Laibach | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Laibach is a Slovenian group whose music, performances, and entire aesthetic have been immensely influential across nearly the entire genre of industrial music, especially the martial industrial style. Its members prefer to be known as a collective rather than reveal their individual names; theyve been accused of being fascists and practicing Germanophilia because of their musics Wagnerian thunder and their military attire. According to Laibach, "We are fascists as much as Hitler was a painter." Since fascism needs a scapegoat to flourish, the members of Laibach mocked it by becoming their own scapegoat and willingly sought alienation. Showing a ridiculous lust for authority, Laibachs releases featured artwork influenced by anti-Nazi photomontage artist John Heartfield, and the groups live shows portray rock concerts as absurd political rallies. In interviews their answers are wry manifestos, and they never break character. While Laibachs early recordings such as the groups self-titled 1985 effort were more experimental, the group became more popular when they began incorporating covers of well-known rock songs on 1987s Opus Dei. They soon began recording entire albums of covers, beginning with a take on the Beatles Let It Be in 1988. Laibachs music became more sample-based and techno-influenced on early-90s releases such as 1992s Kapital, while 1996s Jesus Christ Superstars was heavier on guitars. During the 21st century, the group has interpreted national anthems (Volk, 2006) and show tunes (The Sound of Music, 2018), in addition to performing historic concerts in Korea. Formed the same year longtime Yugoslavian leader Marshall Josip Broz Tito died, Laibach became active in 1980 in the industrial coal-mining town of Trbovlje in the center of what is now Slovenia. They took their name from the nearby city Ljubljanas title during Nazi occupation. Their first performance was canceled by authorities for their controversial use of symbols, and military service kept them away from performing until June of 1981. Laibach first played Ljubljana in January of 1982, and the Ljubljana-Zagreb-Beograd collection captures some the groups performances from this time from cassettes sold at shows. The Laibach/Last Few Days cassette from 1983 was the groups first proper release, and cassettes from labels like Staal Tapes and Skuk followed. Milan Fras joined as vocalist, and his distinctive growl and grim stare still make him the groups most recognizable member. An appearance on Yugoslavian TV with shaved heads and military attire provoked the state to issue a ban on the name Laibach in Ljubljana that was not lifted until 1987. Around the time of the EP Panorama/Die Liebes release, a concert was planned and posters put up overnight with only Laibachs trademark cross representing the group. Both concert and poster are captured on M.B. December 21, 1984. Laibach soon joined the like-minded artist collective Irwin and theater group Scipion Nasice Sisters to form the organization Neue Slowenische Kunst, or NSK. NSK became involved in the groups concerts and Irwins artwork would often be displayed at venues. The groups debut studio album, which also featured the cross only, was released in 1985 but was reissued in 1999 as Laibach. Baptism, from 1986, includes the groups soundtrack to the NSK stage production Baptism Under Triglav. Laibachs music had remained a challenging combination of military marches and tape loops that only fans of Throbbing Gristle, Nurse with Wound, and the like paid much attention to, but things were about to change. Wax Trax! in America and Mute in the U.K. gave 1987s Opus Dei Laibachs first widely available release. Included were bizarre thumping cover versions of Queens "One Vision" and one-hit wonder Opus "Life Is Life," and videos of both were shown on MTV. A worldwide tour followed, and Laibach was invited by John Peel to do a Peel Session while Michael Clark commissioned the group to provide music for his dance company. The idea of covering pop music in Wagnerian style was expanded on 1988s Sympathy for the Devil EP, which included multiple versions of the Rolling Stones classic, and Let It Be, which reproduced the whole of the Beatles album, minus the title track. Let It Be included a version of "Across the Universe," sung by fellow NSK members Germania, whose ethereal female vocals would show up on many later releases. Another world tour followed, and a bootleg video of a Dallas, Texas, concert showed up on the short-lived Videophile label. The groups success caused various early recordings to be reissued, and 1990 saw Laibach return to more orchestral work with its soundtrack to a Neue Slowenische Kunst production of Macbeth. Laibach celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall with the "Oktober/Geburt Einer Nation" single, containing more of a techno slant and a remix credited to the mysterious Kraftbach. Released in 1992, Kapital fully embraced techno and focused on the growth of capitalism in Eastern Europe. A world tour (with each members skin painted silver) and more reissues followed. A return to bombastic cover versions was heard on the war-focused NATO as the former Yugoslavia fell apart. The techno was left up to the new side project 300,000 V.K. and its debut, Also Sprach Johann Paul II. The NATO world tour was documented on the limited-edition CD and video box set Occupied Europe NATO in 1996, the same year the band released the religious-themed and cover version-filled Jesus Christ Superstars. That albums live show toured the world on and off until the release of 2003s WAT, a return to techno and the bands first pop album to contain primarily self-penned material in a while. The 2004 compilation Anthems featured two CDs: one compiling singles, the other remixes. Volk from late 2006 reimagined national anthems from around the world, including those of Germany, Italy, the U.S., and even the Vatican. Their 2008 album Kunst der Fuge featured "Laibachian interpretations" of Johann Sebastian Bachs The Art of Fugue, and in 2012 the film Iron Sky arrived with a Laibach score including the WAT track "B Mashina," which was also released as a single. That same year, Londons Tate Modern museum hosted an overview of the NSKs work, which included a Laibach concert recorded and released by Mute as Monumental Retro-Avant-Garde. In 2013 the EP S arrived, featuring a cover Serge Gainsbourgs "Love on the Beat" along with three original songs that landed on the groups 2014 album, Spectre. Later the same year they released another EP to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw uprising. In 2015 they performed two shows in Pyongyang, North Korea. The events were organized to coincide with another 70th anniversary: the end of Japanese colonial rule in Korea. The concerts were the subject of the documentary Liberation Day, which premiered the following year. In 2017 the band also performed in South Korea, making them the first rock band to play in both regions of the country. Later the same year, Laibach released another full-length album, Also Sprach Zarathustra, featuring updated tracks from the play -- based on Friedrich Nietzsches novel of the same name -- for which they had created music in 2016. The Sound of Music, inspired by Laibachs groundbreaking performances in North Korea and mainly consisting of tunes from the beloved American musical, was released in 2018. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 34 Title: Panorama / Die Liebe Released: 1985 Tracks: 4 Duration: 24:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Die Liebe (05:11) 2 Die größte Kraft (05:30) 3 Decree (06:52) 4 Panorama (06:42) |
