US
21st Century Breakdown
Douban
★ 8.6 201 ratings
Green Day genre: Rock
release date 2009-05-15 publisher: Reprise Records
Green Day 时隔5年新作《21st Century Breakdown》,花费三年多的制作,朋克歌剧风格,叙事体裁,他们颠覆一切、他们野心勃勃,他们就是这个世界。 【专辑背景】 2004年的“朋克歌剧”《American Idiot》为绿日乐队(Green Day)赢得两座“格莱美”大奖,并让乐队一跃成为世界一线乐队。2009年乐队改换制作人请来Garbage 乐队的鼓手Butch Vig担当制作,虽然改换制作人但新专辑依然延续《American Idiot》的概念之路,以年轻夫妻Christian 和Gloria为主角,《21st Century Breakdown》共分三幕,“Heroes and Cons”、“Charlatans and Saints”和 “Horseshoes and Handgrenades”来讲述一个世纪的兴衰成败。 【专辑评测】 国外有句谚语叫“If it works, don't fix it.”意思是说如果好好的就不要去改变什么,绿日乐队的主唱Billie Armstrong一定深知其中的道理,所以当2008年他对外宣布乐队将在今年发行新专辑时,包括他在内的所有人都清楚绿日很可能再造一张《美国白痴》,这几乎就是不用揣测的事情。四十年前英国乐队The Who在发行了一张石破天惊的摇滚歌剧《Tommy》之后顺其自然地推出了现场版的摇滚歌剧《Live At Leeds》,他们懂得只要好好的就不要去改变什么;再近一些,2000年U2乐队发行《All That You Can't Leave Behind》从90年代末阴霾的电子舞曲抽身而出,接着2004年发行《How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb》进一步巩固自己伟大乐队的地位,他们同样懂得只要好好的就不要去改变什么。如今同样誓做伟大乐队的绿日也很清楚要将《American Idiot》良好的势头保持下去就只需再造一张《American Idiot》,一张不够就做两张,只要还是“绿日”时代,他们的朋克歌剧就不缺少听众。 除了将合作十年的制作人Rob Cavallo替换掉,《21st Century Breakdown》与《American Idiot》就再无其他差别,同样的音乐风格、同样的概念故事、同样的目标。用一个词定义《21st Century Breakdown》就是“野心”,无论从音乐上还是从歌词内容上,绿日都显示出坚定而且接近完美的野心。对于一只伟大的乐队来说这是必要的,伟大乐队的伟大之处就在于他们能做到别人想都不敢想的事情。 《21st Century Breakdown》音乐上的野心体现在制作人以及歌曲风格上,请来Butch Vig是因为Nirvana 的经典专辑《Nevermind》以及 The Smashing Pumpkins的惊世专辑《Siamese Dream by》都是出自他的监制。绿日乐队动用他的目的很明显,凭他的神奇再造一张经典。事实证明,新制作人的效果是强悍的,一方面他将一个庞大的主题通过编曲很好地连接成了整体,另一方面他让乐队尝试更多风格,除了朋克更加猛烈外,还有多首加入钢琴的作品,甚至还让Billie Armstrong用假声唱起慢歌。这在以前是绝对不会出现,融合多种风格的绿日也可以将流行朋克的帽子彻底拿掉了。新专辑内容的野心体现在歌曲的容量,专辑十八首歌曲讲述跨度一个世纪的庞大故事,如此庞大的概念专辑一般乐队是难以驾御的。新专辑以年轻夫妻Christian 和Gloria为主角讲述对宗教、政治、信仰的反思,当然还少不了小布什,绿日乐队成名于对他的攻击,自然要“善始善终”。小布什的卸任对于“绿日”来说多少算个损失,少了这个倒霉蛋,他们的矛头就不够尖锐,不过战争与和平是永久的话题,况且Billie Armstrong从约翰-列侬(John Lennon)那学来了工人阶级情怀也大有用武之地,专辑同名曲《21st Century Breakdown》即是讲述工人阶级的劳苦处境,歌曲思想上的升华是伟大乐队该有的境界。 绿日乐队的朋克歌剧做得不亦乐乎,《21st Century Breakdown》的野心要远远超过《American Idiot》,他们的灵感来自皇后乐队(Queen)、“冲撞”乐队(The Clash)以及美国蓝领领袖Bruce Springsteen,很宏大很强势,《American Idiot》能获得“格莱美”,《21st Century Breakdown》也很有希望,而问题就在于他们还要继续做几张《美国白痴》?真正的考验还在后头。(文/赵南坊 网易音乐测评室)
All Is Wild, All Is Silent
Douban
★ 8.3 38 ratings
Balmorhea genre: Rock
release date 2009-03-10 publisher: Western Vinyl / Pastel Music
Balmorhea是一个来自德克萨斯州奥斯汀的乐队,由Rob lowe 和 Michael Muller组成。Balmorhea, 发音为【Bal-moor-ay】。他们列举了一些影响他们的艺术家,如Ludovico Einaudi【鲁多维科.艾奥迪】,The Six Parts Seven【七分之六】,Claude Debussy【克劳德·德彪西】,Ludwig van Beethoven【路德维希·范·贝多芬】等。 2007年四月份,他们自己发行了他们的第一张同名专辑专辑《Balmorhea》,接着在2008年二月他们发行了《River Arms》。Balmorhea在美国举行过3次巡演,他们并于最近完成了第三张专辑和一张新的EP。
Around The Well
Douban
★ 8.4 5 ratings
Iron & Wine genre: Folk
release date 2009-05-19 publisher: Sub Pop
