The Latvian traditional folk group Vilcenes (female wolves) are the counterpart to the more widely known male singing group Vilki (wolves); the members of Vilcenes, in fact, are the wives of the Vilki. Vilki has always differentiated itself from other folk groups in that the repertoire consists solely of songs about soldiers and war. The group also brings alive the culture of the ancient Latvian warrior. In accordance, the members of Vilcenes sing the songs of the brides, wives and mothers of those warriors from long ago, awaiting their return from the fields of battle.

Vilki has released several albums over the years, and now Vilcenes has a debut compact disc, Karavīra līgaviņa (Bride of the Warrior).

It must be said that both Vilki and Vilcenes see their main mission as attempting to recreate the traditional way of life of the Latvian and Līv tribes of the 10th-13th centuries. They do this by celebrating the solstices, equinoxes and other agricultural festivals, including familial occasions such as weddings and baptisms, as reconstructed from historical and archaeological sources. In their enthusiasm, they have learned to weave cloth, braid sashes, tool leather and smith the jewelry and weaponry to construct the complete wardrobes of their ancestors 900 years ago.

Song has seemingly always been a part of the peoples living in the Baltics, and appropriately, Vilki and Vilcenes have given singing a large role in their attempts at reliving the past. Astoundingly, many folk songs, especially those about war, have survived the centuries relatively unchanged from their original form, thus giving an added authenticity to the endeavors of these unique folklorists.

This unprecedented authenticity, with a focus on warriors and ancient warcraft, sparked interest in the general Latvian public. What started out as a rather private group of families with a shared interest in ancient history has given rise to two premier Latvian folk groups, Vilki and Vilcenes, performing in public both at home and abroad.

Almost all of the 20 tracks on Karavīra līgaviņa deal with the unenviable position of either awaiting your loved one from war or readying your son for war. That said, the songs on this album are mostly quite melancholy, but never “wailing”—true to our stoic, northern sensibilities. One of my favorites is “Lempis,” in which a young woman rides to battle in the stead of five lazy brothers. The songs are sung either a capella or with a minimal accompaniment of drums, whistle, kokle or ģīga (a stringed instrument that usually plays a bass line). The production level is quite simple, which I assume is an attempt at keeping the sound authentic, rather than “mystical” or “new-agey.” One should also keep in mind that the women of Vilcenes are neither professional musicians nor singers, as they themselves are always quick to say.

The CD insert includes all texts to the songs in Latvian, a short description of each song in English, as well as a short narrative consisting of a grandmother telling her granddaughter about the trials of sending men to war (also translated into English). The graphic design of the CD is comprised of photographs of the Vilcenes and close-ups of the members’ beautiful hand-made costumes. I would recommend this CD to those with a keen interest in Latvian folklore, as many of the songs on the album cannot be heard anywhere else.

A new group is taking Latvia by storm. The group’s name is H20 and with its smash hit single “Uzmini nu” achieving frequent airplay during 2006, it seems poised to be one of the dominant groups of the Latvian music scene in the near future. In fact, “Uzmini nu” was awarded the Latvian Music Award for Best Pop Song in 2006, not to mention being No. 1 in the Radio SWH 2006 Top 40, and No. 2 in the Radio SWH 2006 Latvian music Top 15. Quite the impressive feat for these young musicians!

Of course, those awards were for one song . As we’ve seen in the past, a group can write a hit single, but when time comes to write a complete album, it turns out the group was only briefly able to capture lightning in a bottle. H20 released its debut album, also called Uzmini nu, in May and did manage to extend its winning streak beyond one song.

The primary members of the group are Jānis Strapcāns on vocals and Staņislavs Judins on bass and keyboards. The other instruments on the album, such as drums and guitars, are performed by a number of different musicians. The group’s profile on the Web site draugiem.lv notes that the group came into being on March 3, 2003, with its first public performance of the song “Kā klusums kliedz.” H2O has performed a number of times at the Bildes music festival, as well as many other venues this year. Also, currently rounding out the group are Edgars Ansons-Tomsons (drums) and Juris Kalnišs (guitar). The band’s style is melodic rock and reminds me quite a bit of Tumsa, another Latvian group.

While there are a number of songs I like on this album, overall my impression of this album is that it is very… safe, I suppose. No major surprises, just inoffensive pop songs, generally easy listening, but nothing that makes you pause to take a closer look. Notable songs include the aforementioned “Uzmini nu” (for which, deservedly, the band won many laurels), as well as songs like “Cik daudz” and “Kā klusums kliedz,” all very pretty, not to mention catchy. The rest of the songs on the album do sort of blend into each other after a while, making them hard to recall individually.

The album of course has the obligatory song in English, “Gorgeous” with lyrics like “She was shiny and me too,” whatever that might mean.

While certainly a well-crafted recording with a few standout songs, overall it is a very lightweight album, containing very few surprises. Perhaps that is for the best, as nothing here is too jarring or out of place, just simply crafted and harmless pop songs. The production might be a bit too slick for my tastes. Some of the songs could use a bit of an edge to them, but the album does sound good and all the performances are solid. Certainly this is a solid base upon which to build. As these guys mature perhaps they will try to stretch their boundaries and try something a bit more ambitious to differentiate themselves from the similar crop of groups (not just in Latvia but worldwide). I await H2O’s next album, where hopefully the band will flex its muscles a bit more.