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EESTI ELU reedel, 1. mail 2020 — Friday, May 1, 2020
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We’re Listening with EMW: “Make Your Move” by Trad.Attack! Vincent Teetsov Trad.Attack!’s latest album “Make Your Move” is an exploding box of high energy spirits that will proceed to come out and talk with you before sending you along your merry way. From the first track “Rikas sittus”, a pounding groove and jagged guitar take listeners to new places in the trio’s journey. By the end of the album, you will be overwhelmed by the sheer force of the music they create, with a push and pull that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This is Trad.Attack!’s most vigorous release to date, and definitely one that you should listen to with a bit of extra volume. In fact, you might want to do some physical activity while listening, to fully im merse yourself in the atmo sphere. Their previous EP and two albums have demonstrated their ability to capture magic as it ebbs and flows in our terres trial existence. Their music has been characterized by the use of archival recordings, especially of rhyming, rhythmic regilaulud. And while these traditional
Hold the leil The Kadrina Sauna/klubi (club) in Lääne-Viru county, northern Estonia announced that their saun (Estonians drop the A from the end of the Finnish word) is tem porarily closed. But they will open esimesel võimalusel, the first chance they get. This is the unfortunate case with kogukondlikud (communal, (plural)) saunad. The club’s motto is “Vihaga, kuid vihata”, meaning “With a sauna whisk, but without anger”. Anger as in vihtlemine (beating yourself with the whisk of twigs) in too intense a man ner? It’s actually a play on words. The switch of birch branches is vihta (or vasta) in Finnish and viht in Estonian with the posessive or genitive case being viha (the whisk’s / switch’s). E.g. Värske viha lõhn oli imeline – the smell of the
Notice from Kadrina Saunaklubi’s Facebook page.
folk songs still play a role in “Make Your Move”, this album has an especially fresh, partici patory quality to it, that en courages us to press forward with the strength we receive from those ancient composi tions. With all of this extra energy, it truly feels like a call to leap, act, and yes – move. Trad.Attack! have fused more and more experimental production techniques into their tracks, and it’s a treat to see them deliver that without com promise. Like the pitch-bending vocals on “Tehke ruumi.” Or how the song “Pass-pass” pro jects Sandra Vabarna’s voice around the mix like you’re fall ing through the music. There’s an intriguing progression of drum patterns in these composi tions, too, from shuttering hip hop beats in “Vanamees” to Tõnu Tubli’s “in the pocket” grooves on “Haned-luiged.” There’s even a tropical-sounding drum fill on “Miks te ei laula?” (“Why Aren’t You Singing?”). From a production perspective, the musical space is full and has a lot to examine upon fur ther listens. In terms of voices, we are given further access to the col
lective voice of the band. We hear more from Jalmar Vabarna, whose messenger voice calls for us to join in throughout the album. Then, with “Varesele valu”, Jalmar, Sandra, and Tõnu thunder in true punk rock form. Sandra yells out in a warrior’s voice, and yelling echoes back, all while Tõnu drums through relentlessly, empowering our movements. So then, it’s welcome when we are given time to pause and regroup. Instruments like the bright strings of “Kus mu süda on?” give us moments of medi tation. “Armasta mind”, which features Vaiko Eplik’s tender vocals and Tõnu Tubli’s sensi tively melodic trombone play ing is the most singular song of the album. It has a floating, round dynamic that has echoes of Kings of Convenience and Sigur Rós. “Tehke ruumi!” is a standout track for me on this album, for it’s airy, crisp ambiance. Just like the song’s music video, it creates a vision of shaking out the dust and detritus of a closed up old house. Change can be extremely trying on all of us, but in the end, it’s right to move ahead. There’s an accomplished
fresh whisk was heavenly. But viha is also the word for the emotion known as anger, its nominative and genitive case. You should never enter a saun in an angry mood (vihaga), but you should have a kosutav (invigorating) experience with a whisk of branches (vihaga) that has soaked in warm water in a kapp. No, not a cup board, more like a cup, but bigger, a small wooden bucket. Without a doubt, you will leave the leili/ruum (steam room) or sauna/lava (“platform”) vihata – void of any feelings of anger. Nor will you take the viht with you; you will leave without the whisk (vihata). One way to help distinguish which viha is being spoken of, is to add the prefix sauna/ viha(ta)... Leil is the steam that rises from the sauna/ahju keris (stove’s rocks) when you throw water on them. Put that idea on hold for now, just in case, un less you are fortunate enough to have your own private, family “karantiini/saun”, so to speak. But remember, this sacrifice and all the other eba/mugavused (inconveniences) are “me ühise tervise nimel”, in the name of our collective health! Olge terved – “Be healthy”, stay healthy! P.S. Wikipedia also has the entry of “bath broom” for viht and there is a saunalise (sauna user’s) manual of sorts which is also entitled “Vihaga, kuid vihata. Eesti rahva esimene saunaaabits” (With a viht, but with out viha (anger). Estonians’ first
