Angry? Have a dose of Latvian ‘Nu metal’

Egils Kaljo | 

The Inevitable

As music evolves through the years, listeners often get to hear strange and unexpected hybrids of different genres. One of the most unusual combinations to have become popular in recent years is the combination of rap and metal, sometimes given the goofy “Nu-metal” label. One would have thought that the two styles of music, what with their devout fans and uncomprising musicians, would never have come together. However, because both styles are often outlets for anger and aggression, perhaps it is not too much of a surprise that this style has become very popular in recent years.  The best known group in this style is Rage Against the Machine, but groups like Limp Bizkit and Korn also have incorporated it into their music.

This trend has also taken hold in Latvia, evidenced by the release of The Inevitable by the group F[ei]K. The album is entirely in English and contains all the loud guitars and anger you could possibly need in a rap-metal album.

F[ei]K are made up of Ansis “Rooc” Auders on guitars, Gusts Leimanis on bass, Verners Biters on vocals, Martins Opmanis on drums and Kristaps “Krii” Krievs on “effects” (and who, according to the band’s Web site, has already left the group). Auders founded the group in 1998. The Inevitable is their debut album.

I would have to admit that this style of music never particularly appealed to me. I’m not really sure why, as I have been a devout heavy metal fan for most of my years. Maybe it is because it is simply too much anger and angst to digest. This music is like a sledgehammer to the mind, relentless and unyielding.

This record reminds me a bit of the latest Dzelzs vilks album, as many of the songs seem to follow the same formula: Start off quiet, with some soft vocals and clean guitars, then suddenly burst into screaming vocals and super-distorted and heavy guitar power chords. This does get tiresome after a while.

The opening song, “Egoism” sets the stage for what is to follow. The heavy guitar and bass form a very formidable combo, and with lyrics like “I can’t tolerate you anymore, my misinterpretations ruin my life,” the group is not willing to take any prisoners.

The band’s Web site has this to say about the lyrics: “The lyrics are about the problems and experiences in life, about how other people make you feel.” This is made clear in the song “Sigh,” which contains the lyrics, “You let me down. The teardrop fades on me.”

“Flying” starts off with some interesting guitar effects, while drummer Opmanis gets to shine in the solo opening to the track “The Same.” There is also an instrumental “hidden” track, which is quite different than the rest of the album. Actually, it is mostly just effects strung together, and makes for a rather strange coda to the album.

Liner notes are meager, mainly filled by each bandmember’s thanks. I recommended that the listener visit the Web site to find the lyrics, since most of the singing is either unintelligible or buried under thundering guitars.

The Inevitable unfortunately winds up being a rather ordinary rap metal album. If you are already a huge fan of this type of stuff, you’ll probably like it. However, this album will not make believers of the doubtful, as there is not much to distinguish itself from the tidal wave of bands that play in the same style. There is of course the novelty that they are from Latvia, a place which, not surprisingly, breeds a lot of angst in its youth. Because the album is released by MICREC, it is a professional effort thanks to the production of Tālis Timrots and the band F[ei]K themselves. But the album is best consumed by the very angry and those who could never imagine listening to mellow music.

Details

The Inevitable

F[ei]k

MICREC,  2002

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.

Changes in election law benefit Latvians abroad

Andris Straumanis | 

Latvian citizens living abroad—including World War II exiles and their descendents who reclaimed citizenship after 1991—may find it a bit easier to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, on May 30 approved changes to the election law that were sought by several Latvian emigre organizations.

Under the revised law, voters abroad will be able to mail in absentee ballots at least 15 days before the official election day. Latvia’s national election day this year is set for Saturday, Oct. 5.

Some citizens abroad had complained that in their countries of residence mail service is not offered on Saturdays, while Latvia’s election law said that citizens abroad could vote either in person or post their absentee ballots on the day of the election. Mailed ballots also had to be received and opened in polling offices within three days of the election.

The World Federation of Free Latvians (Pasaules brīvo latviešu apvienība, or PBLA) was among emigre organizations pushing for the changes.

“The PBLA is very satisfied,” Linda Kovaļevska, head of the federation’s Rīga office, said in an e-mail to Latvians Online, “because the adopted amendment that allows voting by mail 15 days before election day was proposed by the PBLA.”

The president of the Latvian National Federation in Canada (Latviešu nacionālā apvienība Kanādā, or LNAK) agreed the changes are good.

“The changes definitely will help Latvians living in Canada to participate in the elections,” said Imants Purvs. The federation already has begun discussions with the Latvian Embassy in Ottawa about how best to publicize the changes and increase voter participation.

Under the revised election law, citizens living abroad may still vote at an official polling place.

The emigre organizations’ concerns were addressed in election law amendments proposed Oct. 31 by the Central Elections Commission, according to a press release. The commission oversees elections in Latvia. Arnis Cimdars, chair of the commission, also had noted that in some large countries even three days may not be enough time for a ballot to reach a local polling place.

Although the changes may satisfy the concerns of many Latvian citizens abroad, one catch might be that in order to receive an absentee ballot, voters will have to mail their Latvian passport to their polling place to prove their eligibility. Because a unified and computerized registry of voters is not yet available in Latvia, the passport is needed to verify eligibility. By the time the next parliamentary elections would be scheduled in 2006, such a registry should be ready, Kovaļevska said.

