Limited edition hardback book format with watercolour artwork by Laibach with full sleeve notes explaining each track.** Free Retro Laibach badge with orders placed at Mute Bank **
1. Germania
2. America
3. Anglia
4. Rossiya
5. Francia
6. Italia
7. Espana
8. Yisra'el
9. Turkiye
10. Zhonghua
11. Nippon
12. Slovania
13. Vaticanae
14. NSK
"Pop music is for sheep and we are shepherds disguised as wolves".
'Volk', meaning “people” (i.e. people as a nation), is a collection of interpretations of national anthems and includes the national anthem for NSK, the State in time without territory and national boundaries which Laibach have been linked with since its formation in 1992.
This grand project sees a Laibach utilising new sonic avenues previously uncharted by the band, but with a result that is Laibach to the core. On 'Volk', the band comment on pop culture, the national anthem is surely the perfect pop song, and each of the tracks is based on and inspired by an original anthem. The opening track, 'Germania' uses 'Das Lied der Deutschen', originally written in 1797 and used after World War I as the national anthem of the German Empire at the time of the Weimar Republic, and reinterprets it while the single, 'Anglia', uses John Bull’s 'God Save The Queen' as its inspiration and the result is something quite, quite different. The tracks are mostly sung in English and each anthem has a guest singer, often singing in their native language.
On this album, Laibach have uncovered a common ground linking the nations, a shared patriotic sentiment based around the bloody and violent foundations of nation which here, can be heard in the lyrics and pomp of the largely hymnal tracks. By reinterpreting the music and translating the lyrics of each anthem, the band have not only shown us this common ground, they have also offered up a very pertinent comment on today’s political situation and a warning for future generations.
Listen here:
myspace.com/laibach
laibach.nsk.si/volk.htm
recordstore.co.uk/mutebank/
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