 | Album: 2 of 34 Title: Neu Konservatiw Released: 1985 Tracks: 6 Duration: 43:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Vier Personen (05:37) 2 Nova Akropola (13:12) 3 Vade Retro Satanas (04:47) 4 Die Liebe (05:20) 5 Du der du herausforderst (04:11) 6 Der Staat (10:19) |
 | Album: 3 of 34 Title: Laibach Released: 1985-04-27 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Cari Amici Soldati! (01:52) 2 Sila (04:02) 3 Sredi bojev (08:11) 4 Država (04:23) 5 Dekret (04:27) 6 Mi kujemo bodočnost (04:45) 7 Brat moj (05:57) 8 Panorama (05:03) 9 Policijski hit (N.Y. 1984) (03:27) 10 Prva TV generacija (02:59) |
| Laibach : Allmusic album Review : Laibachs self-titled 1985 debut was regarded as an early industrial album, you can definitely hear where future alterna-electronic stars (Nine Inch Nails, Prodigy, etc.) learned their stuff. Since the band hailed from a small industrial town in Yugoslavia, it was only natural for their music to reflect their surroundings (look no further than the repetitive, pulsating factory-clang of the track "Battles"). But the band was also bent on incorporating politics into the mix, with songs like "Panorama," which cuts up a speech by a Yugoslavian president, and re-arranges it as a nonsensical narrative. The band also caused a stir visually by wearing traditional Alpine outfits and using the anti-Nazi art of Jon Heartfield (many people, especially outside Europe, mistakenly interpreted the band as a bunch of neo-Nazis). The music is consistently dark, creepy, and stark, which shows that Laibach were extremely cutting edge, and sadly far ahead of their time. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 34 Title: Rekapitulacija 1980-1984 Released: 1985-05-09 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:19:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Cari amici soldati (02:17) 2 Zmagoslavje volje (05:00) 3 Jaruzelski (05:02) 4 Smrt za smrt (02:48) 5 Sila (04:02) 6 Dokumenti (04:25) 7 Sredi bojev (08:17) 8 Panorama 14 (00:53) 9 Mi kujemo bodočnost (04:45) 10 Brat moj (06:03) 11 Slovenska žena (04:26) 12 Boji (08:22) 13 Ti, ki izzivaš (05:44) 14 Perspektive (04:41) 15 Mars (00:29) 16 Vade retro satanas (live) (04:35) 17 Smrt za smrt (live) (07:29) |
 | Album: 5 of 34 Title: The Occupied Europe Tour 1985 Released: 1986 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Perspektive (01:18) 2 Vier Personen (05:29) 3 Nova Akropola (13:19) 4 Vojna Poema (03:30) 5 Panorama (03:37) 6 Ti, Ki Izzivaš (04:01) 7 Die Liebe ist die größte Kraft (04:38) 8 Vade Retro! (05:15) 9 Država (04:17) 10 [untitled] (00:26) |
| The Occupied Europe Tour 1985 : Allmusic album Review : Taken from three separate dates on said tour, in Hamburg, London, and the bands home base of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Occupied 1985 Europe Tour demonstrates that, thanks to its early homeland efforts and the accompanying notoriety, the groups punishing, dramatic, and knowingly over-the-top presentation was well-established. The majority of the tracks come from Nova Akropola, along with a few cuts from the early self-titled album; though the arrangements are little different from the studio cuts, the full-bodied blast the group can bring to bear provides the main reason to listen. The wracked, roared vocals on a nearly quarter-hour-long "Nova Akropola" sound even more harrowing here, audibly distorting the tape, while the snippets and samples that help make up "Vojna Poema" and "Die Grösste Kraft" sound even more haunting and strangely dislocated from their original sources. The version of "Drzava" is a bit different, admittedly -- Titos sample is placed in "Vade Retro!," while the track is little more than recited murk. For all this, one cant but think that this would work better as an audiovisual presentation instead of just a live album. Anyone fortunate enough to have seen the groups shows around that time can pretty easily imagine the combination of film, lighting, and stage presentation that made the likes of "Vier Personen" and "Die Liebe Ist" even more of a seeming soundtrack to a rally. The latter especially is a full-on slammer, one of the bands most immediately conventional numbers in the beat but all the more of a perverse death-march joke for that reason here. Audience noise is occasionally heard, but the lack of it at some points either indicates that turnout was pretty low at the start for the collective or that Laibach knew exactly how to stun crowds into silence -- something hard to put past them at any point. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 34 Title: Nova Akropola Released: 1986-02-08 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Vier Personen (05:26) 2 Nova Akropola (06:55) 3 Krvava Gruda - Plodna Zemla (04:07) 4 Vojna Poema (03:12) 5 Ti, Ki Izzivaš (outro) (01:20) 6 Die Liebe (04:26) 7 Država (04:19) 8 Vade Retro (04:33) 9 Panorama (04:52) 10 Decree (06:41) |
| Nova Akropola : Allmusic album Review : As Laibach took on more and more of a direct musical identity outside Slovenia, as opposed to being seen as simply part of the Neue Slowenische Kunst, the groups music gained a similar focus, though admittedly one still aimed specifically at an avant-garde level. Nova Akropola readily captures the bands stone-faced fascination with propaganda, fascism, and the implications of rallying and control, while the music was so perfectly on the money with stentorian rhythms, rough chants, and unnerving textures and samples that it almost beggars description. The title track is a perfect example, string-synths and horns slowly, creepily wafting up through the mix before a distorted, strangled voice starts howling over the slowest death-march beat around. There are signs at many points that the group is starting to explore the perversely accessible styles of later years, but its still early days yet -- the appropriate comparison wouldnt be industrial/dance so much as the first albums by the Swans. "Die Liebe," though, is very much the stomping, riff-heavy semi-dance hit from hell, something of a dry run for the later demolitions of Queen and other groups. "Vade Retro" takes a calmer but not less haunting approach, a mix of keyboards and drums providing rhythms while vocals swirl like disembodied choirs from the mountaintop. The clipped, commanding vocals throughout may only be understandable to those who know Slovenian, but a handily provided translation increases the extreme irony even further -- sample lyric, from "War Poem": "The stronger one will wash our faces and moisten our lips with a rag/and the night with a cold knife will cut us black bread." A couple of older cuts make return appearances on the American issue, including the marvelous "Drzava," Tito sample fully intact. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 34 Title: Slovenska Akropola Released: 1987 Tracks: 11 Duration: 52:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Nova Akropola (05:24) 2 Krvava Gruda - Plodna Zemlja (04:28) 3 Vade Retro Satanas (04:31) 4 Raus! (Herzfelde) (04:48) 5 Die Liebe (03:51) 6 Vojna Poema (03:12) 7 Apologija Laibach (06:34) 8 Krst Pod Triglavom (04:39) 9 Die größte Kraft (04:20) 10 Noordung (03:12) 11 Kapital (07:41) |
