☭ marselip0910 叶俊华™

Astralwerks
Indie pop/Indie folk

1.24-25
2.Mrs Cold
3.Me In You
4.Boat Behind
5.Rule My World

6.My Ship Isn’t Pretty
7.Renegade
8.Power Of Not Knowing
9.Peacetime Resistance
10.Freedom And Its Owner
11.Riot On An Empty Street
12.Second To Numb
13.Scars On Land



Kings of Convenience's third album, Declaration of Dependence, is a wonderful record for a lot of reasons. For one, Eirik Boe is equally comfortable talking about the record's "serious ideas" and laughing about its' "hi-brow Bossa Nova" moments while his partner Erlend Oye is clearly thrilled by making, "the most rhythmical pop record ever that features no percussion or drums." For another, there is no one who makes records like they do. "When we started out we were afraid of sounding like other artists," Erlend says. "But now we feel pretty much alone." But the most striking thing about this album is how powerfully it reminds you that making music together is not a game, it's not something to be undertaken lightly, this record is part of a much larger picture, a long and involved relationship that has had its good and bad times. Declaration of Dependence is the story of two people living two very different lives sensing that they are immensely more powerful together than apart. In that sense it is the most adult, the most mature record Kings of Convenience have ever made. That it is their most gripping, their most revealing is, if anything, just a by-product of that honesty and their endeavour. "Erlend is a very stubborn individual with extreme belief in his own ideas," says Eirik of his partner. "He's very free and creative and his access to unusual and fresh ideas is very good. I find that quite unique. For some reason they are very similar to my ideas on music - we like the same unusualness."



◎ 挪威享譽國際雙人清新民謠樂隊，睽違五年第三張全新錄音室大碟
◎ 獨立樂隊The Whitest Boy Alive個性派主唱Erlend Oye最初原創組合
◎ 彷若枕邊細語的動人吟唱，瞥見中提琴與吉他的追逐調情，染上慵懶Bossa Nova

越是簡單平凡的食材，越能測試出廚師的烹飪水準，而這個道理同樣適用於音樂圈。樂壇上充斥無數想要一試身手的樂隊，當中不乏以精簡雙人陣容出線的音樂組合，由北極潑猴Arctic Monkeys主唱Alex Turner領軍的末代皮影樂團The Last Shadow Puppets、The Kills以及The White Stripes，皆是另類樂迷近期耳熟能詳的成功例證。然而若要說，有誰真正繼承了Simon and Garfunkel及The Carpenters清新雋永的音樂特色，那肯定非「好自在樂團Kingf Of Convenience」莫屬。他們不只成員結構單純，在樂器選用與音樂創作上，也奉行著「越簡單越好」的原則。好自在樂團由Erlend Oye與Eirik Glambek Boe共同組成，同樣來自挪威卑爾根Bergen的兩人，從十歲開始便是彼此熟識的好友，最後乾脆一同攜手闖盪樂壇。

2001年兩人以好自在樂團為名，發表首張創作大碟《Quiet Is The New Loud》，眾星拱月的混音專輯《Versus》則在半年後接著問市。儘管一鳴驚人的他們，火速成為傳媒新寵，但兩人卻維持一貫悠哉隨興的步調，遲至2004年才帶來第二張錄音室專輯《Riot On An Empty Street》。近年來Erlend Oye十分熱衷好自在樂團之外的音樂事業，他除了在2003年發表個人專輯《Unrest》，亦在隔年出版DJ-Kicks混音輯。在柏林住了五年的他，最後更在當地籌組全新樂隊The Whitest Boy Alive，接連發行了兩張錄音室專輯。這樣的發展，雖然讓人見識到Erlend Oye出眾的創作才華，卻也讓喜愛好自在樂團的忠實歌迷不免擔憂，也許他們那撫慰人心的清新樂音，將成為眾人音樂收藏架上的絕響？

外界總以為Erlend Oye與Eirik Glambek Boe是「物以類聚」的最佳體現，卻不知道兩人的性格與生活態度，其實南轅北轍大不相同。兩人長久以來，一直在摩擦中尋求共識，他們更承認，直到這幾年雙方才真正摸索出最佳的相處之道。一段時間沒有聯絡的他們，因為2007年受邀到墨西哥演出，才終於再度碰頭，當時他們在海邊敘舊的場景，也忠實紀錄在相機鏡頭下，其中一張相片，更順勢成為本張大碟《靠得住Declaration of Dependence》的封面素材。當時他們意識到，儘管兩人皆能獨當一面，又何妨接納彼此的差異，再次展開合作。兩人深刻體認到相互依賴也是一種福氣，更決定將這個思維做為新專輯的標題。

讓樂迷足足等了五年，他們賦予樂隊更加和諧與成熟的靈魂及內涵：專輯開場歌曲〈24-25〉，以極簡配置發揮最驚人的乘數效果，當初等待的煎熬已微不足道；〈Boat Behind〉裡精湛的中提琴演奏，不時向輕巧流暢的吉他撒嬌，朗朗上口的吟唱則適時鼓舞了兩項樂器的求愛追逐；〈Mrs. Cold〉、〈Me In You〉、〈Peacetime Resistance〉與〈Freedom And Its Owner〉等歌曲或多或少皆染上Bossa Nova慵懶寫意的情調；〈My Ship Isn't Pretty〉可謂專輯中最慘情的作品，Erlend Oye更以假音擔任合音；〈Second To Numb〉展現兩人絕佳歌喉與兩把原音吉他如何巧妙地合而為一；〈Scars On Land〉則被Erlend Oye形容為「幾乎像是翻唱Portishead的歌曲」。

擁有全新默契，彷若初秋微風的吉他彈奏，輔以猶如枕邊細語的動人吟唱...本張專輯將滿足你對過去的依戀，也證明了明天確實會更好。