'Around The Well' is a collection of Sam Beam's rare tracks, ranging from out of print to previously unreleased material. The collection will be released on June 1 The songs on 'Around The Well' date back to Iron & Wine's earliest recordings (some of which yielded the band's 2002 debut 'The Creek Drank The Cradle'), through to material recorded for 2007's 'The Shepherd's Dog' The collection is divided into two discs, with the first half an assortment of unedited home recordings, while the second half features studio recorded songs.
The Technicolour Sleep
Douban
★ 8.4 11 ratings
The American Dollar
release date 2007-01-01 publisher: The American Dollar
With its self-titled debut album, The American Dollar proved one thing: it could write one hell of a single. "War on Christmas," the album’s opener, is one of the most engaging and transcendent songs written in the past couple of years, despite having running time of less than four minutes. However, this track proved to be a double edged sword, as it appears that the band used all of its talents in crafting it and left nothing for the following nine songs. When the release of the follow-up album, The Technicolour Sleep, was announced for early 2007, one could not help but wonder if the new album might go the way of the final nine tracks of the debut and fall under the shadow of the almighty "War on Christmas." It is debatable whether or not the band itself recognized the disparity between "War on Christmas" and the rest of its debut, but regardless, all doubts are washed away within the first 3:12 of The Technicolour Sleep. "Rudiments of a Spiritual Life" blasts its way out of the speakers, effectively instilling hope that this album will live up to the band's initial potential. The overall feeling of The Technicolour Sleep has not changed much from the self-titled debut as The American Dollar still employ a shoegaze/electronica sound along the lines of M83 or Logh, but the emotion and grandeur of the entire album rivals that of the aforementioned "War on Christmas." As a cohesive work of art, this is one of the most skillfully executed albums in recent memory. From the clicks and whirs that freckle the façade of the softer ambient moments to the build-up of tension before the cathartic release, every second of this album has been meticulously crafted to remedy the mistake of the debut. Another improvement over the predecessor is the proficiency in drumming which raises the enjoyment of the album exponentially. Ambient and electronica artists sometimes have the tendency to give their arrangements too much free reign and as a result may sound too whimsical or airy. With the fantastic drumming on The Technicolour Sleep, The American Dollar avoid this problem and keep the arrangements grounded in reality. There is a marked upbeat quality to this album that was not evident in the self-titled, and the drumming really adds to that quality. Whereas there weren’t many stand-out tracks on the debut outside of "War on