| Slovenska Akropola : Allmusic album Review : This is a collection of rarities. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 34 Title: Opus Dei Released: 1987-03-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 58:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Leben heißt Leben (05:28) 2 Geburt einer Nation (04:20) 3 Leben – Tod (03:56) 4 F.I.A.T. (05:10) 5 Opus Dei (05:01) 6 Trans-National (04:26) 7 How the West Was Won (04:24) 8 The Great Seal (04:15) 9 Herz-Felde (04:46) 10 Jägerspiel (07:23) 11 Koža (Skin) (03:51) 12 Krst (Baptism) (05:39) |
| Opus Dei : Allmusic album Review : Having gained a fair amount of underground attention throughout Europe, particularly in both Germany and England, Laibach made its first attempt at crossing over -- in a way -- with Opus Dei. An alliance with Mute records led to Rico Conning handling the production, while the group decided to spell out the connections between mega-arena rock & roll and fascist spectacle all the more directly. Two brilliant singles were the end result, the first being "Geburt Einer Nation," a German-language cover of Queens then-recent smash hit "One Vision," transformed into a Wagner-ian stompalong that remained as catchy as the original but with far more disturbing overtones. Hearing guttural voices talking about "one world, one people" over stomping drums and dramatic horns makes for pure Big Brother nightmares -- undoubtedly the point. Arguably even more fascinating was "Life Is Life," a hippie-ish song by the German group Opus that was reworked by Laibach into two different versions -- the German-language "Leben Heisst Leben" and the English "Opus Dei." Both are amazing, dramatic, and, thanks to some soft keyboards, even beautiful -- imagining a strutting, face-to-the-sun group of party members sweeping over the globe with these as accompaniment takes no effort at all. The dumbass metal soloing on the German-language version is especially hilarious. The other tracks on Opus Dei are a mixed but worthy bunch, showing the group trashing stylistic boundaries with more classical/hard rock/martial/dancefloor combinations. The results can be weirdly sweet like the start of "F.I.A.T." or explosive like "Leben-Tod" or the quick, nervous bombast of "Trans-National," but theyre all good in their own ways. The CD includes four selections from Baptism as a bonus, that particular recording having not yet been released at the time of Opus Deis appearance. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 34 Title: Krst pod Triglavom: Baptism Released: 1988 Tracks: 13 Duration: 52:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Hostnik (?) 2 Jezero / Der See (?) 3 Valjhun / Waldung (?) 4 Delak (?) 5 Koža (Die Haut) (03:57) 6 Jägerspiel (07:23) 7 Bogomila: Verführung (03:53) 8 Wienerblut (07:00) 1 Crtomir, Jelengar (?) 2 Apologija Laibach (Laibach Apologie) (12:23) 3 Herzfeld (04:48) 4 Krst (Die Taufe) / Germania (12:50) 5 Rdeci Pilot / Der Rote Pilot (?) |
| Krst pod Triglavom: Baptism : Allmusic album Review : Laibachs reason for existence has always been an exploration of extremities, but in many ways the group rarely got more extreme than on the soundtrack for the massive Neue Slowenische Kunst stage production Baptism, or Krst Pod Triglavom -- Baptism Below Triglav in full. Triglav itself is Slovenias highest mountain, while the baptism in question refers to a historical battle between Slovenian pagans and invading Germans who won the day and forcibly converted the losers to Christianity. The parallels between that and more recent examples of military and cultural invasion are not merely obvious but fully intended. Numerous photos of the production are included in the album packaging, showing a compelling design making equal reference to medieval imagery, fascist stylings and Weimar-era experimentalism -- arguably the music and art had rarely been so appropriately matched. That music itself was the most ambitious the group had yet recorded, something which could appeal to the classical music aficionado as much as the industrial/experimental wing, while the humor is of an extremely rarified nature -- a collection of Beatles and Rolling Stones covers this isnt. Wagnerian opera is unsurprisingly a chief reference point, though the group focuses on a mantra-like repetition of musical and lyrical phrases, doubtless the better to draw the parallels to unthinking fascist reactions. Not everything is strings and horns, admittedly -- sometimes it can be as simple as a looped beat and chant with the occasional vocal bark of "Raus!" What sounds like crowd samples and possibly political speeches get mixed with metallic sound snippets and even acoustic guitar, while more than once the band just bodily dropped in extended performances from other operas entirely! With sly, bitter hilarity, Baptism is packaged in an obvious knockoff of the Deutsch Grammophon in-house style for its run of classical music releases -- another example of German cultural colonization, one could argue. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 34 Title: Let It Be Released: 1988-10-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Get Back (04:25) 2 Two of Us (04:05) 3 Dig a Pony (04:40) 4 I Me Mine (04:41) 5 Across the Universe (04:15) 6 Dig It (01:30) 7 I’ve Got a Feeling (04:30) 8 The Long and Winding Road (01:53) 9 One After 909 (03:20) 10 For You Blue (05:24) 11 Maggie Mae (03:41) |
