“Tumša Nakte” (2009) – Baļķi * Written by Trad. Arr. * CD: Te Man Tika * Label: Lauska
No violation of the Baltic post-folk mandate of 13th-century apparel and group-singing occurs here, which is certainly not a problem. This Latvian group’s name is Baļķi, which means “logs” and is pronounced somewhat like “balchy.” They formed in 2000 in the port town of Liepāja, and have since recorded three albums, having maintained a consistent berobed druid look. The songs on their second album Te Man Tiki (2009) (I was here), focus on springtime themes and are presumably all traditional.