Ba. are a Lithuanian collective, and TURTAS is their 2024 album on the DAMN GOOD label. It sits somewhere between trip hop and experimental pop, with a lot of live instruments behind it. Electric bass and guitar weave through the beats, saxophone drifts in and out, and there is a cello on the opening track. The production is clean but not sterile. Scratches and electronic effects land on top of the band arrangements, which gives the whole thing a slightly uneasy but inviting texture. Tempos are mostly mid-to-slow, and the vocals are in Lithuanian, delivered with a quiet, almost spoken intensity.
The band is a tight unit. Benas Aleksandravičius handles most of the instruments and vocals, with a full rhythm section and two guitarists. The tracks have actual songs underneath the electronics. Veidas opens with cello and a steady beat before the band kicks in. VHS brings the scratches and a more obviously hip hop feel. Later songs like Kultas and Lėlė lean into nocturnal atmospheres. This is not background music. You have to listen to the interplay between the programmed elements and the human players.
If you like Portishead or Massive Attack but wish they had a live band locked in the studio with them, or if you are into modern Lithuanian alternative music, this is worth your time. The vinyl pressing looks good too.