| Let It Be : Allmusic album Review : Probably the bands most famous release in the English-speaking world, Laibachs Let It Be -- unlike the Replacements album -- didnt just name itself after the Beatles swan song, it full-on covered every last bit of it, with the notable exception of the title track ("Maggie Mae" has a Slovenian folk tune substituted for it). Having spent some time beforehand drawing any number of parallels of right-wing extremism with their home countrys government and the West alike, especially when it came to the resemblance of big rock concerts to totalitarian rallies, all Laibach had to do was tackle what they felt was the Beatles worst album. In some respects, Let It Be wasnt that hard of an effort -- songs like "Get Back," "I Me Mine," and "One After 909" simply had to have the Laibach elements applied (growled vocals, martial drums, chanting choirs, overpowering orchestrations, insanely over-the-top guitar solos) to be turned into bizarre doppelgängers. The sheer creepiness of hearing such well-known songs transformed, though, is more than enough reason to listen in -- "Dig It" in particular becomes a full-on Third Reich chant, only to be trumped by the meta-metal fake-live recording blast of "Ive Got a Feeling." In a more subtle way, "Across the Universe" easily trumps the original, only a female choir, harpsichord, and organ turning it into a disturbed anthem of acquiescence. Meanwhile, other efforts like "Two of Us" have a smooth, strong passion to their arrangements -- the sheer appeal of the commanding delivery in its own way helps explain the appeal of stage-managed demonstrations and performance. Its a joke endlessly folded in on itself, a killing joke and then some. Happily, its just as funny as it is disturbing, and points for the hilariously unsettling cover art as well. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 34 Title: Macbeth Released: 1989 Tracks: 11 Duration: 32:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Preludium (01:02) 2 Agnus Dei (Acropolis) (04:33) 3 Wutach Schlucht (04:27) 4 Die Zeit (01:14) 5 Ohne Geld (03:52) 6 U.S.A. (00:50) 7 10.5.1941 (00:31) 8 Expectans Expectavos (05:13) 9 Coincidentia Oppositorum (04:21) 10 Wolf (01:03) 11 Agnus Dei (Exil und Tod) (04:54) |
 | Album: 12 of 34 Title: Kapital Released: 1992-04-21 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:17:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Decade Null (03:18) 2 Everlasting in Union (03:45) 3 Hymn to the Sun (04:25) 4 Illumination (03:47) 5 Codex Tobus (03:31) 6 Le Privilege Des Morts (05:27) 7 Young Europa (04:56) 8 Torso (04:02) 1 White Law (04:07) 2 Entartete Welt (The Discovery of the North Pole) (08:34) 3 Wirtschaft ist tot (05:55) 4 Kinderreich (04:49) 5 The Hunters Funeral Procession (From the "Wunderhorn" Trilogy) (06:45) 6 Sponsored by Mars (05:22) 7 Regime of Coincidence, State of Gravity (04:25) 8 Steel Trust (04:22) |
| Kapital : Allmusic album Review : Recorded as communism was collapsing in Eastern Europe and while the tensions of the various Yugoslav regions were about to boil over into a brutal, years-long war, Kapital is Laibachs most extensive, longest individual album, a full CDs worth of sharp, pointed songs. Given the economic recession in place at the time -- likely inspiring the albums lead single, "Wirtschaft Ist Tot," or "Economy Is Dead" -- Laibach understandably regarded the new gods with all the disdain previously built up beforehand for the old ones. With the experiment in covering others material behind them (at least temporarily), Kapital consists of all originals, crossing the familiar combinations of martial horns, jarring samples, barked singing, and strident orchestrations with a much more fluid use of electronic music (especially in terms of the rhythms, where the rough martial beats often give way to stripped-down breakbeat loops and pulses). Having long been identified with the industrial/electronic body music scene, by default if not always by direct intent, Laibach embraces the connection bodily here, experimenting with then-current techno styles here and there as well. Its a jarring combination in some instances but a strangely beautiful one in others -- if nothing else, the collective seemed to look at the acid house explosion and its aftereffects as merely another tool for both critique and entertainment. Many songs are instrumentals or almost on the verge of that status, but unlike efforts such as Macbeth or Baptism, Kapital is very song-oriented. The flaw of the album is that many songs come across as little different from similarly dark-minded industrial/electronic tracks from Europe and elsewhere -- Kapital is good to listen to but ultimately a bit anonymous. When at its best, though, it shows that Laibach kept the beat going even as an old world was crumbling about its ears. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 34 Title: Ljubljana–Zagreb–Beograd Released: 1993-05-01 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:10:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:32) 2 Unsere Geschichte (01:06) 3 Rdeči molk (01:45) 4 Siemens (06:15) 5 Smrt za smrt (03:30) 6 Država (06:23) 7 Zavedali so se - poparjen je odšel I (01:57) 8 Delo in disciplina (03:54) 9 Tito - Tito (02:15) 10 Ostati zvesti naši preteklosti - poparjen je odšel II (03:31) 11 Tovarna C19 (02:11) 12 STT (00:31) 13 Sveti Urh (02:08) 14 Država (studio version) (04:55) 15 Cari amici soldati / Jaruzelsky / Država / Svoboda (29:28) |
| Ljubljana–Zagreb–Beograd : Allmusic album Review : LJUBLJANA-ZAGREB-BEGRAD is a mostly live document of Laibachs first tour in 1982. The band was formed in Ljubljana, the capitol of what is now Slovenia, and this tour featured shows in the three titular Yugoslavian cities. Given Laibachs penchant for mocking political institutions--occasionally going so far as to perform in fascistic regalia--It should come as no surprise that government interference plagued the tour. From the opening, Laibach demands acknowledgement that something larger than just music is going on here. The lyrics of "Svoboda" conclude with "The authority has / in the year 1982 / cancelled / freedom." At this early stage, Laibachs music featured heavily distorted bass guitar, very loud primitive synthesizers designed to deliver jolts of phased feedback and screeches, martial drumming, and the speech-like pronouncements of Thomaz Hostnik. "Unsere Geschichte," a scratchy recording of a 40s-style easy-listening record, merges into the ear-splitting feedback twitter of "Rdeci Molk." Laibachs odd, occasionally hyperactive take on the industrial sound pioneered by the like-minded Throbbing Gristle is not for the faint of heart. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 34 Title: NATO Released: 1994-10-10 Tracks: 9 Duration: 41:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 NATO (05:45) 2 War (04:10) 3 Final Countdown (05:40) 4 In the Army Now (04:31) 5 Dogs of War (04:43) 6 Alle gegen alle (03:52) 7 National Reservation (03:46) 8 2525 (03:49) 9 Mars on River Drina (04:48) |