The PBLA also headed off an amendment proposed by the Latvian Foreign Ministry which would have barred citizens without a passport from voting, Kovaļevska said. Some citizens may not have a passport, but instead have a document from the Department of Citizenship and Migration Affairs that proves their citizenship.

Also struck from the proposed legislation was a provision that would have allowed a citizen voting abroad by mail to change their ballot by showing up in person at the polling place, taking back their absentee ballot and voting again.

Voters on Oct. 5 will elect 100 members of parliament. Citizens who are at least 18 years old are eligible to vote. Candidates for parliament have a 20-day window, beginning 80 days before the election, in which to apply to be on the ballot.

In the meantime, the Central Elections Commission also will need to decide where polling places will be established abroad. In Canada, Purvs said, LNAK is considering opening an election office in Toronto.

For the last parliamentary elections in 1998, the Central Elections Commission set up a total of 31 polling places abroad, most of them in embassies. Three of those were in the United States: the Latvian House in Chicago, the Latvian Social Center in Los Angeles and the Latvian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Two were in Canada: the Latvian Embassy in Ottawa and the Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto. Australia also had two, in the honorary consulates in Sydney and Melbourne.

In all, 10,080 votes were recorded from Latvian citizens living abroad, with 2,928 (29 percent) coming from the United States. Australia had the next largest bloc of votes, 1,791 (17.7 percent), while Canada contributed 1,579 (15.6 percent). Together, Latvian voters in the three countries represented more than 62 percent of votes cast abroad.

Voters abroad in general were a conservative group. Of the 10,080 votes cast, 46 percent went to Tēvzemei un brīvībai/LNNK (For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK), Latvia’s leading conservative party. Overall, the party took third in national elections, earning 17 spots in the 100-seat Saeima. A third of ballots abroad were cast for Tautas partija (People’s Party), the conservative reform party that recorded the best results in the election, earning 24 seats.

More than 32,000 Latvian citizens were living abroad in 2000, according to the Department of Citizenship and Migration Affairs. More than a third—a total of 11,344—were in the United States, followed by 4,447 in Australia and 4,198 in Canada.

Voting in 7th Saeima election

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Sorry, Marija, we didn’t think you’d win

Andris Straumanis | 

Our apologies to Marija Naumova, because we didn’t think she would win. The night before the Eurovision Song Contest was to begin in Tallinn, my daughter and I sat down at her computer and watched all 24 videos of this year’s entries. Our conclusion was that Naumova and her song “I Wanna” certainly was well above average, but not necessarily good enough to win the contest.

If we had any favorites in addition to Latvia, they were Austria, Denmark, Macedonia and perhaps France and the United Kingdom.

Austria’s Manuel Ortega—who, despite what his name suggests, was born in Linz—surprised us with his upbeat “Say a Word.” We also liked Denmark’s Malene Winther Mortensen and her performance of “Tell Me Who You Are.” The video especially brought smiles, as the singer vandalizes the apartment of her lover whom she suspects of having walked out on her (but returns bearing a couple of baguettes).

And Macedonia’s young pop star, Karolina Gocheva, sang wonderfully the tune, “Od nas zavisi” (It Depends On Us). Her participation in Eurovision saw one of several minor scandals this year. Gocheva wanted to perform the song in English in Tallinn, but was convinced by the powers that be back home that Macedonian was the way to go.

France’s Sandrine Francois performed “Il faut du temps” (“It Takes Time”), a fittingly moody French song that was a refreshing change of pace from the all-too-happy pop songs offered by many other artists.

Finally, the United Kingdom’s Jessica Garlick, who many thought was a virtual shoo-in this year thanks in part to heavy pre-contest promotion, seemed like she would do well with the soulful “Come Back.” When I interviewed Naumova in April, she said Garlick’s song was her favorite among all the entries.

But when I booted up the computer mid-afternoon Saturday to check the results, I was surprised to find that voting was still underway. The Webcast from the Saku Suurhall in Tallinn reported that Latvia was in the lead with 118 points, tussling with Malta for control of first place. My jaw must have hit the keyboard as I watched during the next half hour as Latvia’s score continued to mount. And then Lithuanian television reported that Latvia’s neighbors to the south were giving 12 points to Naumova, boosting her to a score of 176 and clear victory.

Malta’s Ira Losco, who performed “7th Wonder,” came in second with 164 points. The U.K.‘s Garlick tied with Estonia at 111 points. (We were a bit disappointed that Estonia employed a ringer: Young Swedish singer Sahlene sang “Runaway,” a tune with lyrics and music created by Estonians.) And France was next with 104. Unfortunately, one of our favorites, Denmark, ended up in last place with only 7 points, right behind Lithuania in 23rd place.

Yes, Eurovision is a silly contest, but it’s one that’s been running for 47 years. Yes, most of the songs are nothing special. But the point, at least this year, is that in Latvia’s third time in the Eurovision contest it has come away with a victory. Coupled with Estonia’s win last year, the results should help convince any doubters that the Baltics are not some backwater region of Europe.

I guess it’s time to start saving for airfare to next year’s Eurovision contest, which is to be held in Latvia as part of the spoils of victory. The next months are sure to see a debate about whether Latvia can even afford to pull off a Eurovision event and, if it can, whether it should be held in Rīga or in Ventspils, which is where the national runup to Eurovision has been staged.

In the meantime, our congratulations to Marija Naumova, even if we didn’t think you’d win.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.