Kid’s Corner: Books for Estonian-Canadian Young Adults and Teens Vincent Teetsov If you’re looking for something good to read, especially stories that speak about teen life and adventures, then here are some books that you might want to dive into: Tõde või tegu I: Stella by Kristi Piiper (available in Estonian from rahvaraamat.ee)
Truth or dare? After a diffi cult year trying to process the disappearance of her mother, 15 year old Stella is forced to make a daring move with her friend Kärt and unravel the truth about her missing mother and father. All these two friends have to help them are the vi sions of a psychic and the mys terious behaviour of their class mates Gerd and Johannes, who have secrets of their own. This is the first book in a series by Kristi Piiper, which covers mystery, mental health, uprooted family life, and the sauna primer) by Rein Sikk, 2015, Tammerraamat, hardcover, 176 pgs. The surname Sikk, by the way, is not like sick (with the virus), but is the name for a male goat or deer (both sikk and sokk) and also the name of an insect, the longhorn beetle, or one of the family thereof, the siklased, of which many are serious pests. Not the given author / journalist from Kadrina of course; vastupidi, au con traire! RIINA KINDLAM
soaring sensation in this song that speaks to the sincere desire of young people to respect what came before them while making their own mark. “Siberi unelaul” (“Siberian Dream Song”), the last song, lets the listener go, like you are floating to Valhalla. It has a sad but reassuring tone, as we know that we are on the right path. The chanting vocals whisp away and from a distance you can hear the hammering of shields on the ground. The big gest takeaway from this album is its warrior spirit and ancestral energy. The trio have crafted an LP that brings the Estonian musical renaissance of the 21st century to new heights. It’s going to make an impact on live shows, too, no doubt. It deserves a stadium packed full of people,
to rattle and roar in unison. I could 100% imagine Trad. Attack! sharing a show with Canadian artists like A Tribe Called Red. They both share a powerful, triumphant energy, for all listeners to benefit from. ••• The Estonian and Canadian music scenes are forces to be reckoned with on the global stage, which is why Estonian Music Week has been so keen to bring together talent from both sides of the Atlantic. Attending the concerts of Estonians visiting Canada is a big part of enabling them to keep making great music like this album. Be sure to follow Estonian Music Week on Instagram and Facebook to keep tabs on the latest concerts and releases from artists like Trad.Attack!
precious friendships that keep it all held together. The author isn’t afraid to place teens in situations where they must use their wit and strength to sur vive.
where “that’s the way it is” is so often the answer? Can we trust just anyone to be on our side?
Pobeda 1946: A Car Called Victory by Ilmar Taska (available in English from amazon.ca)
A third YA book that deals with the theme of disappearan ces is Estonian-Canadian author Urve Tamberg’s novel The Darkest Corner of the World. This story is from the perspec tive of Madli, who must find her place in the polarization and violence of the Nazi and Soviet occupations. Even when people in her community disappear, she still has hope and holds onto normal life, including the feelings she has for a boy she likes. While crafted as a historical book, it doesn’t stray far from timeless desires and dreams. When normal life is taken away, we have to stand with what we believe in and also strive for whatever meaning and happiness that we can find. ••• Once things open up again, you can find books like these in the ground floor library of Tartu College (310 Bloor Street West, near Spadina station). New books come in every year, in cluding English translations of Estonian literature. You can also rent DVDs from the library. It’s a convenient resource for find ing entertaining books, so go ahead and check it out!
Ilmar Taska is most known for his work as a movie produ cer, which has influenced the mystery, adventure, and nerves of this novel. The story begins in Tallinn after the end of the Second World War, as the appearance of a Pobeda car changes the life of an Estonian boy. When the boy agrees to take a ride with the driver of this car, referred to as “the man”, the simple and clear world he saw takes a sinister turn. This book also deals with the theme of sudden disappearances. Despite the disappearance of the boy’s father and the in creased risk of social interac tions in the boy’s environment, the book doesn’t have an overly dramatic or simplistic overview of the story’s time period. Rather, there’s a focus on in dividual characters and the motivations for their actions. As a story, this is significant because it reflects the path of teens, who are trying to under stand why things are the way they are in the world. Why are we placed in a confusing world
The Darkest Corner of the World by Urve Tamberg (available in English from amazon.ca)
