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Aistė Smilgevičiūtė and her neofolk band Skylė have earned medals “For Merits to Lithuania,” bestowed by the very President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė. What was so precious, at least according to state officials, about their album Broliai? The title means “brothers” in Lithuanian, and the album commemorates the fight for independence in the woods and bunkers of the then- Lithuanian Soviet Republic, between 1944 and 1953. The partisans formed groups and regiments to resist Soviet occupation, only to be brutally killed and tortured in the mid 50s. “We feel that they never really received a proper goodbye, having died that way,” the band explained in one of their interviews.

Skylė was formed in 1991 and, since then, have gone through various stages and genres, always influenced by Lithuanian history and by the mythology of different civilizations, combining refreshing lyrics with unique poetic expression. When Aistė joined the band in 1997, she brought deeply felt Baltic themes to the already colorful cloth of Skylė‘s music. What the band intended to do in Broliai was, not to use the original poems written by the actual partisans (a sub-genre of Lithuanian literature), but to give them an even more poetic and musical feeling. Out of the 18 songs in the album, more than half were written by the band members themselves, while the rest combine their lyrics with lines from the original partisan poems.

"What the band intended to do in Broliai was, not to use the original poems written by the actual partisans (a sub-genre of Lithuanian literature), but to give them an even more poetic and musical feeling"

The song “Aštuoni karžygiai” (or “Eight Warriors”) is dedicated to the eight commanders who, in 1949, established the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters, an umbrella organization for Lithuanians waging guerrilla warfare. The word “karžygys“ is a compound noun, the first stem “kar-” meaning “war” and “žyg-“ meaning “quest.” Thus, it refers to someone between a warrior and a hero, and implies admirable bravery and determination.

The first line reads “Kas aštresnė – ar baimė, ar kulkos?” (What is sharper: fear or bullets?), and from then on the words become even more poetic: “Laistė žiežirbom alkaną naktį, aštuoni karžygiai sutemų” (Eight warriors of dusk watered the hungry night with sparks). Just like the rest of the album, fighting is depicted through metaphors and, oftentimes, personifications. Lines like “white fog instead of crowns” create images of pseudo-mythical warriors – perhaps from Baltic mythology – connected to nature and even to Pagan roots.

"The song “Aštuoni karžygiai” (or “Eight Warriors”) is dedicated to the eight commanders who, in 1949, established the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters, an umbrella organization for Lithuanians waging guerrilla warfare"

Finally, the chorus, sung so nicely by Rokas Radzevičius, asks two rhetoric questions: “Ar išduoti lengviau, nei numirti? Ar nušauti lengviau, nei pamilt?” (Is it easier to betray, than to die? Is it easier to shoot, than to fall in love?) “Pamilt” (love), in Lithuanian, does not necessarily imply a romantic relationship. It can mean “to grow fond of” or simply “feel affection towards.” Therefore, the rhetorical question could be interpreted, instead, as “Is it easier to shoot your enemy then to befriend him or her?”

To conclude, the aim of the album is by no means to glorify violence and brutal force. Instead, it places the human element – the sadness of leaving home and missing loved ones, the fear of death, the strong attachment to a motherland – at the center of Broliai, which seems like a truly beautiful way to commemorate the ones who died fighting for what new generations have only known as independent Lithuania.