Latvian indie rockers “Boys Will Be Boys” release their debut EP “Love Life”.
The album was recorded at “Frida Records” studio and mixed by Peteris Ozols.
Band members describe the theme of the album as “songs about simple things and hard times”.
Listeners can…
IMPALA has now revealed its shortlist of nominees for the seventh edition of the IMPALA Album of the Year Award. Once again the selection underlines the diversity and quality of independent labels from all over Europe. 25 albums are nominated and nineteen countries are represented this year.
Artists from every genre and generation are featured, from legendary UK act Radiohead to Swiss krautpop band One Sentence. Supervisor, Swedish progressive metal pioneers Meshuggah, Dutch rapper Boef and the new face of Italian disco Jolly Mare.
The voting is currently taking place to decide who will succeed to Jose Gonzalez’s acclaimed album Vestiges & Claws. The winner will be announced at the end of February.
Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool and Blood Orange’s Freetown Sound have been cited two times and Agnes Obel’s Citizen of Glass three times. Brussels-based label [PIAS] has two nominees: Dubioza Kolektiv and Agnes Obel.
Helen Smith, Executive Chair, IMPALA commented: “The essence of this prize is to put the spotlight on the most exceptional album of the year. It’s a great shortlist again with both new faces and well-established independent artists. The jury will now decide which album they believe was the best in 2016”.
A full album playlist – IMPALA Album of the Year Award nominees 2016 (albums) – as well as a short playlist – IMPALA Album of the Year Award nominees 2016 (singles) – are available on Spotify to allow you to judge for yourself in advance of the winner’s announcement.
The “European Independent Album of The Year” award was launched in 2011, together with the annual “Outstanding Contribution to European Music” award, to mark the 10th anniversary of IMPALA. This award showcases the breadth and diversity of independent talent across Europe. The winner is selected on the basis of completely open criteria from a shortlist compiling national and non-national album nominations from territories across Europe put forward for their musical, artistic or other exceptional quality. Nominated albums were required to have been released on a European independent label between January and December 2014. Previous winners of the Award are Efterklang, Adele, The xx and Guadalupe Plata.
On November 23 the opening event from the program ”Sieviete Te”, dedicated to gender equality, will take place at Aleponija –Birznieka Upīša iela 22. Musicians Elizabete Balčus and Evija Vebere will make an special anniversary performance for the opening night. The program, that aims to identify and highlight the role of women in performing arts, will continue to be organized monthly.
”Sieviete te” is planned as a cycle of alternative music and art events with the purpose of emphasizing the role of women in music. The line up for November 23 is composed by independent music performers who, in their creative search, are not afraid to challenge gender roles with a deep personal vision and strong stage presence.
ELIZABETE BALČUS creates a neo-psychedelic dream pop collage that is melodic and experimental at the same time. In her theatrical-musical cosmos, everything is allowed: transcendental vocals, free flute improvisations, electro pop beats, chamber music elements and glitch-style loop effects. Real fruits and vegetables are used as synthesizers. Elizabete’s performance is just as stunning as it is captivating. EVIJA VĒBERE is a soundscape artist that is now enthusiastic about electronics. In her performance, she uses both synthesizers and acoustic instruments to create a sound forest ambient, which is transmitted by the original and evocative voice of Evija. The different sound atmospheres range from playful easy going dance to schizophrenic existential cantatas. Studying in Holland, Evija and the Serbian drummer Lav Kovač created the avant-pop duo Howling Owl. The band toured Europe for about two years and released the EP “Dance for Common Sense” (2015).
Original idea for ”Sieviete Te” comes from Maria Llanderas, co-owner and program manager of Aleponija, because she thinks it haven’t been enough discussion about the role of women on stage. The realization and implementation of the idea involved the concert agency MOO manager Lena Sme, marketing specialist Una Rozembauma and artist Marija Luīze Meļķe.
Offering high quality music performances based on an all-female lineup and creative team will help to break stereotypes about gender roles in the performing arts environment. The program aims to create a platform where young women professionals meet to build new contacts, share experiences, encourage each other and co-operate.
Event organizers believe that it is necessary to critically evaluate the experience of women working in the arts field in order to highlight the challenges and difficulties they are facing and to encourage dialogue to improve the situation, making it possible for all women involved to engage in their profession.
On the 8th of March the most popular Latvian jazz-funk band Very Cool People is releasing a new single & video named “Spiediens”. This amusing & magnificent video is created in collaboration with actors from Latvian improvisation show named “Spiediens” & “Kaņepes…
The song is the first messenger of the upcoming debut album, which is going to be released later this year. The video storyline is based on wild, primal feelings and the inner struggle within us. Actors in it are the band members themselves – Kārlis Boreiša-Visockis, Ronalds Briežkalns and Zane Bratuskina, and the video was filmed by Reinis Janulis.
