier, weightier album, one does miss the occasional flash of humor that appears in Šubrovskis’ songs.

Listeners who were hoping for a continuation of the unconventional yet catchy songs on their debut album may find the musical turns on Karaliene Anna to be difficult to follow, if not overly dreary. The album is also a far cry from the often light-hearted tunes from the earlier days of Hospitāļu iela. With its bleak and sorrowful songs, the album is emotionally draining to listen to. Still, those familiar with all the aspects of Šubrovskis’ long career will still find much familiar here, as well as many new sonic explorations and creative arrangements. With its dark tones and color palette, Karaliene Anna is often challenging, periodically rewarding, and another unexpected twist in the musical career of Edgars Šubrovskis.

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

Karaliene Anna

Manta

Biedrība HI, 2017

Track listing:

  1. Zīme
  2. Rudensziema
  3. Halo
  4. Tьматериатьизм
  5. Krīspadsmit
  6. Pārestības
  7. Karaliene Anna
  8. Eva Eva
  9. Kaste ar sirdīm
  10. 8 bitu halo
  11. Bērni

 

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.