Christmas," it is hard to pick a stand-out on The Technicolour Sleep only because each track brings a new element or sound to the album that is invaluable to the mood and feeling. It is rare that I can say with a good amount of confidence that an album released this early will likely be one of my top albums of the year, but it is going to take several extraordinary albums to devalue The Technicolour Sleep. It was a shame that these guys weren’t signed to a label after the release of their debut album, but it would be an absolute tragedy if they didn’t get label attention after this magnificent creation. - Dan Wotherspoon
同名專輯
Douban
★ 8.1 65 ratings
Vampire Weekend genre: Rock
release date 2008-01-29 publisher: Xl Recordings
整张专辑虽不到三十五分钟,竟没有一秒显得多馀。情绪专注、声音乾淨,旋律更是轻快无比,Vampire Weekend就像一杯名厂酿造的脱脂牛奶,不在嘴裡留下太多甜味,对身体绝对健康,并让人想立刻再喝一杯。 专辑的成功,键琴手Rostam Batmanglij更是居功厥伟。不似一般独立乐队,键盘常常沦为补音的配角,Rostam身兼作曲人、製作人与录音工程师,不论A-Punk中段的小巧键琴,或M79带着巴洛克风味的弦乐编排,都替原本可能过于单调的编曲添加神来一笔,让专辑保有难得一见的不流俗清爽感。 歌词机智诙谐,不超龄做作,Vampire Weekend从奇趣的团名到主唱姓名(Ezra Koenig),彷彿都是Wes Anderson电影中量身订做的出场人物。的确,羊毛衫、白球鞋加上良好教养,让Vampire Weekend不自觉散发出强烈的白人中产菁英形象,像极了九零初期的Blur。你有一百个理由爱他们,更有等值的理由讨厌之。
Fleet Foxes
Douban Bandcamp Discogs
★ 8.0 46 ratings
Fleet Foxes genre: Folk
release date 2008-06-03 publisher: Sub Pop
Fleet Foxes is the debut studio album by American band Fleet Foxes, released on June 3, 2008, by Sub Pop and Bella Union. The album garnered wide praise from critics, many of whom named it one of the best albums of the 2000s and one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
Microcastle
Douban Discogs
★ 8.6 93 ratings
Deerhunter genre: Rock
release date 2008-10-28 publisher: Kranky
离开地心引力最快的捷径是忧郁。 不知道,多愁善感是不是一种容易让人聚焦的方式。 我们自以为理解世界的方式比人复杂,我们自以为别人看不见我们明白的视野,我们自以为拥抱的价值如此出世,我们自以为云淡风轻是韬光养晦,我们自以为忧郁皱眉是领悟世界的捷径。 不晓得,有多少人和我一样,听到Deerhunter的「广场恐惧症」(Agoraphobia)时,心头为之一震。 原来,是的,我长久以来一直渴望这样的音乐节奏,四四拍,不徐不急地缓缓进前,歌词里的文字,看似无病呻吟,却又如此精准地在心头上画一刀。 幽幽地无法自制,反复按下repeat,我们都需要一种寂语,在垂眼昏厥时的安稳。 去年被Deerhunter第二张专辑《Cryptograms》那股病态魅力纠缠许久的黑洞体验,仍记忆犹新,才一晃眼,这群以主唱Bradford Cox为首的亚特兰大五人组,一次推出两张新作,且若性子较急,年中已可透过管道完整听见。 原先对Bradford Cox的猜测与想象,也藉由去年底一场Deerhunter演出,幻化为真实。不顾纽约法条,他在台上抽烟,吞云吐雾的同时对台下观众说:「我好想念妈妈!」那景况听来滑稽,但不知怎的,人在现场,竟感到有点鼻酸。即便在独立摇滚阵营,Bradford Cox仍是一名怪到骨子里的咖,然他的痴与狂,才华与自卑,正使Deerhunter处处展露着用力拉扯后的真实痕迹,他们的音乐,自然也勾人魂魄。 强烈的乐团性格使然,对他们感冒的人不少,然喜欢他们的人,却也慢慢增加。选在My Bloody Valentine正式复合,西岸的No Age也带来成熟新作的2008年发表《Cryptograms》的接续作品,与其说曲风同样深受Shoegazing影响的Deerhunter想证明什么,不如说他们寻求的是一种乐曲上的对话,无论对前辈的示意,或与同侪的应和。 《Microcastle》与《Cryptograms》不同之处,是流畅的圆融感。这么说,不代表《Cryptograms》首尾不一,而是它前后半部的差异性极为显著,毕竟乐团只花了两天录制,并将两天的成果按照时间顺序铺排下来,未将它们并置在一起。因此,听着《Cryptograms》便可得出前半部以长篇演奏曲为主,后半部以传统曲势为主的印象,而那确实也是乐团经由两个Session试图呈现的歧异风格。 反观《Microcastle》,由于花了一周录制,团员间的沟通与概念发想的时间都更充足,专辑没有一个鲜明的分隔线,呈现出圆形循环的一致感。Bradford Cox苍白贫血的嗓子仍是Deerhunter最迷离的声音表情之一,但此回吉他手Lockett Pundt也分担了不少歌唱任务,贝斯手Josh Fauver也主理了好几首歌(包括全辑最醒目的必杀曲目,犹如商借了Sonic Youth最流畅吉他旋律线的〈Nothing Ever Happened〉)。