| NATO : Allmusic album Review : With the implosion of Yugoslavia well underway (Slovenia thankfully escaped much of the destruction, but it was uncomfortably all too near), Laibach returned to the world of bitterly ironic cover versions with NATO. The critique of that organizations seeming inability to do anything about the Balkan war was implied but clear enough, apparent in both the extensive quoting of its mission statement in the liner notes and the song choices themselves. Drawing on acts ranging from Gustav Holst and Zager and Evans to DAF and Paul Revere and the Raiders, Laibachs theme for this particular collection was songs about war or destruction, transformed in the bands more recent style shown on Kapital. Electronic beats and further explorations of industrial and techno approaches -- including quite a bit of jungle, at the time a very cutting edge move -- mesh again with sweeping horn and string sections, but this time the framework of other songs helps the end results succeed more readily all around. Titular changes sometimes drew the connection to the Balkan conflict even closer -- thus the Paul Revere choice, "Indian Reservation," here becomes "National Reservation," while Holsts "Mars" becomes "NATO" itself -- but mostly Laibach lets the lyrics speak for themselves, often with the cruelest of ironies. Edwin Starrs "War," for instance, may well be one of the most covered songs on the matter, but it would be hard to dismiss Laibachs high-speed take, the angelic female voices calling out the names of international organizations and channels as it goes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most inspired choices result from the most cheesy of choices, with more than one example of dross turned into something truly creepy. Lead single "The Final Countdown" -- originally a ridiculous hit single for prancing hair metal ninnies Europe in the mid-80s -- and the post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd stumble "The Dogs of War" turn out to be ready grist for Laibachs mill, as radical and unsettling a set of remakes as their earlier Beatles and Stones efforts. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 34 Title: Occupied Europe NATO Tour 1994–95 Released: 1996-08-01 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:13:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 NATO (05:53) 2 War (04:06) 3 Final Countdown (05:38) 4 In the Army Now (04:25) 5 Alle gegen Alle (03:51) 6 National Reservation (03:46) 7 2525 (04:06) 8 Mars on River Drina (05:00) 9 Everlasting in Union (04:08) 10 Leben heißt Leben (05:32) 11 Sympathy for the Devil (05:41) 12 Trans-National (04:48) 13 Wirtschaft ist tot (04:56) 14 Geburt einer Nation (04:38) 15 Opus Dei (06:28) |
 | Album: 16 of 34 Title: Jesus Christ Superstars Released: 1996-10-22 Tracks: 9 Duration: 46:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 God Is God (03:43) 2 Jesus Christ Superstar (05:45) 3 Kingdom of God (05:37) 4 Abuse and Confession (06:14) 5 Declaration of Freedom (05:33) 6 Message From the Black Star (05:50) 7 The Cross (04:54) 8 To the New Light (05:00) 9 Deus ex machina (04:00) |
| Jesus Christ Superstars : Allmusic album Review : Released to coincide with the groups appearance in the film Predictions of Fire, Jesus Christ is another abrasive and rather silly collection of industrial covers and originals; it contains the single "Jesus Christ Superstar/God Is God." | ||
 | Album: 17 of 34 Title: M.B. December 21, 1984 Released: 1997-06-23 Tracks: 9 Duration: 56:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Sodba Veka (04:34) 2 Ti, Ki Izzivaš (07:11) 3 Sila / Dokumenti (09:09) 4 Sredi Bojev (11:25) 5 Nova Akropola (07:30) 6 Dokumenti II (05:33) 7 Tito (02:48) 8 Dokumenti III (05:05) 9 Dokumenti IV (02:45) |
 | Album: 18 of 34 Title: The John Peel Sessions Released: 2002-11-25 Tracks: 6 Duration: 32:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Krvava Gruda - Plodna Zemlja (04:37) 2 Krst (05:00) 3 Live Is Life (06:55) 4 Leben-Tod (04:02) 5 Trans-National (04:48) 6 Krvoprelitje (07:17) |
 | Album: 19 of 34 Title: WAT Released: 2003-09-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 58:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 B Mashina (03:50) 2 Tanz mit Laibach (04:17) 3 Du bist unser (05:37) 4 Achtung! (04:06) 5 Ende (03:45) 6 Now You Will Pay (06:06) 7 Hell: Symmetry (05:02) 8 Das Spiel ist aus (04:20) 9 Satanic Versus (04:52) 10 The Great Divide (05:11) 11 WAT (05:27) 12 Anti-Semitism (05:37) |
| WAT : Allmusic album Review : Despite its famously fascist sensibilities, subversive cover song work, and activism through guerilla art, Slovenias Laibach still roots the majority of its recorded output in the two-dimensional, tinny grind of industrial music. Their latest LP is no different. English and German-language tracks shoulder each other for space inside the cramped compartments of WAT, yawning to allow rusty drops of standing water to fall into their mouths. Primitive drum machines pop and click behind Milan Fras apocalyptic, determined growl, guttural voices and ethereal choirs drift in and out of the gloom, and vibrating synth lines slash between WATs mechanistic beats, forming anti-melodies from torn shrapnel. "Achtung!," "Ende," and "Now You Will Pay" illustrate Laibachs point. "Barbarians are coming," Fras grumbles in the latter. "With knives in their pockets/And bombs in their hands/Theyll burn down your cities," he continues, and the shrills of a choir then reiterate the point ("Barbarians! Barbarians!"). Its like the rampaging introduction of Conan the Barbarian, re-imagined as a black PVC nightmare of Teutonic justice. While theres certainly a legitimate agenda wrapped up in lyrics like "We dont seduce with melodies/Were not here to please you" and "From superstars/To the antichrist" (from the title track), its difficult to piece it out while stepping over the flotsam of uninspired instrumentation that floats in the stagnant, ankle-deep water at the bottom of WAT. In a completely unlikely (and certainly unwanted) comparison, Laibach suggests Christian rock in the sense that both parties put message before music. Laibach has a long history of nonconformity and jarring social consciousness-raising. Unfortunately, its proto-industrial delivery system is hopelessly outdated. It could be that the musics indifference is purposeful, another way of promoting the bands guerilla entertainment. But just like bad performance art, suggesting that WAT is bad on purpose doesnt excuse its aesthetic shortsightedness. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 34 Title: Anthems Released: 2004-10-04 Tracks: 31 Duration: 2:36:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Das Spiel ist aus (remix) (03:17) 2 Tanz mit Laibach (04:17) 3 Final Countdown (05:40) 4 Alle gegen alle (03:52) 5 Wirtschaft ist tot (03:45) 6 God Is God (03:43) 7 In the Army Now (04:31) 8 Get Back (04:25) 9 Sympathy for the Devil (05:43) 10 Leben heißt Leben (05:28) 11 Geburt einer Nation (04:20) 12 Opus Dei (05:01) 13 Die Liebe (03:52) 14 Panorama (04:52) 15 Država (04:19) 16 Brat moj (06:03) 17 Mama Leone (04:50) 1 Das Spiel ist aus (Ouroborots mix) (04:05) 2 Liewerk (3. Oktober Kraftbach mix) (04:21) 3 Tanz mit Laibach (Zeta Reticula Wir tanzen Ado Hinkel remix) (05:40) 4 Final Countdown (Juno Reactor version (Beyond the Infinite mix)) (07:38) 5 God Is God (Optical vocal mix) (05:44) 6 War (Ultraviolence Meets Hitman mix) (06:19) 7 God Is God (Diabolig mix) (03:36) 8 Final Countdown (12" Mark Stent alternate mix) (05:49) 9 Wirtschaft ist tot (Late Night mix) (05:22) 10 Jesus Christ Superstar (Random Logic mix) (06:22) 11 Wirtschaft (Richie Hawtin Hardcore Noise mix) (05:18) 12 Brat Moj (Random Logic mix) (05:09) 13 Smrt Za Smrt (Octex mix) (07:02) 14 WAT (iTurk mix) (05:29) |
