Latvian Music – Part 1

My love of music probably started when I was 8 or 9 years old when I was gifted a small transistor AM radio and a set of cheap headphones. I would stay up late at night and drift from station to station exploring all the available offerings I could find that were relatively free from static. A few years later I would routinely have a blank cassette on stand-by to record songs off the radio. I would even sneak onto the roof of the house to spool wire around the chimney attempting to improve radio signals from weaker or more distant stations. I had a Walkman, then a Discman, then a turntable. I was a heavy Napster user. To this day I have boxes and boxes of CDs and vinyl records, as well as disc drives full of digital music. My voracious appetite for new music has never been sated; it might be bigger now than ever.

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Every year Latvia has a music awards event similar to the U.S. Grammys called “Zelta Mikrofons” (Golden Microphone)

http://www.zeltamikrofons.lv 

For a taste of what is popular among Latvians this year I will introduce a few of the winners:

Song of the year went to a song called “Sāku no sākuma” (I Start(ed) from the Beginning) by a very new artist called Būū:

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Album of the year went to a group called Rīgas Modes (Riga Fashion) and their album Patiesie Nodomi (True Intentions). Example track “Dejot vienatnē” (Dancing Alone):

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A sponsored people’s choice award went to the song “Limuzīns uz krīta” (Limousine on Loan) by the group Citi Zēni (Other Boys):

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Best rock or metal album (although I’d call this punk) went to Inokentijs Mārpls (no translation) and their album “Kauliņi ir mesti” (The Dice are Cast):

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Best hiphop album went to the artist Kurts and his album “Laikā” (In Time):

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Okay, now for my personal picks. These aren’t all from the past year, but I tried to keep it to things that are relatively new.

The first artist is probably the most unique Latvian pop artist of the bunch. Evija Vēbere has a more experimental approach to her music that brings many elements (such as electronics and her unusual voice) and genres together in surprising ways. Some of her music reminds me of Björk. In 2019, her album “Sirdsbūt” was awarded the best alternative and indie music album of the year at the Zelta mikrofons.

Vienradzis (Unicorn):

Labs suns (Good Dog):

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This next artist is probably the most famous on the list. Christina’s cousins were genuinely surprised that I had never heard of them. Prāta Vētra (Brainstorm) formed in 1989 and have 13 studio records with over 30 Latvian music awards. They have played at music festivals throughout Europe and competed in the Eurovision song contest. Their lyrics are written in Latvian, English, and/or Russian; truly a band with international appeal.

Tevis deļ (For You):

Nothing Lasts Forever

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Renārs Kaupers, the singer for Prāta Vētra has also had a substantial music and acting career on his own. Here is a collaboration he did with the electro-folk ensemble Tautumeitas (Folk Daughters) singing in a language/dialect called Latgalian which is spoken in the eastern region of Latvia called Latgale. He is the guy who enters the building like a Hollywood gunslinger entering a saloon:

Muoseņa

Here’s a song and animation that brings me to the brink of tears every time I watch. The electronics work in this is stunning. Tautumeitas dedicated it to the people of Ukraine. This one is also sung in Latgalian.

Rūžiņu duorziņā:

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This next band I chose mostly because I like their videos. The Sound Poets (English name, but everything I’ve heard is in Latvian) is a pop-rock/indie-rock band that make heavy use of vocal harmonies and acoustic instruments like piano and cello mixed with guitars and electronics:

Pie vienas uguns (At One Fire):

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Country music quickly took root in Latvia after the lifting of the Iron Curtain in the 1990’s. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest country music fan and I’m usually drawn only to the guitar-slingers, but to my ears, Latvians produce a good facsimile. Klaidonis (Vagabond) is one of the more popular groups.

Tevi gaidot (Waiting for You):

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Showing the goofy side of Latvian music, here is a collaboration between the Country/Schlager music group Apvedceļš (Bypass) and a rap/dance duo called Bermudu Divstūris (Bermuda Bi-angle) singing about a mother’s sage advice:

“Mamma man teica, seko saviem sapņiem un meitenes sekos tev.” (Mama told me, follow your dreams and the girls will follow you).

Brāl’ Ar Dzīvi Nekaulē:

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This next artist, who goes by MADARA, competed in Eurovision in 2018 with this song and subsequently made some revisions based on comments and feedback. The final product is just gorgeous.

Esamība (Existence)

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Like all the other northern European countries Latvia has a thriving metal scene. For this band I’m going to draw a strange connection. To me they sound as if the vocalist from Ratt was fronting Judas Priest 🙂 Rebel Riot is old-school fun:

Lucifer

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Currently, the most famous metal group is probably Skyforger. Formed in 1995 they have 6 studio albums including one that is entirely metal arrangements of Latvian folk and war songs, and another they call a “metal opera” about the Latvian mythical hero Kurbads. The song linked below is from the latest album, which is dedicated to the history of Baltic people in Old Prussia. The chanted refrain heard here is in the extinct language of Old Prussian.

Rāmava

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I’m generally not a big fan of the false-vocal-fold singing that is so popular in contemporary metal, BUT there is a batch of women that have mastered the technique and combine it with traditional vocal techniques to great effect. If you’re into this stuff and haven’t heard Jinjer, a band from Ukraine, please do so! For my Latvian representative I give you Māra. Skip this one if your ears are too precious for F-bombs 😉

Label Me Insane

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I’ll close this post with a song by a band started by the twin sons of the ubiquitous Renārs Kaupers. Carnival Youth calls it “a love letter” to Latvia’s most famous movie “Četri balti krekli” (Four White Shirts) and the music it contains by one of Latvia’s most famous composers Imants Kalniņš.

Dzeguzes Balss (Voice of the Cuckoo)

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This completes part 1 of what I hope to be a many part series in my explorations of Latvian music. In future installations I hope to provide a survey of Soviet-era Latvian popular music as well as a peak into the non-pop scene, classical, jazz, and avant garde.

Čau for now!