换言之,《Microcastle》更像一份团队作业,并非仅是Bradford Cox单打独斗的成品。 虽然调子更动听了,Deerhunter并未在编曲上妥协。突然的中断、定格,乃至失焦与摇晃,随后急速换档爬上天梯,并吓你一跳。从多数定义来看,《Microcastle》无法归类在传统摇滚的范畴,那荡漾流转的Kranky厂牌式环境声景、走在车库庞克与艺术庞克间的羊肠小道,仍旧布满了瓦砾,只是Deerhunter选择穿上一双更松软的鞋子,脚步声,自然也轻柔许多。 伴随专辑《Weird Era Cont.》不只是填充功能而已,是一张完成度极高、拥有自主生命力的个体。更具水感,诡异与失重,事实上其中几首强歌,甚至胜过《Microcastle》的弱歌,譬如长十分钟的结尾曲〈Calvary Scars II/Aux Out〉,呼应的是《Microcastle》里的〈Calvary Scars〉,将一分半的原作延长为无边际的迷幻奥德赛,是神游太虚的必备曲目。而这种一鱼二吃的手法,自然教人想起Radiohead两个版本的〈Morning Bell〉(分别出现于《Kid A》与《Amnesiac》)。 连同年初的Side-Project乐团Atlas Sound,Bradford Cox已于2008年推出三张质量上乘的作品,产量惊人。却也不免让人担心,这种狂烧蜡烛式的旺盛创作力,会否让他原已不良的病体,更显憔悴,终至成为下一名摇滚殉道者?
The Four Trees
Douban
★ 8.7 29 ratings
Caspian genre: Rock
release date 2007-04-10 publisher: Dopamine
Caspian is an American post-rock band from Beverly, Massachusetts, United States.
Is Is EP
Douban
★ 8.7 24 ratings
Yeah Yeah Yeahs genre: Rock
release date 2007-07-24 publisher: Universal/Polydor
来自纽约的Yeah Yeah Yeahs,团员配置分别是Karen O(主唱)、Brian Chase(鼓手)与Nick Zinner(吉他手)。在2000年成军之始,Karen及Nick以Unitard之名呈现较为民谣风格之二人组合,直到Brian正式加入,YYY才立定Garage Punk明确乐符走向。就在同乡The Strokes/鼓击乐团和The White Stripes/白线条乐团全力支持,成为巡演上的座上嘉宾,嬴得「性感与质感兼具的车库摇滚」之美誉。声名逐步在地下摇滚界攀升,独立厂牌旗下陆续推出的作品,同获不小骚动与推崇。2003年签入主流大厂旗下问世之作《Fever To Tell》,进驻全美流行专辑排行Top55位置,并获得葛莱美奖「最佳另类音乐专辑」提名。纯粹以年轻人的思维大声且直接告诉大家YYY所喜爱之乐种,引领复古与时兴摇滚之共鸣,为新世纪乐种冠上新注解,沾染出深具前瞻性的音乐图像。 2006初春发行的第二张主流大厂专辑《Show Your Bones》,大胆采用制作界新秀Squeak E. Clean,试图齐力激迸出更为灿烂的火花。开场曲<Gold Lion>,以Acoustic吉他拨动指引出隆隆作响鼓噪气流,不时被Karen奔放腔调挑起注意力;畅快顺耳的吉他音线流入耳中,摇摆放肆的<Way Out>,早已冲撞出手舞足蹈兴奋音浪;Karen的感染力强烈声调,搭着节节上扬庞克劲道<Honeybear>,处处透着独树一帜的豁然爆发力度;小巧精乾的<Mysteries>一气呵成释放激烈吉他与人声相互极致搭腔;接连<The Sweets>及<Warrior>两首单曲,谱化出动人抒情小品,令人回味再三。更为内敛的摇滚气度,时而爆发无法招架之猛度,时而呈现低郁顺畅之音符,Yeah Yeah Yeahs全新出击,要让你刮目相看。
All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Douban Discogs
★ 8.3 55 ratings
Explosions In The Sky genre: Rock
release date 2007-01-01 publisher: Bella Union
The long waited fourth studio album from the moody and intense Texas instrumental band Explosions In The Sky. Known for bringing an emotional heft and sense of hope to a usually placid genre, Explosions In The Sky have experienced the kind of meteoric rise in popularity that flies in the face of music industry convention. Their songs run well past a length suitable for radio play or commercial music videos; they avoid performing in LiveNation/Clear Channel venues; they didn't jump to a major label; and they don't sing. They're also the very rare band that fans of Sigur Ros, Sufjan Stevens and My Chemical Romance can all agree on. EITS are not just an anomaly, they're a gateway. Recorded by John Congleton (The Roots, The Mountain Goats) at Pachyderm Studios in rural Minnesota, the album is a massive leap forward, showcasing a broader instrumental range and their most focused, efficient songwriting. Bella Union. 2007.
