Libitina
Weltanschauung (Libitina)
By: Sonya Brown
Jamie (bass, programming, vocals) describes "Weltanschauung" as "world outlook"; and subsequent to the success of their debut cd, A Closer Communion, Libitina (Sheffield, UK) does indeed have a worldly reach. I have heard Libitina's cover of "Gothic People" played at a club here in Portland, Oregon; and the band has had success around the globe, with Weltanschauung now released on Radio Luxor, an Italian label.While I often prefer the more guitar oriented tracks, such as Farewell My Love, Weltanschauung contains a little bit of something for everyone. Heavy on synths, Libitina's Weltanschauung also unearths a taste of industrialas well as dance, with a portion of goth rock encapsulating most all of the 12 tracks.
The lyrical content of Weltanschauung runs through the totality of emotional toils, but there are other twists thrown in... such as "Polemic", which has a political core; and "Virgins" with its grainy vocals, spacey synths and a more industrial cadence that give this track a completely different feeling yet again from other tracks on Weltanschauung.
My favorite track on Weltanschauung is Voluptuary. Not only is Voluptuary a fantastically sexy word... but the mention of "Rubicon" in the lyrics captured my attention and flooded me with memories past of my father and my brother - both during different decades - tackling the infamous and treacherous off-road trails of California's Rubicon Trail. Different from the more corporeal adventures faced by my father and brother, Libitina portrays "Rubicon" in terms of spiritual journeys "closer to heaven, yet further from God". Jamie explains, "We are alluding to classical history. The Rubicon to which we refer is a river separating Italy from Cisalpine Gaul (where Julius Caesar was governor). By crossing this river, leaving his province, and entering Italy as an invader, Caesar precipitated the Civil War with Pompey and the Roman Senate. Thus, "to cross the Rubicon" is to make an irrevocable step."
Libitina made their own "irrevocable step" from Sheffield with their music reaching clubs here in Portland; and Weltanschauung is bound to bring Libitina even more global attention.
