J's Heaven

1980-1995是最美好最讓人嚮往的時光, 不僅因為這是我的童年時代, 而且這15年里出產的音樂以至電影許多都成為了我的最愛.

如果要列出我最愛的十大樂團, 80年代末的Galaxie 500毫無疑問會佔一席位. 他們的音樂具有獨特個性和視野, 充滿時代性, 在20年後的今天甚至20年後都不會讓人覺得落伍. 美妙悅耳的旋律加上簡約主義的樂器演奏(可以看到The Velvet Underground和Spacemen 3的影子), 營造出如夢似境的氣氛, 對之後的shoegaze和slowcore流派有著重要的影響.

前一陣子重溫了80年代的經典港產愛情片<秋天的童話>, 很奇妙的讓我聯想起Galaxie 500, 我想這是因為兩者都是屬於那個年代, 兩者都能給我那種簡單而溫暖的感覺吧.

I don't wanna stay at your party
I don't wanna talk with your friends
I don't wanna vote for your president
I just wanna be your tugboat captain

It's a place I'd like to be
It's a place I'd like to be
It's a place I'd like to be
It's a place I'd be happy
It's a place I'd like to be
It's a place I'd like to be
It's a place I'd like to be
It's a place I'd be happy

I don't wanna stay at your party
I don't wanna talk to your friends
I don't wanna vote for your president
I just wanna be your tugboat captain

 Now Play:

什麼都不想做, 只想獨自躺在太平洋或撒哈拉中央, 就這樣半浮半沉著.

Now Play: <Firesky>

錯過了The Radio Dept.的香港演出, 感到非常痛心, 然後前天看到九月底Underworld計劃來台北和香港演出的消息, 一下子心情又興奮起來, 而且聽說當晚演出會舉行至凌晨, 心情更是期待萬分.

雖然Electronic music 一直都不是我旳最愛, 但是上年11月欣賞完德國電子音樂鼻祖Kraftwerk在香港的超酷超型的演出後, 發覺電子音樂的現場原來是可以令人這麼著迷的, 所以Underworld的這一場更不可錯過了!

這幾年許多音樂類型的現場都欣賞過了, 現在只等一場Shoegaze演出的來臨呢~

Now Playing: <Cowgirl>

過幾天瑞典愛團The Radio Dept. 會到香港和國內巡演, 很遺憾的是因工作緣故我又要錯過了, 真的很痛心, 真不知道以後是否還有機會看到他們的現場了, 或者會是Eight Years之後??

It's been eight years
I'd like to travel through time
But I can't do that
I never knew that good experiences
Could cause a pain like this
I want something that I can't have

I close my eyes and someone is calling my name
I lean over the window pane
And in the distance I can just about catch a glimpse of us
We had a ball
We had it all

Now Playing: <It's Been Eight Years>  

忘了什麼時侯開始愛上瞪鞋噪音，反正現在它己成為了我生活中的麻醉劑．

Now Playing: <The Sun  Is Cruising >

際此5.1勞動節, 想找一首應節之歌, 腦袋馬上閃過的第一首歌就是Pulp的這首Mis-shapes. 據說這首歌當年成為了英國工人階層的國歌，舉行什麼遊行絕食罷工抗議時都例必播這首歌 (其實我建議香港的雷曼苦主下次遊行時也可以播放這首歌)：

Just put your hands up - it's a raid yeah:
We want your homes, we want your lives,
we want the things you won't allow us.
We won't use guns, we won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing we've got more of - that's our minds

多麼煽情又到肉的控訴，加上由慵懶(近乎無賴)人物Jarvis Cocker以愛理不理方式哼出，難怪社會低下階層對這首情有獨鐘熱血沸騰，聞說Jarvis早年不得志時曾在街市做過販賣鮮魚工作，我想也只有這種經歷才讓他寫出這樣的歌詞．聽這首歌時，讓我聯想到近半年各國平民就金融海嘯遊行時所舉起的標語(如"Hang The Bankers"), 和這首歌詞有異曲同工之妙，我想各國政府還真的要認真想想如何解決日漸嚴重的貧富懸殊，否則歌詞和標語上的口號難保一朝被付諸實行．