Wincing The Night Away
MusicBrainz Douban Skybridge
★ 7.8 23 ratings
The Shins genre: Rock
release date 2007-01-23 publisher: Sub Pop
The Shins 是過去三年來美國獨立樂界醜小鴨變天鵝的經典案例。改變他們命運的是一部叫Garden State的電影,女主角娜塔莉波曼坐在醫院,戴上大耳機聽著The Shins的歌曲New Slang。她對男主角說,「你一定得聽聽看這首曲子,它將改變你的生命。」 我們無法得知男主角的生命究竟改變了沒,我們卻能肯定,The Shins自此成了美式流行文化的重要指涉物之一。有著娜塔莉波曼一聲令下,自詡為潮流樂迷而不聽The Shins湊湊熱鬧,豈是落伍而已。坐擁此等背景,The Shins的第三張專輯Wincing the Night Away在發行首週大賣了十二萬張,榮登告示牌銷售榜第二名。然而,Garden State只是將他們推上寶座的臨門一腳;當你用心聽完The Shins的新作,便能體會這群貌不驚人的傢伙的確走紅有理。 這是一張完成於午夜的唱片。頂不住成名壓力,主唱兼詞曲主腦James Mercer染上了嚴重的失眠症。他在波特蘭的別墅裡對著日復一日的黎明破曉,於安眠藥尚未發效前寫下一首首關於夜晚的歌。不論詼諧或心碎,這些歌總有著流暢易懂的旋律線。吉他的位置向後挪移,以貝斯為編曲主幹,節奏組推動了整張專輯的安穩步調。神奇的是,James Mercer居住的別墅正是已故的傳奇唱作人Elliott Smith的舊宅,他的首張專輯Roman Candle便錄製於此。你對Wincing the Night Away更感興趣了嗎? 按下試聽機上的播放鈕。「Sleeping Lessons」讓你想起已解散的心愛樂隊Grandaddy;「Australia」的旋律鋪陳簡直是向The Smiths致敬。而虛擬鼓機與悠揚絃樂在「Sea Legs」的搭配更是巔峰時期的Moby遇上一直都在巔峰的Gomez。 The Shins或許缺乏了鮮明的識別聲響,卻是一人獨自開車於午夜公路的適切音樂。又或許,車上不只你一個人,娜塔莉波曼就坐在身旁。
Listened
July 29, 2008
精妙绝伦
2000s US
The Mezzanine
Douban
★ 7.0 10 ratings
Liz Durrett genre: Folk
release date 2006-01-24 publisher: Warm Electronic Recordings
In contrast to Liz's previous work, her second release is a surprisingly hi-fi affair. Gone are the hissing ghosts and unsure echoes that once haunted and obscured her recordings. Her voice and guitar are the focus here, and she performs with more energy, determination, and flat out rawness than ever before. These eleven songs cover a lot of ground. Produced by Vic Chesnutt and engineered by Andy Baker (Macha, Japancakes, Glands).
