Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Pitchfork Media(4.8/10)[2]
PopMatters[3]
Release Magazine[4]

Volk is the seventh studio album by Slovenian industrial group Laibach, released in 2006. The word "volk" means "people" or "nation" in German and "wolf" in Slovene. The album is a collection of thirteen songs inspired by national or pan-national anthems, plus the anthem of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) State, a fictional state invented by the band. The album is a collaboration with another Slovenian band, Silence.[5]

The anthem of the NSK state is essentially the same arrangement as "The Great Seal", a song on their 1987 album Opus Dei. Like "The Great Seal", the words are based on Winston Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches" speech.

Track listing

  1. "Germania" – based on "Das Lied der Deutschen" (Germany)
  2. "America" – based on "The Star-Spangled Banner" (United States)
  3. "Anglia" – based on "God Save the Queen" (United Kingdom)
  4. "Rossiya" – based on the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, post-2000 "National Anthem of Russia" (Russia), and "The Internationale"
  5. "Francia" – based on "La Marseillaise" (France)
  6. "Italia" – based on "Il Canto degli Italiani" (Italy)
  7. "España" – based on "Marcha Real" (music) and "El Himno de Riego" (lyrics) (Spain)
  8. "Yisra’el" – based on "Hatikvah" (Israel) and "Fida'i" (Palestine)
  9. "Türkiye" – based on "İstiklâl Marşı" (Turkey)
  10. "Zhonghuá" – based on "March of the Volunteers" (People's Republic of China)
  11. "Nippon" – based on "Kimi ga Yo" (Japan)
  12. "Slovania" – based on "Hey, Slavs" (anthem of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and unofficial anthem of Pan-Slavism)
  13. "Vaticanae" – based on "Inno e Marcia Pontificale" (Vatican City)
  14. "NSK" – the anthem of Neue Slowenische Kunst, also known as "The Great Seal"

Personnel

Album written and produced by Laibach and Silence, 2005–2006.

  • Laibach are:
    • Eber
    • Saliger
    • Dachauer
    • Keller
  • Silence are:
    • Boris Benko
    • Primož Hladnik
  • Additional musicians:
    • Boris Benko (Silence): vocals on all tracks except 08, 09, 10 and 14
    • Yolanda Grant-Thompson: vocals on tracks 02 and 13
    • Mina Špiler (Melodrom): vocals on tracks 05 and 07
    • Maria Awa: vocals on track 07
    • Artie Fishel: vocals on track 08
    • Zed Mehmet: vocals on track 09
    • Elvira Hasanagić: vocals on track 09
    • Seaming To: vocals on track 10
    • Nagisa Moritoki: vocals on track 11
    • Brina Vogelnik Saje: vocals on track 12
    • Luka Jamnik: analogue synthesizer sounds on tracks 02, 04 and 05
    • Miha Dovžan: zither on track 06
    • Peter Dekleva: acoustic guitar on track 04
    • Anne Carruthers: cello on tracks 04 and 11
    • Alojz Zupan: conductor of brass orchestra on track 14:
      • Delavska Godba Trbovlje
    • Vitalij Osmačko: conductor of children's choir on track 04:
      • Janja Cerar
      • Dasha Khotuleva
      • Anna Vidovich
      • Nastja Yatsko
  • Technical support:
  • Mixing and mastering:
  • Project manager (Mute Records):
    • Robert Schilling
  • Cover painting:
    • Laibach
  • Design and layout:
    • Phant & Puntza
  • Text editing:
    • Schrankmeister
  • Special thanks to:
  • Label: Mute Records

References

  1. ^ "Volk - Laibach". Allmusic.
  2. ^ "Laibach: Volk". Pitchfork.
  3. ^ "Laibach: Volk". PopMatters.
  4. ^ "Laibach: Volk". Release Magazine.
  5. ^ silence-zone.com. "Silence discography: Volk". silence-zone.com. Retrieved 27 March 2007.