Author: macha

Chris Noah releases lyric video for his single “Only Words”. The track is about how in many situations people can be selfish and do things that benefit them but present it like they’re doing it for the other person. “Words are only words – they can make people feel a wide range of feelings, however, they’re kind of useless if you can’t back them up with actions,” explains Chris. Noah’s 2nd EP “Distance”, which was released in 2020 and includes “Only Words”, is nominated for Latvian Music awards in the category “Best Pop Album”.

Regarding the writing process, Noah explains: “Usually the stories behind my songs are influenced by my own experiences, but “Only Words” is inspired by seeing one of my best friends go through a rough patch in his relationship. It’s interesting to observe this type of situations from the sidelines, it’s definitely easier to see the big picture.”

“Only Words” is produced in collaboration with London-based producer Kristofer Harris (Bears Den, Belle and Sebastian, Ghostpoet etc.) and the lyric video for the track is made by a Latvian graphic designer Didzis Bardo.

Chris Noah is a Riga-based recording artist who gracefully combines indie rock with catchy pop. Noah first gained attention with self-released singles “River” and “Fall Through” – receiving praise for his distinctive vocals, relatable lyrics and a strong sense of melody from a variety of blogs including Indie Air, AlexRainBirdMusic, Uranium Waves, Comeherefloyd, Aofd3, Mystic Sons, York Calling, Wolf in a Suit and many others.

The band “Rihards Libietis Orchestra” has published a new musical composition and music video from the upcoming album “Willful Blindness”, due to be released in late spring 2021. Author of the composition is Rihards Lībietis, and the idea for the music came last spring, during the first self-isolation period. “Driftwood Island” tells about movement and passage of time, but not in their obvious sense – more like driftwood on the shores, having experienced an unimaginable journey before ending up there.

“In this work I feel a very strong feeling of roots and introspection. Everything around us is in constant and unpredictable motion and it is unbelievably important to not lose your footing and self-reliance in all the unforeseen changes. Although it was not initially planned when working on this composition, the worrying events in the world can also be felt in there,” says Rihards Lībietis.

“Driftwood Island” was filmed at the seaside on a winter day and captures the powerful and moving emotions of the music. The video was filmed and directed by Laima Jaunā.

“With this video I tried to bring the viewer in the world of dreams and illusions: where surreal landscapes, mirroring sky and band members as dreamy characters lure the viewer in never-ending thought labyrinths with every frame,” the feeling of the video is described by its director Laima Jaunā.

“Driftwood Island” is the second single from the band’s upcoming fourth album “Willful Blindness”, set to release in late spring 2021. The album’s themes will be about self-responsibility and acceptance of personality’s shadow side. Composition was recorded in “Amfo Music Studio” Riga by Toms Lisments.

Rihards Libietis Orchestra is a quintet performing instrumental, dynamic world music, mixing influences from African, Middle Eastern and Latvian Folk Music with Blues and Jazz. The band was formed in 2015, and has released 3 albums, the newest “Reflections EP” came out in Fall of 2018. Rihards Libietis Orchestra regularly performs in the Baltic area. The band consists of Rihards Lībietis (guitars), Gints Smukais (guitars), Jānis Polis (bass), Erna Daugaviete (cello) and Matīss Repsis (percussion).

 

Authors of the lyrics and music is “Pirmais Kurss”. Song mix – Arnis Račinskis. Producer – Dāvis Mazurenko. Master – Kaspars Ansons and Krišjānis Geidāns.

“Pirmais Kurss” is a group of normal young people who play cool music in their free time. In their ten-year existence they have played concerts all over Latvia and released the album “Problems”, which tells about sore topics – unsuccessful purchase of a new car, barn construction process, hair and internet problems. They play original music and some masterpieces of Latvian music. Intars Busulis: “World group no. 1 in Latvia”

Hit the dance floor with Carnival Youth as they release Bel Tempo’s remix of “Only the Moon Can See the Sun” with a glitchy remake of the original music video. The remix sharpens up the song, which appears on Carnival Youth’s 4th and latest album “Good Luck”, with the indie electronic duo’s signature spellbinding beats and gives a whole new spin to this procrastination anthem.