Mis-shapes, mistakes, misfits.
Raised on a diet of broken biscuits, oh we don't look the same as you
We don't do the things you do, but we live around here too. Oh really.
Mis-shapes, mistakes, misfits, we'd like to go to town but we can't risk it
Oh 'cause they just want to keep us out.
You could end up with a smash in the mouth just for standing out.
Oh really. Brothers, sisters, can't you see?
The future's owned by you and me.
There won't be fighting in the street.
They think they've got us beat, but revenge is going to be so sweet.
We're making a move, we're making it now, we're coming out of the side-lines.
Just put your hands up - it's a raid yeah:
We want your homes, we want your lives,
we want the things you won't allow us.
We won't use guns, we won't use bombs
We'll use the one thing we've got more of - that's our minds.
Check your lucky numbers, that much money could drag you under, oh.
What's the point of being rich if you can't think what to do with it?
'Cause you're so very thick.
Oh we weren't supposed to be, we learnt too much at school now
we can't help but see.
That the future that you've got mapped out is nothing much to shout about.
We're making a move, we're making it now,
We're coming out of the side-lines.

Now Playing: <Mis-shapes>

樓下的Dolores O'Riordan是早期王菲的模仿對像, 但之後的更長的一段時間這個華語流行音樂天后的模仿對象是她的偶像Cocteau Twins. Cocteau Twins的名字早已是如雷貫耳, 但一直礙於聞說她們的post-punk和仙音(Ethereal)的風格而却步．直至最近知道他們在1996解散前的最後一張專輯<Milk & Kisses>一改創作風格，是我喜歡的Dream-pop，而結果也沒讓我失望．所謂的經典，我會定義為那些能創作出美麗動人的旋律，但同時又能有自己獨樹一幟的風格和保留某程度上的藝術感的Artist, 根據這定義下Cocteau Twins也可以算是一個經典．

<Milk & Kisses>里我的One Selection毫無疑問是<Treasure Hiding>, 原因是這首歌少了Elizabeth Fraser那種高音域的仙音(受不了太多仙音)，而多了如夢似霧的音牆(個人感覺很像Slowdive)．歌曲的首2分30秒是醞釀情緒，只有Elizabeth Fraser和結他烟烟袅袅的呢喃，接著才是Fraser以正常音域但同樣甜美的聲音唱出動人的旋律(加上仙音和聲)，而結重音牆也變得厚重激昂，真XXX好聽啦！

以上的嘮嘮叨叨是模仿那些專業樂評(原來要用文字描述音樂还真不容易), 現在还是聽歌吧: )

You listen hard
Fear of flying, Fear of flying
With our love
Now I am sure
You and I will(the lips, the heart)
And you and I yeah, Illuminated
The lips, the heart, Illuminated
Fear of flying(the lips, the heart)
Fear of flying
Fear of flying(the heart, the soul,
illuminated, illuminated)
The lips the heart
The heart the soul
illuminated

Heart-shaped chews and traps
Treasure hiding
Scared of temptress skill
Love I'd sold, I was trying
Deep without us
Down down and further- tears
Collective in try and stop
Fire is out
Not ready focus
Life places scars
Purify them
Constancy
Purifies new skins
In excelcius
Glee she'll use as fire
Lips spread the fire
Your heart
And you are ready

The lips, the heart
You're the fire, you're the flame
The heart, the soul
Hand in hand, hand in hand

Now Playing: <Treasure Hiding>

Slowdive在解散之後，隊員都各自發展，而且成績亦不錯(証明Slowdive的成員個個都能獨當一面): Christian Savill 成立Monster Movie延續Slowdive的夢幻音樂之旅，鼓手Simon Scott另組Televise開拓電子氣氛新天地，最後大家最熟悉是莫過於是Neil和Rachel搖身一變成為獨立民謠樂队Mojave 3. 他們兩個的民謠傾向其實早在Slowdive時就能看到端倪, 一首Daggar就是最好的証明．據他們解釋說Distortion雖然好玩，但他們想做一些音樂是大家用accoustic結他都能玩的．

<Spoon and Rafter >里雖然不是每首歌都好聽，但這首＜Starlight No 1>却絕對是百聽不厭的抒情作品，是舒緩平日生活压力的不錯選擇．

Said you never felt so strange
Said I never felt so strange
Hanging out with the drifters, the poets and the painters that fill your head

No I never wanted much
No I never wanted much
And we're old enough now to know you never want it till someone does

Don't you think you should try a little
To make it all come clean?
Is this highway a road to love or
just a way to get to him
What you gonna get out of nothing?
Cos nothing is the way it seems

I saw you in the silence
I saw you in the darkness
Crawling through the pillars of your pain
I saw you in the silence
Crawling through the pillars of your pain