| Anthems : Allmusic album Review : With their albums often based around one concept, this two-disc collection of "anthems" by Laibach is filled with tracks that are best in their original environment, but for a sampler, its perfect and fans get a fantastic bonus. The two descriptors Laibach dislike the most -- Teutonic and Wagnerian -- best describe the Slovenian band for newcomers, but as Anthems displays, theyre much more than that. Any band that does goose-stepping industrial versions of "Sympathy for the Devil," "Get Back," and Europes "Final Countdown" could be written off as merely clever, but Laibach are nothing if not great destructors of pop who skillfully put the pieces back together for optimum absurdness. Laibachs rebuilding of pop borrows from show tunes, classical music, soundtracks, and practically everything else. Their new version of Nana Mouskouris drippy and sentimental "Mama Leone" has sweet orchestration, with lead singer Milan Fras stern growl delivering each line in an incongruous, maudlin style. Like their Beatles and Stones interpretations, its ridiculous but extremely well crafted in arrangement and production. Just listen how the minimal synth band D.A.F.s "Alle Gegen Alle" is turned into a chaotic symphony with a choir weaving in and out until it all explodes Carmina Burana style. If its not symphonic splendor, its stabbing techno (in their later years) or claustrophobic experimentalism (their early years), and you cant help but feel the chronological-going-backward style of the first disc could have mixed it up better. The second disc of remixes is the real treat for the faithful, rounding up hard to find 12"s and offering a fractured, aggressive, and even more menacing view of the band. Smart choices like Umek, Richie Hawtin, and Philipp Erb strip the music down to the bare essentials and Detroit the heck out of the tunes. Sounding unlike any of the other remixes but just as welcome, the mysteriously named Kraftbach rip apart "Geburt Einer Nation" with equal parts smirk and scowl and enough robotic bleeping to make you think a Ralf or Florian were involved. The remix disc is the first treasure, and the beautifully illustrated, "you still you dont get that theyre antifascists?" booklet is the second. With their albums being so hard to pick apart, you can easily forgive the bumpy ride of disc one, and the compilers have made as good a track selection as any. For an impossible-to-compile band, Anthems is as good as it gets and justifies itself with desirable extras. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 34 Title: Volk Released: 2006-10-23 Tracks: 14 Duration: 58:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Germania (04:05) 2 America (04:51) 3 Anglia (03:39) 4 Rossiya (03:54) 5 Francia (04:13) 6 Italia (04:49) 7 España (03:10) 8 Yisrāel (03:05) 9 Türkiye (04:31) 10 Zhōnghuá (03:48) 11 Nippon (07:29) 12 Slovania (04:05) 13 Vaticanae (02:54) 14 NSK (03:53) |
| Volk : Allmusic album Review : A band that uses explicitly fascist symbolism (including Nazi uniforms) as part of its stage presentation is opening itself up to a reasonable question: "Are you Nazis?" And when they respond by saying "Were Nazis the same way Hitler was a painter," then theyre opening themselves up to another reasonable question: "Do you mean that youre aspiring Nazis who are held back only by a lack of talent?" But that second question doesnt seem to come up as often as it should, and while Laibach have found it easy to generate publicity by irritating various European governments in and around their native Slovenia, the bands fans have been disappointingly willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Drape your fascist tendencies in a sufficiently thick layer of camp, it seems, and postmodern sophisticates will nod along knowingly. But none of this is to say that Laibachs music isnt compelling, and Volk is among its most fascinating projects. It consists entirely of adaptations of national anthems -- those of Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.S., Japan, and even the Vatican are all included, as well as one that the group has written for its own make-believe music-state NSK (Neue Slowenische Kunst). Unsurprisingly, Laibachs interpretations generally run the gamut from gently ironic to mordantly ironic, but there are some surprising moments of real beauty: after their Gary Clail-style industro-funk deconstruction of "God Save the Queen" and a musically interesting but politically banal interpretation of "The Star-Spangled Banner" (samples of televangelists, the repeated line "How blind can you get," etc.) are a strangely beautiful take on the Slovenian national anthem and an extremely lovely, surprisingly straight arrangement of that of Japan. The childrens choir and theremin bring a nice tonal variety to the Russian anthem, and their arrangement of the Israeli anthem is rendered with a surprisingly straight face, given this bands history. This album is well worth hearing, though whether you want your money finding its way into the pockets of this bands uniforms is a question still worth asking. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 34 Title: 2007-04-16: CC Club, London, UK Released: 2007-04-17 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:42:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Germania (04:56) 2 America (04:52) 3 Anglia (04:28) 4 Rossiya (04:20) 5 Francia, Part 1 (02:54) 6 Francia, Part 2 (01:46) 7 Italia (04:59) 8 España (03:15) 9 Yisrā’el (04:31) 10 Türkiye (04:44) 11 Zhōnghuá (04:00) 12 Nippon (08:01) 13 Slovania (04:42) 14 NSK (03:25) 1 Tanz mit Laibach (05:03) 2 Alle gegen Alle (04:01) 3 Du bist unser (05:44) 4 Hell: Symmetry (04:59) 5 Achtung (04:10) 6 Das Spiel ist Aus (05:33) 7 Outro/Credits (12:14) |
 | Album: 23 of 34 Title: Laibachkunstderfuge Released: 2008-05-05 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:19:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Contrapunctus 1 (03:07) 2 Contrapunctus 2 (20:52) 3 Contrapunctus 3 (02:54) 4 Contrapunctus 4 (05:17) 5 Contrapunctus 5 (02:46) 6 Contrapunctus 6, a 4 Im Stile Francese (04:11) 7 Contrapunctus 7, a 4 Per Augment Et Diminut (01:21) 8 Contrapunctus 8, a 3 (07:31) 9 Contrapunctus 9, a 4 Alla Duodecima (08:26) 10 Contrapunctus 10, a 4 Alla Decima (06:15) 11 Contrapunctus 11, a 4 (02:02) 12 Contrapunctus 12, Canon Alla Ottava (04:22) 13 Contrapunctus 13, Canon Alla Duodecima in Contrapunto Alla Quinta (04:46) 14 Contrapunctus 15, Canon Per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu (05:22) |
 | Album: 24 of 34 Title: "Gesamtkunstwerk - Dokument 81-86“ Released: 2011 Tracks: 49 Duration: 4:45:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Industrial Ambients 3 (1986) (02:40) 2 Država (Taken From First studio session on 07.05.1982, in studio Metro, Ljubljana, Slovenia) (04:51) 3 Industrial Ambients 1 (1981/82) (13:36) 4 Rdeči Molk (01:44) 5 Zavedali So Se - Poparjen Je Odšel I (01:53) 6 Delo in Disciplina (03:51) 7 Ostati Zvesti Naši Preteklosti - Poparjen Je Odšel II (03:25) 8 Siemens (06:15) 9 Smrt Za Smrt (02:45) 10 Tovarna C19 (02:06) 11 STT (Machine Factory Trbovlje) (00:31) 12 Sveti Urh (02:01) 13 Država (03:20) 1 Cari Amici Soldati (with Introduction by MC Nada Vodušek) (04:15) 2 Jaruzelski (05:30) 3 Država (06:40) 4 Svoboda (11:35) 5 Sodba Veka (03:14) 6 Ti, ki Izzivaš (07:12) 7 Sila / Dokumenti (09:10) 8 Sredi Bojev (08:20) 1 Mi Kujemo Bodoĉnost (04:15) 2 Brat Moj (05:45) 3 Sila (03:00) 4 Dokumenti (01:04) 5 Sredi Bojev (07:40) 6 Perspektive (04:30) 7 Kolone (03:52) 8 Ti, ki Izzivaš (06:40) 9 Nova Akropola (06:15) 10 Dokumenti (07:42) 11 Sredi Bojev (12:17) 1 Vier Personen (05:17) 2 Nova Akropola (13:30) 3 Vade Retro (05:17) 4 Die Liebe (04:41) 5 Ti, ki Izzivaš (04:21) 6 Nova Akropola (12:51) 7 Vade Retro (05:22) 8 Organofonija (13:09) 1 Intro (Woodutting & Chainsaw) (08:05) 2 Vier Personen (05:23) 3 Nova Akropola (08:27) 4 Vade Retro Satanas (05:04) 5 Krvava Gruda (04:28) 6 Die Liebe (05:09) 7 Ti, ki Izzivaš (09:06) 8 Država (04:04) 9 Vojna Poema (outro) (03:25) |