In the upcoming months, Carnival Youth will be releasing more remixes of “Good Luck” songs, all created by Latvian masterminds of electronic music. Emils Kaupers from Carnival Youth explains: “About a year ago we thought it’d be a cool idea to create a “Good Luck” remix album. We called up a few of our friends – artists and eventually came to a very colourful bunch. We gave them absolute freedom; they could choose the song themselves and do with it whatever comes to mind. Add new musical structures, use only the voice tracks, or remake songs beyond recognition. The results are very different and interesting. We believe that “Good Luck” has gained a new parallel life and we’re glad to say that the first of the remixes is our friends’ Bel Tempo interpretation of “Only the Moon Can See the Sun”.”

“Our remix is a tip of the hat to Caribou – one of Bel Tempo’s greatest inspirations, says Andis Ansons of Bel Tempo. “It refers specifically to his song “Sun”, which begins with that phrase.” Julijs Melngailis adds: “Bel Tempo and Carnival Youth go way back, and it feels like a circle completing an eclipse now that we’ve created a remix for “Only the Moon Can See the Sun”. What makes this occasion more fulfilling is the fact that I also took part in their “Only the Moon Can See the Sun” music video – we’ll let you guess where I come in.”

The Latvian indie band Carnival Youth is one of the most successful new generation bands from the Baltic region. Carnival Youth fuse neat melodic lines with the energy of alternative rock and indie music, while their emotion range varies from youthful melancholia to pure, bright joy. Since the formation of the band, Carnival Youth have released five records, from which the latest one – “Good Luck” came out in August 2019.

The coolest Latvian jazz-funk band, “Very Cool People”, does not intend to stop its flow of creativity; the band is releasing a new single dedicated to the group’s trumpet player and kebab tycoon – Oskars Ozoliņš.

The band’s biggest fans have already heard the tribute to Oskars as VCP have played the song in all the concerts that were possible in these unusual times. The group’s spokesman and guitar guru, Elvijs Grafcovs, explains that he wrote the song to call Oskars to sound checks. “It is vital from time to time, as he is often late for sound checks. Being the owner of a kebab empire and a kebab mogul is time-consuming and Oskars regularly flies to Abu Dhabi and Ankara to find out the latest trends in kebab recipes and implement them into his powerful brand – Oskar’s Kebab, his fast food empire which stretches from Helsinki to Casablanca and from London to Ankara,” says Elvijs.

“This story probably sounds very delicious, because it turns out that there are people who have really been looking for Oskar’s kebabs,” says Elvijs with a tireless smile on his face. “I have told this story on Latvian and Lithuanian televisions, as well as at festivals and concerts in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Hungary and Germany. For example, one Lithuanian fan was very angry that Oskars was not in one of our concerts (Andris Augstkalns played with us instead), because Very Cool People’s “Oskar!” had become his favorite song, so he came together with the rest of the crowd and desperately tried to call Oskars, however … He also met us afterperforming at the “Nida Jazz” festival in August last year and shouted desperately: “Oskar!!!”

There was nothing left but to ask him to record a video message for Oskars which was so emotional & true that we decided to use it as an introduction to the new single, replacing the words of outrage of this southern fan with the sounds of Oskars’ trumpet.” The energetic single comes together with a no less enthusiastic video. It is the story of social inequality within the group. All Very Cool People members are equal, but some are more equal than others. In the clip Oskars goes to a concert in a separate car & in addition, he also has a separate back stage area. The video also depicts the group’s view of the current situation in Latvia and the world caused by the pandemic. Most restaurants and other quality catering brands are denied the opportunity to work. The only ones that continue to operate successfully are fast food restaurants. As you know, food is a big part of the local culture, as is music anddance. Accordingly, the culture of many nations of the world is currently suffering, so in the commercials accompanying the single, VCP are ironic about the advertising campaigns of large corporations and the stories of their lucky employees in these companies.

The group has gone even further and has created the Oskar’s Kebab corporate design logo with the advertising slogan: “Oskar’s Kebab – Feast Like A Beast!”, as well as a webpage, and had branded napkins and t-shirts printed. “We also wrote the Oskar’s Kebab jingle and filmed Oskar’s Kebab commercials,” continues Elvijs. “In the commercial Oskars is portrayed as an Arab sheikh, the boss of the kebab empire. And logically the Oskar’s Kebab website is also up and running where you can try to place orders…”

The 22-year-old singer/songwriter has returned with his single ‘RUNNING’ to give his listeners a better insight on what story the upcoming debut album ‘PENUMBRA’ is based on. Patriks describes his new song: This song portraits the process after a breakup when you realize that the closest person you have is inevitably becoming a stranger, so there is nothing else to do except run away from all the pain and emotions. Patriks identifies with such genres as: R&B/Soul, Alternative Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Bedroom Pop, Neo Soul and others.

