In his life and art, Grzegorz Kwiatkowski has devoted himself to anti-fascism, which, in his native Poland, has become something of a full-time job. As a descendent of a concentration-camp survivor, he’s channeled themes of intergenerational trauma and the banality of evil into celebrated works of poetry that have led to guest-lecturer gigs at universities around the world.
This Polish band’s sixth album is a well-crafted set of ominous rock ranging from driving, tension-filled post-punk to atmospheric psych-rock, with often-dark lyrics for these troubled times.
Imagine the Beatles and Velvet Underground reading Hannah Arendt while in the studio with film director Michael Haneke. That’s Trupa Trupa in a nutshell, a Gdańsk-based band who spent the last decade perfecting their balancing act between lyrical songs and crushing psychedelia.
“The new Trupa Trupa album B Flat A is really good.” – Henry Rollins
I don’t often review poetry on this blog. The last — and, in fact, the only — time I did was Andrew McLuhan’s Written Matter last February. But, once again, words without music, or with music entirely in the head, call.
Trupa Trupa’s Dream of Peace. Polish rock band’s new single “Uniforms” is a clarion call for humanism in a hateful world.
Our new single, “Twitch”, is all over BBC Radio 6 Music! Thank you Lauren Lavern, Iggy Pop, Steve Lamacq and Marc Riley and Gideon Coe.
The first review of “Crops” in “Words Without Borders” by Tobias Carroll:
“How do you address a legacy of genocide through art? Crops has a daunting task before it, and what makes these works particularly impressive is the way that Kwiatkowski’s stark use of language offers a sense of absence throughout the book. This is haunting work in more ways than one.”
Trupa Trupa Return With Mighty ‘Twitch’. Watch the hallucinogenic visuals…
Imani Perry, writer and professor at Princeton University commenting on “Crops”:
“I have found these poems to be emotionally compelling and profound. I expect fellow readers will enjoy this beautiful work”