 | Album: 25 of 34 Title: Monumental Retro-Avant-Garde: Live at Tate Modern / 14 April 2012 Released: 2012 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:59:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Siemens (05:40) 2 Zmagoslavje volje (06:04) 3 Boji (05:12) 4 Sredi bojev (05:56) 5 Mi kujemo bodočnost (07:51) 6 Smrt za smrt (08:39) 7 Brat moj (05:23) 8 Ti, ki izzivaš (06:12) 9 Država (05:34) 10 Leben - Tod (03:41) 11 Le privilège des morts (05:23) 1 Across the Universe (04:51) 2 B-Mashina (04:55) 3 Under the Iron Sky (04:28) 4 Tanz mit Laibach (04:21) 5 Alle gegen Alle (04:01) 6 Du bist unser (05:43) 7 Warme Lederhaut (04:13) 8 Love on the Beat (06:31) 9 Leben heisst Leben (04:28) 10 Geburt einer Nation (04:26) 11 Ballad of a Thin Man (06:04) |
 | Album: 26 of 34 Title: Iron Sky: The Original Film Soundtrack Released: 2012-04-09 Tracks: 40 Duration: 1:18:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 B-Mashina (Iron Sky Prequel) (04:38) 2 Take Me to Heaven (03:55) 3 Problems, Big Time! / Schwarze Sonne (01:40) 4 Classroom (Where Are We From?) / Spaceship Hangar (01:00) 5 Kameraden, wir kehren heim! (01:36) 6 Ein Spion von der Erde (00:19) 7 Sauerkraut (00:56) 8 Washington’s Escape (02:13) 9 Dr. Richter’s Laboratory (02:41) 10 Vivian’s “Untergang” (01:44) 11 Klaus and Renate (01:35) 12 In the Machine (01:50) 13 Renate and Washington at the Lab / Albinising Operation (03:00) 14 Nazi Expedition to Earth (02:37) 15 Renate’s Surprise (00:54) 16 Peace Lovin’ Brother (rap) (02:39) 17 The Good Times for the Bad People (01:08) 18 Renate’s Message of Peace (01:28) 19 The Miracle in White House (00:37) 20 The Answer to the Question (02:14) 21 The Moon Nazis Are Coming (00:36) 22 125′ Later Ragtime (00:08) 23 A Good War Blues (Klaus and Vivian) (01:37) 24 Die Flotte ist bereit (01:25) 25 Der Führer’s Last Waltz (03:08) 26 Meteorblitzkrieg Begins (03:07) 27 Ready to Face the Music (Counterattack) (01:41) 28 UN Security Council Confessions (01:58) 29 Space Battle Suite (02:54) 30 James and Renate Inside the Götterdämmerung (01:08) 31 The United States of America Does Not Negotiate With Terrorists (00:45) 32 Moon Attack (02:16) 33 Götterdämmerung muss fliegen (01:50) 34 Feuer frei! (01:22) 35 Fight Between Washington and Dr. Richter (00:39) 36 Klaus and Renate’s Final ‘Rendezvous’ (02:40) 37 The Fall of Götterdämmerung (01:02) 38 America (04:28) 39 Under the Iron Sky (04:35) 40 End Title (We Leave in Peace) (02:50) |
 | Album: 27 of 34 Title: An Introduction To … Laibach / Reproduction Prohibited Released: 2012-09-03 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:05:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Warme Lederhaut (02:55) 2 Ballad of a Thin Man (05:33) 3 Germania (04:05) 4 Anglia (03:39) 5 Mama Leone (04:50) 6 B Mashina (03:50) 7 Bruderschaft (04:12) 8 God Is God (03:43) 9 Final Countdown (05:40) 10 Alle gegen alle (03:52) 11 Across the Universe (04:15) 12 Get Back (04:25) 13 Leben heißt Leben (05:28) 14 Geburt einer Nation (04:20) 15 Opus Dei (05:01) |
| An Introduction To … Laibach / Reproduction Prohibited : Allmusic album Review : Compared to the 2004 compilation Anthems (which was a two disc set, but with one disc given up to remixes) this 2012 overview of Laibach has eight extra years to cover, and with one bonafide career highlight occurring during that time, the absolutely epic "B Mashina", which was a key feature of the Nazis-on-the-moon, dark comedy film Iron Sky. If getting "B Mashina" is a "pro", then losing the jackbooted techno monster called "Tanz Mit Laibach" from the tracklist is certainly a "con", but true to their titles, the older Anthems focused on the "greatest hits" of the group, while this one goes for the full, avant-garde Laibach picture. At least as much as can fit on a one disc overview, since this group that some see as Rammstein in fascist garb are much more than a Germanic techno band who do absurd cover versions. For one, theyre Slovenian, and their cover versions ironically twist pop and rock, often into totalitarian anthems, like morphing Queens "One Vision" into the industrial propaganda hit "Geburt Einer Nation". Opus positive Euro-hit "Live Is Life" becomes the stern work song "Leben Heißt Leben" and Europes hair metal standard "Final Countdown" becomes a Kraftwerk-meets-KMFDM-styled embrace of the New World Order and military strength, all of it fun or funny at face value, but they are wry and snide stabs at the politics of the Western world as well. An art collective rather than a traditional band, Laibach were formed before the Yugoslavian breakup and had considered themselves Slovenian the whole time, but with that collective state issue settled to some degree, their commenting on the one world empire and its cultural invasion of the world continued with a disc of national anthems done Laibach-style ("Germania" and "Anglia" are included here), while pop icons like Bob Dylan (their sinister "Ballad Of A Thin Man" gets at the grimness of the song) and Nana Mouskouri/Bino (the version "Mama Leone" is angelic and cold, all at once) were also explored. An Introduction To gives a taste of it all, and adds to it a great "Tanz Mit Laibach" alternative with "Warme Lederhaut", a razor-sharp cover of the Normals "Warm Leatherette", a conceptional move in itself since it was written by their record companys (Mute Records) label boss (Daniel Miller). As to the "why?" of it all, "Laibach doesnt function as an answer, but a question", so it is fitting that this Introduction is less satisfying and sharp, but more enlightening than the crowd-pleasing Anthems. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 34 Title: S Released: 2013-10-15 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Eurovision (04:38) 2 No History (03:16) 3 Love on the Beat (edit) (live) (04:06) 4 Resistance Is Futile (06:53) |
 | Album: 29 of 34 Title: Spectre Released: 2014-02-28 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Whistleblowers (03:31) 2 No History (03:16) 3 Eat Liver! (03:10) 4 Americana (04:28) 5 We Are Millions and Millions Are One (04:22) 6 Eurovision (04:38) 7 Walk With Me (03:55) 8 Bossanova (03:10) 9 Resistance Is Futile (06:53) 10 Koran (05:21) 11 The Parade (04:04) 12 Love on the Beat (03:20) 13 Just Say No! (02:30) 14 See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (04:05) |