Latvian hard rock band “Everstate” introduces to a new single and a video Trying Times from the band’s debut EP “Inside Out” which contains 5 songs.

Trying times and the EP were produced by Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Bullet For My Valentine, etc.), recorded and mixed by sound engineer Clint Murphy (Enter Shikari, etc.) at Sound Division Studios, Riga, Latvia. Masters were done by Ryan Smith at the Sterling Sound Studio in Nashville, USA.

The band’s leader and guitarist Uldis Blazevics says that “Trying Times” is a song about inner experiences that occur when a person searches for his identity and improves himself. It’s the “good pain” that a person expects and accepts because he knows that the outcome is expected to be positive and rewarding.”

The band’s EP Inside Out, as well as the single “Trying Times” are available on major music streaming websites such as Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, YouTube, etc.

Pamirt is a dark music trio from Baltics that brings together musicians Kristiana Karklina (voice, piano), Edvards Percevs (drums) and Edgars Gultnieks (guitar, bass) previously known for their work with black metal act Eschatos. This collaboration started as a solo project of Kristiana, but soon after Edgars and Edvards joined to add guitar textures and rhythm. Most part of this album was composed while residing in Berlin in fall of 2018 where Kristiana goes often to work on music.

“It was a new experience for me to have the control over all artistic decisions while making this record over a period of almost 2 years. My academic background is in art history so visual arts also play a great role in making of this record. About a month before the world entered the state of global health crisis, we created album art for Mausoleum. We wanted to create a sense of grotesque, lonely celebration, inspired partly by Pushkin’s work “A Feast in Time of Plague” and personal experiences while working in the field of contemporary art. Needless to say that we could not even imagine how prophetic this work will be,” says Kristiana.

Mausoleum was nominated for The National Latvian music awards “Zelta mikrofons” as The Best Experimental record of 2020.

“Taurud” is a singer and songwriter from Jurmala, Latvia, currently based in Manchester UK. On the 12th of August, he is releasing his debut single which is the first taste from the 2021 upcoming album.  “I Keep Loving You” is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and other streaming services.

Debut single “I Keep Loving You” talks about true unconditional love.  “Taurud”: “It’s a song about feelings that makes us human, those feelings which can literally bend our reality. Feelings that can turn black and white into colour, feelings that can awaken us from sleepwalking. Suddenly everything is real. So often we’ re trying to put each other in these invisible boxes to fit for us and if we can’t our feelings alter. This song is about the love we are ready to give regardless of someone’s shortcomings or pain they cause. I hope it will become people’s song and others will use it to tell someone how much they love them. I wrote it for that.”

Listen to “I Keep Loving You” here

“Taurud” is a culmination of dreamy and heartfelt sounds, experimenting with different levels of intimacy. Taurud touch acts as a refuge for those who need a break from the busy world whizzing by. It’s that feeling of being seemingly adrift in the sea of our own realities, losing yourself, hitting rock bottom and finding your feet once again. His music attempts to shine a little light into a dark room, with a desire to spread hope, love, and peace throughout.

A musician who grew up listening “Pink Floyd” and, “Queen” from age of 5 says about himself: “I’m someone who learned everything himself. Never had teachers who’ d show me how to write songs or play guitar. I started writing when I was around 15 in my first band. Still doing it really really impulsively. Very often I can’t sleep cos I have to create a new song.  It feels like I’m like an athena who is receiving signals and just writing them down, often it doesn’ t feel like I am actually writing it. Everything is energy and is vibrating on different frequencies. Theoretically, we all are music.”

“Taurud” is releasing his debut single this year. It’s the beginning of very focused work to introduce Latvia and other countries to his art. Currently working on his debut album with top musicians from Manchester, recording at “The Big Red Studio” with Jake Evans who’s collaborated with so many great musicians including “New Order”. The upcoming record will include 8 original songs. “Taurud‘ says: “We are recording it all live man, like back in the day. We are capturing real moments in the studio. It’s such real music. I’m so excited.”