Slovenian avant garde electronic industrial rock heavyweights Laibach (wow that’s a lot of labels) have unveiled the details of their upcoming release The Sound of Music. Yes, the musical. The band will be covering songs from the beloved musical for the album, due this coming November 23 via Mute.
The album was reportedly originally conceived back in 2015 when they were invited to perform in North Korea, because in their setlist were various live interpretations of songs from the 1965 musical. They had chosen that particular musical because, apparently, it is particularly beloved in North Korea and was often used to teach English to schoolchildren.
Most of the cuts off of The Sound of Music are reinterpretations of songs from the film, but they have included versions of Korean folk songs, including “Arirang,” a nearly universally known folk song across both North and South Korea, as well as “The Sound of Gayageum,” a track which highlights a zither-like Korean-folk instrument.
Interestingly, the album will conclude with a “welcome speech” from a Mr.Ryu, a member of North Korea’s Committee for Cultural Relations wherein he labels the band a “terrible rock group,” that is out to destabilize North Korea’s economic system.
The Sound of Music was reportedly recorded and produced in Ljubljana, Slovenia as well as in Pyongyang, North Korea. Preorder the release here.
Check out the album cover and track list below, as well as a the title track as the lead single.
The Sound of Music Track List
The Sound of Music
Climb Ev’ry Mountain
Do-Re-Ed
Edelweiss
Favorite Things
Lonely Goatherd
Sixteen Going On Seventeen
So Long, Farewell
Mary / Korea
Arirang
The Sound of Gayageum
Welcome Speech
Leave a Comment