| Spectre : Allmusic album Review : Long story short, industrial group Laibach are best known for turning hit singles into Wagnerian stompers (Queens "One Vision" and Opus "Life Is Live" becoming totalitarian anthems), plus they perform stoic live shows that parody pop concerts as political rallies, which all seems like a one-note joke on the surface. Thing is, over their long career, this one-note joke has been applied in many fascinating ways, from the commentary on occupation that kicked off their career in the early 80s -- before their home of Slovenia became an independent state -- and now, on their 2014 release Spectre, they suggest a little lockstepping is needed to stir the sleeping, privileged masses. Think of the Clashs provocative "White Riot" blown up into a Rammstein album with some orchestral arrangements and extra craftsmanship thrown in and the marvels of Spectre began to unfold. In a world distracted by memes, social networking, and shiny, mobile devices, the global middle class is called to arms during the opening "The Whistleblowers," a whistle-along tune that sounds like North Korean propaganda music but offers up new heroes/leaders like Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. Later, the mechanical, tight electro of "Eat Liver!" reminds all complacent, drone warfare-era listeners of World War II slogans and the valiant sacrifices they called for, then the snaky bit of synth pop dubbed "We Are Millions and Millions Are One" comes on like Laibach in bedroom mode, although vocalists Anja Rupel ("Love takes me over, like a rising rocket") and Milan Fras ("Love I am, youll become") are playing the roles of truth seeker and truth, respectively, because reaching orgasm and reaching Anarcho-syndicalism are analogous in the groups supposedly "one-note" world. "Bossanova" ("Feed my ego with luxury") comes from the world leaders gluttonous point of view, while the slick elegance of "Koran" sounds like paradise, and yet Rupel drifts into dreamy ruminations (repeating "there are all these questions in our mind") and suddenly, Laibach have matched irony with inimitability. Heady stuff, and delivered with all the pulse and purpose as before, Spectre is both a fine album and an excellent application of Laibachs elevated style of commentary. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 34 Title: 1 VIII 1944. Warszawa Released: 2014-07-12 Tracks: 3 Duration: 12:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Warszawskie dzieci (04:04) 2 Zog Nit Keyn Mol (03:37) 3 Mach dir nichts daraus (05:11) |
 | Album: 31 of 34 Title: Spectremix Released: 2015-03-31 Tracks: 9 Duration: 48:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Eurovision (Torul remix) (04:46) 2 The Whistleblowers (Marcel Dettmann remix) (07:15) 3 The Whistleblowers (Diamond version remix) (06:31) 4 Koran (Alex Smoke remix) (05:57) 5 Eat Liver (Gramatik remix) (04:07) 6 Resistance Is Futile (Function remix) (05:14) 7 Koran (Iturk remix) (05:47) 8 We Are Millions and Millions Are One (Konstantin Sibold remix) (03:07) 9 Eurovision (Marcel Dettmann remix) (05:58) |
 | Album: 32 of 34 Title: Also sprach Zarathustra Released: 2017-07-14 Tracks: 12 Duration: 53:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Vor Sonnen-Untergang (02:08) 2 Ein Untergang (04:00) 3 Die Unschuld I (02:44) 4 Ein Verkündiger (04:38) 5 Von Gipfel zu Gipfel (05:10) 6 Das Glück (04:32) 7 Das Nachtlied I (03:23) 8 Das Nachtlied II (03:39) 9 Die Unschuld II (03:45) 10 Als Geist (05:45) 11 Vor Sonnen-Aufgang (05:58) 12 Von den drei Verwandlungen (07:28) |
| Also sprach Zarathustra : Allmusic album Review : Slovenian industrial collective Laibach composed music for a 2016 theatrical adaptation of Friedrich Nietzsches philosophical novel Also Sprach Zarathustra, and subsequently developed their score into a full-length album, released by Mute in 2017. Surprisingly, considering the groups reputation for recording radically reworked versions of familiar rock songs, orchestral works, and even national anthems, the album has nothing to do with the similarly named Richard Strauss tone poem, best known for the usage of its opening fanfare in Stanley Kubricks iconic sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Instead of the fist-pumping industrial dance anthems or martial chanting one might expect from Laibach, this is a relatively restrained album of sparse, chilling sound design -- much closer to the Haxan Cloak than KMFDM or Rammstein. There are no metal guitars and no over-the-top camp here, and the moments of bombastic grandeur are evenly paced and separated by suspenseful pauses. Deep, guttural vocals similar to Tuvan throat singing (presumably by longtime vocalist Milan Fras, though who can tell for sure, given the groups penchant for anonymity) emerge from the pitch-black darkness at startling intervals. Orchestral percussion instruments such as gongs and timpanis (or at least synthetic approximations thereof) contribute to the rhythmic heartbeat of the compositions, while a few snatches of flickering breakbeats or digitally shredded snares pop up throughout. "Ein Verkündiger" ends with the sound of knives sharpening, and "Das Nachtlied I" contains a hair-raising grinding noise, delivered in fits and starts over eerie pianos. For all of these unnerving elements, there are just as many that are stunningly gorgeous, such as rippling, bubble-like effects and swelling strings during "Als Geist" or the ethereal female vocals during the majestic, shimmering "Vor Sonnen-Aufgang." Then theres "Von Den Drei Verwandlungen," the head-spinning Coil-esque audio tornado that ends the album. Also Sprach Zarathustra is an intense experience, but not at all in the way one might expect from Laibach. Its spacious and fluid rather than rock-solid and rigid, but every sound and movement feels entirely deliberate. Nearly 40 years after their formation, Laibach remain innovators, and Also Sprach Zarathustra is easily one of their best works. Absolutely glorious. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 34 Title: Also sprach Zarathustra Live 2017 Released: 2018 Tracks: 12 Duration: 53:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Von den drei Verwandlungen (Bochum 22:11:17) (03:13) 2 Ein Untergang (Vilnius 17:11:17) (04:20) 3 Ein Verkündiger (Riga 16:11:17) (04:57) 4 Von Gipfel zu Gipfel (Ljubljana 09:12:17) (04:40) 5 Das Glück (Amsterdam 19:03:18) (05:28) 6 Die Unschuld II (Berlin 20:11:17) (03:34) 7 Das Nachtlied II (Wroclaw 19:11:17) (02:56) 8 Das Nachtlied I (Sarajevo 29:03:18) (03:57) 9 Als Geist (Athens 25:03:18) (05:32) 10 Vor Sonnen-Aufgang (Paris 24:11:17) (06:07) 11 The New Parnassus (Barcelona 29:11:17) (04:30) 12 The Cold Song (London 23:11:17) (04:29) |
 | Album: 34 of 34 Title: The Sound of Music Released: 2018-11-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 The Sound of Music (04:55) 2 Climb Evry Mountain (04:03) 3 Do-Re-Mi (04:26) 4 Edelweiss (03:15) 5 My Favorite Things (03:42) 6 The Lonely Goatherd (03:32) 7 Sixteen Going on Seventeen (04:04) 8 So Long, Farewell (03:18) 9 Maria / Korea (04:19) 10 Arirang (02:59) 11 The Sound of Gayageum (02:04) 12 Welcome Speech (01:31) |