Listened
July 14, 2008
她的声音很深,很低。一张舒缓优美的唱片,烙印进我的高三。
2000s US LizDurrett
Armchair Apocrypha
Douban
★ 9.0 10 ratings
Andrew Bird genre: Folk
release date 2007-03-20 publisher: Fat Possum Records
Fingerlings 2 is Bird’s second in an ongoing series of live albums. This particular collection contains some solo works in progress from Andrew’s latest album, The Mysterious Production of Eggs, as well as some great collaborations, including 2 tracks as a duo with Nora O’Connor, one with My Morning Jacket backing him up, and 2 full on band rockers with the Bowl of Fire. Mojo Magazine named it a December 2004 album of the month: “If there’s one thing besides bank balance that distiguishes indie from major artists, it’s the stop-gap records – often live – that they put out between official albums. Major label ones are generally throwaway; indie ones, sold via gigs and websites, are often as good as, or better than, the “real” releases. The second in Bird’s live Fingerlings series falls into the latter category, for one simple reason: Bird is extraordinary live. Switching seamlessly between violin and guitar, and with a haunting voice that at times recalls Jeff Buckley, he creates a compelling if unclassifiable hybrid of alt country, introspective folk, classical and jazz. On Spanish for Monsters he sings the blues over gypsy violin; on Happy Day he’s clapboard gospel; but First Song is the highlight, the vocal and guitar, bucolic whistles and warbles riffing wonderfully off each other.”
Listened
July 14, 2008
温暖而变化万千
2000s US
23
Douban Discogs
★ 8.1 96 ratings
Blonde Redhead genre: Rock
release date 2007-04-10 publisher: 4AD
blonde redhead这个由两个义大利双胞胎和两个日本女生组成的怪异组合在很难用常理去归纳}他们。大可以偷懒地说他们是 no wave的关联产物(团名还是来自於经典no wave名团DNA之曲名),而乐风上也很难不去联想到sonic youth的痕迹,尤以早期作品最为显著,矛盾的是这也是教许多死忠blonde redhead迷最为留恋的,不是说打后的作品不好,只是该时期的他们特具一股狂放的初生之犊气势,除了满佈菱角的尖锐噪音吉他与急激节奏外,最抓得住听觉关注的自是贝斯手兼女主音kazu独树一帜的嗓音,虽然那种奇特的唱腔大抵会被纳}入kim gordon或是cat power的发声系统,然而纤细神经质的高尖音色却又十分有bjork的味道,kazu就像一个alternative女声的集结,充满挑逗性的痴人囈语,不得不承认blonde redhead的魅力有大半是来自於她。 Blonde Redhead成立于1993年,最初由日本籍留学生 Kazu Makino、 Maki Takahashi和一对意大利孪生兄弟Amedeo Pace 、 Simone Pace四人所组成。名字Blonde Redhead是取源于80年代 no-wave乐队 DNA的一首歌名。 学艺术的日裔学生与意大利双胞兄弟在纽约的意大利餐厅意外相遇,于是有了这个乐团刺耳的吉他、不断轮回的旋律、lo-fi的杂音以及静谧而有些夸张的歌词Blonde Redhead的乐风一直被认为与早期的sonic youth相似他们最初也正是被sonic youth的鼓手steve shelly相中签到steve shelly自己的厂牌smells like records旗下开始发行专辑的Blonde Redhead的名字取自DNA的一首歌而DNA也是sonic youth非常欣赏的no wave乐团。 1995年乐队发行了第一张专集《Blonde Redhead》,新专集面世不久,Maki Takahashi离开了乐队。同年乐队又继续发行了《La Mia Vita Violenta》,还有1997年的《Fake Can Be Just As Good》、1998年的《In an Expression of the Inexpressible》、2000年的《Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons》和《Melodie Citronique EP》,2004年4AD出版的《Misery Is Butterfly》。 曾经开玩笑的跟朋友说,听Blonde Redhead的感觉就是被灭他们加入了4AD,音乐上更加的Acid,但这丝毫不影响那种破灭的感觉午夜置身于Blonde Redhead制造的声音漩涡那喘息着的唱腔刺穿了杂音断电,犹如朵朵透明犀利的水花感觉自己也一同碎裂了,坠入冰冷的湖底......
