Laibach - Kapital flac mp3 download

Didn't like "Kapital" very much when I first listened to it. I was full into the likes of "Nova Akropola", "Opus Dei" and "Krst Pod Triglavom", so a mostly instrumental experimental techno album wasn't my cup of tea. Today I believe it's one of the Slovenian band's best efforts, especially considering it was released in 1992. There's a brilliant use of samples, basslines, rhythms and styles in these tracks, and the less "laibachian" tunes are some of the most interesting too. Check "Everlasting In Union", "Entartete Welt" or "Illumination", whereas "Sponsored By Mars", "White Law" and "The Hunter's Funeral Procession" take advantage of their clichés, but reworked through the lenses of techno."Kapital" is a brave effort and a very understimated chapter in Laibach's history. It's a pity that, apart from "Wirtschaft Ist Tot", none of these tracks have been resurrected on stage. It's surprising, especially considering how much their music has moved onto pure electronics since then. "Steel Trust", for example, would fit amazingly in their live sets, and would sound even better sung by Mina Špiler.

Definitely one of the better Laibach albums, but not their greatest. Very experimental electronic music and techno, mixed with elements of classical music and plenty of movie samples. Even though everything here sounds awesome, many of the songs are quite long and sound very similar, which makes this album rather difficult to listen through. If you don't focus on the music 100%, many of the songs can easily just float by without any real effect on the listener. And even if you listen to it intensely, i don't think it rewards enough considering it's massive length....The soundquality is also, unfortunately, a bit soft and muddied. In some songs it works in albums favour, but some end up sounding just weak. This is unfortunate, as majority of sounds and melodies are clearly aimed to be more epic and threatening than soft and pleasing.So, basically, monotonous experimental electroclassical weirdness with strong political overtones. Way too long and difficult to listen through casually, but (at least for me) didn't reward intense listening enough. If you are into experimental electronic music, industrial or just Laibach (but are missing this album), it's a good purchase. Not for casual listener. -8/10

So, Laibach themselves might not be fascist, but the beats here on KAPITAL are tough and militaristic. The political bent, as well, matches the totalitarianism of the music itself. And it's a little bit scary -- on purpose -- but it's dark in all the right places. Who else could make a track called "Illumination" dense with menace? Steeped in dystopia as this album is, there are moments of disturbing beauty, like the female vocal sample of "Young Europa, Pt. 1-10" surrounded by ominous breathing and low tones, or the relentless "Jaws"-inspired strings of "The Hunter's Funeral Procession" that give way to Germanic horns and quasi-religious chanting. There are weaker tracks, too. The physics-lesson rap of "Hymn to the Black Sun" is completely ridiculous, like a Slovak-industrial version of They Might Be Giants' "Why Does the Sun Shine?," and "Entartete Welt" goes on a little too long. But the "Wirtschaft ist Tot" brings a moodiness and a danceability to smashing the capitalist system, and "Kinderreich" takes the haunting lullaby from "Rosemary's Baby" and drenches it in percussion and Wagnerian vocals. And the final track, "Regime of Coincidence, State of Gravity," is all scratching and samples, like a Soviet-bloc Coldcut. But the standout for me is "Le Privilege Des Morts," a deeply creepy and minimalist track that samples generously from Jean-Luc Godard's film "Alphaville" and puts them atop a subterreanean bass. Capitale de la douleur, indeed!

Agreed, this is a fantastic concept album, that I didn't "get", when it first came out. I was into techno and idm then and KAPITAL just didn't grab me then. Revisiting the album a year later I full appreciated their brilliant studio wizardry and marvelous sample archive. Each track is in itself a jewel - the whole album works fantastic as a concept album. I constantly listen to this since then, maybe not on a daily or weekly basis, but again and again. And it grabs me by the balls every time again. This was years ahead of its time.