Sraigės Efektas are a Vilnius, Lithuania-based rock band who have just come to my attention thanks to their fourth studio album. Diving deep into themes of love, loneliness and addiction, it’s called Klaidosklaida.
By Graeme Smith
Though new to us, Sraigės Efektas have been going as a band for almost ten years. They’ve been nominated for awards, soundtracked movies, and bring together an eclectic mix of genres in their sound, including rock, experimental and electronica. Klaidosklaida brings together influences as diverse as Black Country New Road, Arctic Monkeys and Depeche Mode which to me sounds like an intriguing prospect.
It all starts with Skleidžiasi. A gentle, reflective intro slowly builds into a rich and cinematic soundscape akin to the post-rock of Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Šviesos follows with brash riffs contrasted with delicate acoustic guitar. The vocals are pleading and hypnotic. It’s an early highlight.
Tuštumos canters along with a tense and urgent energy and understated vocals that mask a hidden fire. Tylos is an over seven-minute odyssey that opens with a gripping minimalism before growing into a blues rock swagger that the aforementioned Arctic Monkey would be proud of. It’s another highlight.
Sekos is an explosive, experimental wonder while Tamsos dances along with a compelling math rock groove. Ribos is raw and stripped-back blues that becomes punchy and full of drama with passionate vocals. Sklaidosi then closes the album with the cinematic electronica that opened it, before becoming a full psych-rock freak out.
Better late than never, I’m so glad to have discovered Sraigės Efektas. Sure, they sing in Lithuanian, but the emotion of their tracks are universal, and their challenging yet infectious instrumental arrangements are so exciting to listen to. They could well be the rock world’s best kept secret.
Sraigės Efektas are Lukas Jankauskas on drums, Laurynas Kamarauskas on guitar, Kristijonas Nenartavičius on vocals and Nikita Dobrotin on bass.
You can give Klaidosklaida a listen below.