The bright local indie pop band “Franco Franco” unveils the video for the song “Up”, with which they will participate in the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest “Supernova 2017”. The song is the second single from the EP “Moon + Light”, which is nominated for the award “Zelta Mikrofons” (Golden Microphone) as the best alternative or indie pop record.
“The story of the song “Up” is about a choice we are facing every day — whether to dwell on the past or to overcome difficulties and head forward or up,” the band’s lead singer Elizabete Vētra reveals, adding that the difficult moments in life build up a person’s character.
The director of the video Reinis Spaile (“Steve Spencer Production”) has created „Up” as a short film, referencing the 90s cinema. “The story is about a teenage love — a time when the feelings are vivid and unequivocal. Similarly to the message of the song the story also ends upliftingly with a head-spinning flight,” Spaile reveals.
The video of “Up” was filmed on the Ādaži airfield and in the premises of Cēsis State Gymnasium, where three of the band’s members have studied. The current and former students of the gymnasium were also involved in the creation of the video, fitting into their roles excellently. The cameraman of the video is Jānis Šēnbergs, and the creative director is Zane Priede. The video was created in collaboration with the Cēsis Municipality.
The band will take the national selection’s for the Eurovision Song Contest “Supernova 2017” stage with the song “Up” this Sunday. “Up” is the second single from the EP “Moon + Light”, which is nominated for the award “Zelta Mikrofons” (Golden Microphone) as the best alternative or indie pop record. The producer of the album Reinis Sējāns (“Instrumenti”, “Reynsi”) has received the special award as the best studio producer of 2016.
The song “Up” can be heard on the streaming platform Spotify, online store iTunes and other channels for digital music distribution.
“Franco Franco” has been active since 2010. In 2013 the band released its debut EP “Color me”. In 2016 it returned with the second EP “Moon + Light” and the album presentation concert, actively performing in such festivals as “Playground Festival”, “Fono Cēsis”, “Piens Fest”.
With a shout-out to pop/punk true-believers, Double Faced Eels relesed a new single and video titled “You and I”.
The song is about relationships and how any problems you run into are just another challenge to figure out, when you’re in that relationship with someone worth the effort. The lyrics „I’ll do that thing that you want, I’ll get it right. If you can look past all the other times” capture the perpetual compromise which the author of the song, Reinis Straume, wanted to talk about in the song.
The band also posted a brand new cover to their YouTube channel. This time, it’s Bebe Rexha’s “I Got You”.
The song’s lyrical self speaks about how sad and pitiful their life was and how that all changed after meeting their significant other. “Can You Hear Me Now?” is one of the more serious and heavy tracks from Double Faced Eels’ upcoming album and the band feel that it, to some measure, captures the way many people feel right now.
Fiņķis and DoStudija presents their newly created band “FUND” and announces concert in December 8 in music club “One One”. Special guest Māris Mihelsons (DJ set), member of the Latvian pop/rock band “Brainstorm”.
In the beginning of september 2016 Fiņķis and DoStudija released their first studio album “Bāra ceļš. Akmens dārzs” (“Bar road. Stone garden”), which was presented during the modern culture forum “White Night 2016” in Riga.
Along with the concert disclosure, musicians release the video for the song “Music / Groove” from the new album. Operator Edgars Staune, dancers – Stella Upaciere un Francis Upaciers.
This week as an introduction to the upcoming Advent tour Little Christmas Melancholia the vocal group Latvian Voices releases their newest single Totari – a composition by one of the groups’ singers Laura Jekabsone. The mixing and postproduction of the single has been made in collaboration with Gustavs Erenpreiss.
“Latvian folk songs have always been a fundamental part of the repertoire of Latvian Voices and an inspiration for new discoveries in music. Also the composition Totari is inspired by Latvian folklore although the musical material is Lauras’ original work,” tells the participants of the group.
With this song Latvian Voices encourages not to forget ones ethnic identity during the time of Winter solstice, to straighten ones back and breath in the air of Latvia’s winter!
The first concert of the Latvian Voices tour Little Christmas Melancholia will take place on November 27th at Ogre St. Maynard Catholic church
The concert program Little Christmas Melancholia will introduce the listeners to new compositions made by the singers of the group (for example, Totari by Laura Jekabsone) as well as offer the opportunity to recognize traditional Christmas melodies intertwined with Latvian folk music and Winter solstice traditions. “During the eight years of groups’ existence we have gathered a lot to say in the lyrics of our songs and in our original music. This tour will be like a summary of our years together because this will be the first time the group tours in Latvia and not somewhere abroad during Advent and Christmas time. We have also included in the program ancient Advent melodies combined with our own musical ideas – a meeting of the traditional and modern. Of course also the texts from folklore with our melodies will be an essential part of the concerts.”
Also well known Christmas melodies will be sung to give the audience a light and elevated feeling when going out of the concert. Concerts will include songs like “What Child Is This?”, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, “Totari”, “Kalado”, “Little Sad Christmas”, “See Amid The Winter’s Snow”, etc. The producer of the new program is Paula Plavniece and the visual design is in the hands of Marcis Ziemins.