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Laibach
Volk

Mute

Posted: Thursday, December 21, 2006
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

One would think that after a quarter of a century, a musical group would start to lose a sense of inspiration and would eventually allow itself to fade away. Not so with Laibach, and thank goodness! Since the '80s, the Slovenian collective has called into question many aspects of society, from its popular culture to its politics, pointing out the hypocrisy and inherent contradictions that many of us just don't seem to notice. Laibach follow up the success of their 2003 album, W.A.T., by collaborating with Silence for this new album, Volk.

Volk (meaning “people” in German) is par for the course for Laibach. Notorious for their reinterpretations of various songs, Volk is a collection of interpretations of various national anthems. As can be expected of Laibach, these are not straight covers; rather, the tracks use musical and lyrical motifs from these anthems. Longtime fans of the group may be thrown by the soulful and operatic vocals of Silence's Boris Benko, providing a mournful counterpoint to Milan Fras' signature growl. However, the combination is rather beautiful, with Boris' voice keeping the anthemic melodies grounded in familiarity, while Fras' monologues almost frighten with their dark questioning tones.

Lyrically, Volk is perhaps the most intelligent, and the most aggressive album Laibach have yet produced. In their usual sense of irony, they ask the people of the United States if they did indeed secure the blessings of liberty, establish justice, and create a perfect union on "America," while "Anglia," in an almost mocking tone, addresses England's perception of superiority. Never ones to stray from controversy, they use the chorus of the Palestinian national anthem in "Yisra'el," while the lyrics to "Francia" seem to address the violence of the riots in Paris. The inclusion of background vocals in the native tongues of the respective anthems gives Volk a universal quality, allowing its message to reach a wider audience beyond the predominantly English-speaking pop market, something Laibach have always challenged by performing many songs in German and even their native Slovenian.

From a musical standpoint, Volk is even more minimalist than W.A.T. was, replacing the militaristic EBM with sparser arrangements of light percussion, clever synthesizer tweaking, and incorporating more classical piano and orchestral touches to give the music a symphonic flair befitting the album's concept. A limited edition book version of the album also contains a series of watercolor paintings, notes about the anthems included, and some other additional tidbits of information that many will find interesting from a historical perspective. Leave it to Laibach to educate the masses.

This album continues the group's goals to challenge people's perceptions, both in music and society. Many will be put off, perhaps even offended, by the manner in which they have interpreted these anthems, but that is part of Laibach's appeal. They ask the questions that people are afraid to address, beckoning people to look inward and examine their own selves for the answers they seek. Volk questions the basis and the value of patriotism, asking the people of the world if they know what the word truly means. This album is definitely one of Laibach's finest achievements.