Electronic music, experimental jazz, and one of the most beautiful Latvian ballads of the 21st century.
Is it electronic music or jazz? Or both? This is the first question that may come to mind when listening to the album “Anomālija” (“Anomaly”) by Latvian electronic musician Evija Vēbere and jazz drummer Ivars Arutyunyan.
But if you listen to this album to the end, the answer to the question about genre no longer seems important. Because the listener has already been in magical journey through world that is full of intense sound, full of imagination and fantastical images, that is inventive and, yes, experimental.
But if you still have questions about the genre of this album, then you must listen what musicians has to say. Vēbere and Arutyunyan reveal that the album is saturated with the influence of various cultures and musical genres – composition “Paradība” was influenced by jazz music legend John Coltrane, composition “Anomaly” – by avant-garde composer John Cage.
The presence of jazz and contemporary music on the album is enhanced by the participation of Arutyunyan’s long-time musical partners saxophonist Kārlis Auziņš, pianist Tomas Mikāls, and guitarist Matīs Čudars.
The album’s leitmotif is rhythm, which at some point acts as a driving force, but soon can change to smoother and milder sounding that slows downs listeners thoughts.
For example, the song “Violets” is a nice exception, that, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful Latvian ballads of the 21st century. Even without understanding Latvian language, you can catch the painfully melancholic feeling of the song.
It might seem that the album is not cohesive, but it is not so. And the answer lies in the album’s title.
Anomaly is not something with a negative connotation, but rather potentiality to get closer to something peculiar, complex and incomprehensible. “Anomālija” is an interesting and fun place to be.
Stream “Anomālija” LP on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music.
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Evija Vēbere on Instagram, Facebook. Ivars Arutyunyan on Instagram, Facebook.
