Laibach release video for “The Sound of Music” ahead of North Korea-inspired album

Laibach release video for "The Sound of Music" ahead of North Korea-inspired album

Until a few years ago, Laibach’s most famous troll was a quote from 1983. “We are fascists as much as Hitler was a painter.” Their deliberate provocation comes from a band that has regularly employed fascist iconography throughout its existence, extreme method-acting performance art where it’s easy to ask, “well, what’s the point?”

Maybe the fruits of Laibach’s labor finally arrived in 2015, when they became the first (and likely only) band invited to perform live in North Korea. The country — a hermit kingdom filled with propaganda posters, heavy surveillance, and a rabid cult of personality (let’s face it, a Laibachian wet dream) — does have a relationship with music, albeit an extremely shriveled one. Its citizens have never heard of Jay-Z, Miles Davis, Brian Eno, or Gwar; but are at least somewhat aware of pop stars like Michael Jackson.

With a meager playlist of sanctioned songs, Laibach chose ditties from the schmaltzy film The Sound of Music, employed by the North Korean regime as a tool to teach English. The absurd experience was captured by Morten Traavik in Liberation Day; and now, Laibach’s accompanying studio album is on its way. It includes covers of such classics as “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss,” and “Do-Re-Mi,” refigured of course through the band’s warped sensibilities. Also included is a version of the Korean traditional, “Arirang,” which the band incidentally released back when Donald Trump met Kim Jong-un.

Grab The Sound of Music ahead of its November 23 release date to make sure you have something to discuss with your family this Thanksgiving. All hail great and powerful exalted leader for defeating imperialist scourge!


The Sound of Music tracklisting:

01. The Sound of Music
02. Climb Ev’ry Mountain
03. Do-Re-Mi
04. Edelweiss
05. Favorite Things
06. Lonely Goatherd
07. Sixteen Going On Seventeen
08. So Long, Farewell
09. Maria / Korea
10. Arirang
11. The Sound of Gayageum
12. Welcome Speech

Laibach Live:

09.07.18 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Križanke Theatre (with Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra)
09.20.18 - Graz, Austria - Steirischer Herbst Festival (The Sound of Music + DJ set)
09.09.18 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Opera Club (Also Sprach Zarathustra & The Sound of Music)
09.11.18 - Moscow, Russia - Glav Club (Also Sprach Zarathustra & The Sound of Music)

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