Lopez Blogs

OK, so it's several weeks since I was in Riga and bought this...but finally, here's the review.

From the crude cover art to the eccentric musical arrangements, everything about the latest album by Latvia’s top pop/rock band screams ‘experimental’. "Cela Dziesma" opens the album and starts slowly, and builds like a fairground ride. The 2nd single, "Ja Tikai Uz Manu Tu Paskakitos" took a while to grow on me but is now more instant, although has a kind of art-rock vibe about it.

"Bronza" has a bit of a motor racing theme (am I right?) and again takes a few listens to get into. It’s one of my favourite tracks although it does go off on a tangent and dare I say Renars’ vocals sound a bit weird.

"Atliek Nosargat" - which I’ve read somewhere is to be the third single - starts off sounding like a tougher "Maybe" but Renars’ falsetto is sounding like a cross between Prince and Thom Yorke. I couldn’t really get into this one though, for one reason only - it lacks a hook.

"Siama" is a rambling Eastern-style instrumental, whilst "Es Jau Naku" has an almost folk-song feel. The next track, "Ai Nu Lai" is the Latvian-language version of "And I Lie" which was the first single released from the album, although - and this is weird - that version is not on this album. Nevertheless the Latvian version is still appealing, although it was a bit of a shock in the beginning as it’s so different from their usual style.

"Par Podu" is a kind of psychedelic nursery rhyme singalong, and then we have the title track - lyrical, experimental, offbeat and even has a rap by producer Gustavo - and this time the experiment works.

Renars’ vocals are commanding over the (off-) beats on "Laikam" - sometimes this works but sometimes it doesn’t. "Vakardienas Trakums" has a little glimmer of the old Prata Vetra, before they went...weird. Again I quite like this track, which kicks off with a tango-style rhythm.

"Bedz" is back to the warped electro beats which personify the new Prata Vetra. This might become a live favourite though. I wish some of the tracks were stripped of the bleeps and studio trickery and I might have liked the album more.

The album ends with "Pamodini Mani" which has Renars singing quietly rather than in his usual excitable falsetto. This is quite a charming end to the album.
The verdict: It’s not a bad album, but the main problem with "Tur Kaut...." is that it’s different, but it’s so different that it isn’t the Prata Vetra we know and love anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5f_8RLvSHM has the lovely Renars and his chums doing what they do best. In Latvian too.

Riga on Monday. Can't wait!!

I've decided to be a bit more, um, 'authentic' as I count down to my Latvian adventure. So I'm only going to listen to Prāta Vētra singing in Latvian rather than in English. Quite fortunate really as their new single is in their native language. It's called "Ja tikai uz mani tu paskatītos". Initially I didn't like it as much as "And I Lie" but having heard it a couple of times now, it's a grower.

I will really need to make an effort to check out other Latvian music (that isn't Prāta Vētra or for that matter, anything that country ever sent to Eurovision) before I go, but knowing me I'll probably buy up everything Prāta Vētra-related. Wouldn't mind a live DVD either, not that I want to drool over Renars Kaupers or anything, you know....!!!

I now have this whole Brainstorm vibe going on and I just found out tonight that their new album "Fire Monkey" will be out this year. The first single from it is a rather groovy tune called "And I Lie". Hear it in full at http://www.delfi.lv/archive/article.php?id=19916926&ndate=1199224800&categoryID=174

Whether or not I end up in Riga this year, I think I'll throw myself into Brainstorm mania over the next few weeks and if this also means the occasional gratuitous picture of Renars Kaupers, then so be it. :-))))