Listened
July 14, 2008
刀割一般的迷人嗓音,刺痛的混沌氛围,谜一般的23。
2000s US
Fever to Tell
Douban
★ 8.7 53 ratings
Yeah Yeah Yeahs genre: Rock
release date 2003-04-29 publisher: Interscope Records
Yeah Yeah Yeahs已有相当大的进步——从他们同名EP那附庸风雅却又美妙的垃圾朋克,一直到Machine中直逼人心的紧迫感。《Fever to Tell》是乐队的第一张专辑(也是张标有Parental Advisory的专辑),乐队在专辑中的表现也同样显示他们的不断成长,但也显示这个组合开始不再完全拥有他们过去的一些特点。在时间利用效率上,他们的EP会是很好体现差异的范例,在乐队从前发行的EP中,噪音、旋律、混沌以及歌曲的总体结构所占的份额都在这个15到20分钟里安排得相当平衡。似乎乐队需要一张EP的时间限制来给他们的专辑限制界限——或许37分钟,因为《Fever to Tell》确实在几个不同的时段里听起来有点散漫而单调。这个问题主要是归结于差劲的专辑排序——乐队以他们所能录制出的最粗鲁最狂暴的声音作为专辑开篇,却又一下子转变成没完没了的实验以及优美的民谣作品——嘲讽的是,这种突然的转变就象这张专辑是他们有意把两张EP硬生生的拼起来的一样。乐队无论是崭新的一面还是延续以前的一面,都有非凡卓越——也有令人沮丧的时刻。 《Fever to Tell》的不足之处(象No No No,听起来冗长又罗嗦的一首朋克单曲,还捎加实验元素,不过这种实验音乐听起来有点笨拙。)也许他们应该从以前EP里拿来一些尝试过又获得成功的单曲,但这么做对于象Yeah Yeah Yeahs这种机敏善变的乐队来说无疑会让他们陷入停滞。事实上,他们在如此之短的时间内能够炮制出那么多的歌——尽管这只是他们的处女作——这张专辑听上去好象乐队正处于转型期;Yeah Yeah Yeahs也已经从根本上去重新思考他们音乐的发展。总而言之,《Fever to Tell》可能会让你觉得有些失望,但和EP中的好歌对于乐队成长的影响比起,专辑会显得更有价值,而这张专辑也无不证明就算Yeah Yeah Yeahs的音乐处于摇摆不定的阶段,但他们仍是一支令人激动的乐队。
Listened
July 14, 2008
第一次与Karen O一起疯癫
2000s US
Show Your Bones
Douban
★ 8.3 57 ratings
Yeah Yeah Yeahs genre: Rock
release date 2006-01-01 publisher: Interscope Records
千嬉年之后,美国纽约的地下音乐由The Strokes、White Stripes等乐队的迅速崛起迎来了垃圾音乐的复苏。而这支同样来自美国纽约的3人小乐团也是在这样的背景下诞生的。自3年前那张《Fever To Tell》发行后,他们就成了美国地下音乐的名角了,这不只在于他们在音乐上的杰出表现,更在于他们音乐所表述的那些关于性爱、同性恋等话题。 整支乐队给人映象最深的当然是女主唱Karen O了,你可以用一切诸如歇斯底里,放荡不羁等词语去形容她,对于这个需要偶像的年代,Karen O自然因此也赢得了不少Fans。在舞台上,她总是表现出那充满力量的情绪,用着那些“陈词滥调”去真诚的打动你,或者用她那特有的张力去唤醒你体内的荷尔蒙…… 3年之后,Yeah Yeah Yeahs带着这张依然前卫的《Show your Bones》再度出现在我们的视线中。 首支单曲Gold Lion随着木吉他的欢快节奏为我们款款道来,而随之而来的Way Out他们再度讲述着自己对性爱的理解,It's Just A Way Out...不知道这张专辑的下一首单曲会是哪首,但是如果是我,一定会选择这首Way Out,虽然只有短短的的不到3分钟,但是绝对可以体现他们这几年对音乐上的理解和专辑的概念。那首Phenomena的反复歌词不知道我有没有听错,They had sth.like banana...一滴汗。整体上,专辑依然是围绕着主唱时而欢愉时而忧伤的嗓音进行,乐队的另外两位成员Nick Zinner和Brian Chase也随着Karen O富有张力的表现力变换吉它的旋律与鼓声的节奏。一张近乎完美的狂放之作,推荐给大家
Listened
July 14, 2008
迷人的女疯子
2000s US
The Shepherd's Dog
Douban
★ 8.0 23 ratings
Iron & Wine genre: Folk
release date 2007-01-01 publisher: Sub Pop
After expanding his palette on both the superb Woman King EP and 2005's full-band collaboration with Calexico, In the Reins, Sam Beam finally completes his gradual journey from lo-fi home recordings to a full-band setup. The gorgeous results find Beam and producer Brian Deck deftly venturing into dub, blues, and West African music, among other styles.