Judy I can see your smile
Running with your hair all wild
Running for the weekend
Looking for the daylight in your eyes

Don't you think you should try a little
To make it all come clean?
Is this highway a road to love or
just a way to get to him
What you gonna get out of nothing?
Cos nothing is the way it seems

I saw you in the silence
I saw you in the darkness
Crawling through the pillars of your pain

I saw you in the silence
Crawling through the pillars of your pain
Of your pain

Now Playing: <Starlight No. 1> 

面對著工作桌上那份密密麻麻的5/6月工作／出差時間表，我決定趁著現在還算一息尚存多寫幾篇日誌．這次我想要寫的是瑞典獨立音樂界的走音天王Pelle Carlberg（當然他的走音是故意而為塑造個人的歌唱風格，和我自己去唱KTV時的無意走音是有點分別的）

我常說有些歌是一定要留意歌詞的，Pelle Carlberg的創作是其中一個例子．個人感覺是，在Edson時代的他對人生看得比較悲觀，歌詞里很常自怨自艾，而且以男女感情為題的歌也比較多．單飛後的Pelle創作自由度可能相對較大，而且這個時侯已成為一個有人生閱歷也有家室的大叔，創作意境變得積極樂觀，能敏銳地觀察到身邊和社會上的一些看似微不足道的事情，然後用幽默或諷刺或自嘲的歌詞深刻地把它們表逹和舒發出來，或許已成為幾個孩子爸爸的他，最終目的是想透過音樂創作告訴孩子們他這個老爸的視野，人生觀和價值觀吧．

<The Luck I Never Had>是Pelle在Edson時所創作的，歌詞和音樂都有點悲傷，碰上這幾天自己的心情有點郁悶和迷惘，聽後特有感觸，看來還是要聽些陽光一點的Post-rock音樂平衡一下．

應一位超級Dolores O'Riordan粉絲的朋友的要求, 天字第2號主角是The Cranberries. 從抽屜里找回這張心愛收藏, 回憶隨即而來. 這張唱片對我來說也算是挺有意義的, 因為這是我第二張外國唱片收藏, 第一張是Spice Girls 1996年的<Spice> (囧, 好吧, 我承認我曾經是這5位愛穿運動服的英國辣妹的粉絲...囧). 那時是一星期不吃午飯省下來的錢才僅僅足夠買一張碟, 所以每一張收藏都是值得紀念. The Cranberries可算是我中學時代最愛的BAND之一吧, 到現在我仍然覺得Dolores是最具魅力的女聲(沒有之一). 另一值得寫下的事情是，寫這段文字的時候讓我懷念一位初中時侯的好朋友，是他介紹Cranberries給我認識的，可惜及後他移民加拿大之後就沒怎麼聯絡了，因這段文字讓我嘗試用Facebook尋找這位舊時好友，結果竟然找到一位貌似是他的人，現在就等他回覆，如果真的是他，我會讓他來看這段文字，以及聽以下這首歌：

Holding on thats what I do
Since I met you
And it wont be long, would you notice
If I left you
And its fine for some
Cause youre not the one,
All night long, I laid on my pillow
These things are wrong
I cant sleep here
So lonely, so lonely
I have decided to leave you forever
I have decided to start things from here
Thunder and lightning wont change
What Im feeling
And the daffodils look lovely today
Ol in your eyes I can see the disguise
Ol in your eyes I can see the dismay
Has anyone seen lightning
Has anyone looked lovely
And the daffodils looked lovely today
Looked lovely

 Now Playing: Daffodil Lament

Blog Heading "J's Heaven" 是來自Slowdive其中一首歌, 所以順理成章Slowdive就成為這Blog的No.1. 第一次聽Shoegaze音樂是這張張專輯中的<Alison>，那時可謂是驚為天人，原來搖滾還可以這樣玩的！專輯中另一首更讓我上隱的是這首<Machine Gun> (Jimi Hendrix也有一首同名歌), 朦朦朧朧的音牆中滲透著Rachel Goswell的飄渺的歌聲，彷彿讓人置身於騰雲駕霧的夢中......這樣的形容太誇張了吧？你聽聽就知了！

see you walking and i know shes my friend, again
just the weight of the water drags me down, again
guess i'll think of the water its my friend, oh yea
it's just the way that the water makes me feel again
son of sheba i saw him drown
son of yellow i saw him drown
it's all i need yeah

Now Playing: <Machine Gun>