Seeking the Unseen
Evija Vēbere and Ivars Arutjunjan’s «Anomālijas»
During her studies in the Netherlands, Evija Vēbere purchased her first synthesizer. It was then that a quiet ambition took root: to one day record a full-length album that ignored strict genre boundaries while maintaining the strong improvisational presence of jazz in its broadest sense.
The core material for «Anomālijas» was born from improvisation sessions with percussionist Ivars Arutjunjan, whom Vēbere met years ago at the Saulkrasti Jazz Festival. While primarily known as a vocalist, Vēbere uses her voice sparingly here, instead revealing her nature as an instrumentalist through analog and modular synthesizers. By providing initial impulses, she allows the electronics to generate sound combinations in time and space, intervening only occasionally to tweak parameters or layer new loops.
The Architecture of the «Anomaly»
The duo spent several days in a creative retreat, selecting and polishing the most striking episodes from their sessions. The result is nine produced «sound paintings.» The title Anomālijas (defined by Tēzaurs as a deviation from the normal order of things) perfectly captures the work’s experimental, intentionally «strange» aesthetic.
Key Features:
Effective Dosing: Most tracks run between two and three minutes. This concise timing makes the dense, intense material more accessible and «friendly» to the listener.
Acoustic-Electronic Interplay: Arutjunjan’s acoustic drums provide a completely new context for Vēbere’s generated beats, creating a fascinating dialogue between the machine and the human hand.
Collaborations and Textures
Several tracks feature guest musicians, though the interactions are unique. Since the layers were added post-improvisation, the guests respond to the duo, but the duo cannot respond back—a one-way musical conversation.
Kārlis Auziņš (Saxophone): In «Parādība», Auziņš develops a melodic, pentatonic motif that pushes into the instrument’s upper registers. In «Day One Dog», he provides rapid, running passages.
Matīss Čudars (Guitar): The track «Mats īss» (a pun on the guitarist’s name meaning «hair is short») expands the group to a quartet. It is the most substantial track, moving from an intense beat into a «rock-like» energy before a sudden, shocking silence filled only with the sound of birds chirping, followed by a lyrical saxophone melody.
Standout Experimental Tracks
«Hipomānija»: Angular drum patterns and electronic loops create a cyclical tension. At the 105-second mark, a siren signals a shift into a more transparent, quiet section using produced percussion sounds.
«Anomālija» (Title Track): The only track without a dictated rhythmic pulse. It evokes the aesthetics of György Ligeti’s Artikulation. Driven by a Moog Grandmother bass synth and modular sequencers, it feels like a document of pure «flow of consciousness.»
«Outernets»: Fast-paced pitch changes and randomized drum machine hits create a digital soundscape reminiscent of binary code or the clacking of a typewriter.
Vocal Compositions
For those missing Vēbere’s vocals, the album offers a few lyrical gifts:
«Violets»: Features a text by multi-artist Marija Luīze Meļķe dedicated to her kitten. It begins with synthetic timbres resembling bowed strings before settling into a dreamlike, «fuzzy» ballad.
«Ir par maz»: The ensemble is joined by rapper E.V. (Kārlis Pauls Šēnhofs) and Toms Mikāls on keys. The rap fits seamlessly into the flow, avoiding any «cheap» or forced crossover feel.
«Briljantos darināti»: A unique moment where we hear Ivars Arutjunjan’s voice as he and Evija recite another text by Meļķe in unison.
The album’s visual identity is marked by Agnese Apine’s polyhedron artwork, while the high-quality post-production and mixing by sound engineer Gatis Zaķis ensure the experimental layers retain their clarity. Anomālijas is a bold, successful step into the unknown for two of Latvia’s most creative musical minds.