Volk (album)

Volk
Studio album by Laibach
Released	26 October 2006
Recorded	Daily Girl, NSK Studio and Studio Metro (Ljubljana), The Instrument and Metropolis studios (London), Master & Servant (Hamburg)
Genre	Industrial, neoclassical dark wave
Length	58:31
Label	Mute
Producer	Laibach and Silence
Laibach chronology
Anthems (2004) Volk (2006) LAIBACHKUNSTDERFUGE (2008)
Silence chronology
Key (2006) Volk (2006)

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

Volk is the seventh studio album by Slovenian industrial group Laibach. 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 NSK State, a virtual state to which Laibach belong. The album is a collaboration with another Slovenian band Silence.^[5]

The album's liner notes credit Wikipedia as their source for information on the national anthems featured.

The anthem of the NSK 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 famous "We shall fight on the beaches" speech.

The album cover has a double meaning. Its most apparent meaning (for English speakers) is the German word "volk", meaning "nation" or "people". This an allusion to the fascist flirtations of the album. The second meaning is the Slavic word for "wolf". The sheep represent the victims of the wolf.

Track listing

1. "Germania" - based on "Das Lied der Deutschen" (Germany)
2. "America" - based on "The Star-Spangled Banner" (USA)
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:
  • Gregor Zemljič
  • Iztok Turk
  • Uroš Umek
• Mixing and mastering:
  • Paul PDub Walton
  • James Aparcio
  • Tom Meyer
• Project manager (Mute Records):
  • Robert Schilling
• Cover painting:
  • Laibach
• Design and layout:
  • Phant & Puntza
• Text editing:
  • Schrankmeister
• Special thanks to:
  • Daniel Miller
  • Robert Schilling
• 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.