S.C.U.M

1968年，闖蕩紐約的藝術(shù)青年瓦萊麗·索拉娜斯突然舉槍射向藝術(shù)界的大佬Andy Warhol，人們之后發(fā)現(xiàn)她還寫了一本名為《SCUM Manifesto》的書，宣揚(yáng)全世界所有女人聯(lián)合起來(lái)創(chuàng)造一個(gè)大同世界的理想。整整40年后，一支年輕的樂(lè)隊(duì)在倫敦東南部成立了，并受到《SCUM Manifesto》的啟發(fā)把自己的名字定為了S.C.U.M。
“去你的，我們做音樂(lè)又不是為了討你開心！”S.C.U.M 樂(lè)隊(duì)的成員Samuel Kilcoyne在面對(duì)別人覺(jué)得樂(lè)隊(duì)有那么點(diǎn)“裝”的質(zhì)疑時(shí)顯得有點(diǎn)憤怒?！拔覀儾幌嘈潘^的成功，我們只相信自己，請(qǐng)聽了我們的音樂(lè)再說(shuō)話。”主唱Thomas Cohen點(diǎn)頭稱是，聲援起自己的隊(duì)友來(lái)。 事實(shí)上，人們對(duì)于樂(lè)隊(duì)有點(diǎn)“裝”的印象并不那么毫無(wú)道理。因?yàn)樵贗ndie Rock盛行，年輕樂(lè)隊(duì)都很平易近人的今天，S.C.U.M的出現(xiàn)的確是有那么點(diǎn)特立獨(dú)行，甚至無(wú)形之中會(huì)讓人產(chǎn)生那么一點(diǎn)距離感。因?yàn)?，S.C.U.M可不像一般的樂(lè)隊(duì)一樣會(huì)在采訪時(shí)和記者們聊自己受了誰(shuí)和誰(shuí)的影響，他們一開始就果斷地聲稱從沒(méi)有任何人在音樂(lè)上影響過(guò)樂(lè)隊(duì)。而在的巡演路途上，樂(lè)隊(duì)也會(huì)專門在當(dāng)?shù)卣乙粋€(gè)錄音室用音樂(lè)記錄下自己對(duì)于這座城市的想法，并用“SIGNALS” 為名把它們歸到一個(gè)系列供樂(lè)迷下載，藝術(shù)氣息十足。而隨著樂(lè)隊(duì)的名氣越來(lái)越響，樂(lè)迷們還發(fā)現(xiàn)S.C.U.M的成員們也普遍來(lái)頭不小，主唱Thomas Cohen是英國(guó)電視名人Peaches Geldof的男朋友，Samuel Kilcoyne是前衛(wèi)電子樂(lè)團(tuán)Add N to X成員Barry 7的兒子，而貝司手Huw Webb則是The Horrors樂(lè)隊(duì)成員Rhys Webb的弟弟。再加上樂(lè)隊(duì)成員修建的整整齊齊的中長(zhǎng)發(fā)和時(shí)尚簡(jiǎn)約的穿著，S.C.U.M實(shí)在是挺容易給人以一種紈绔子弟組個(gè)樂(lè)隊(duì)打發(fā)無(wú)聊時(shí)間的感覺(jué)。 但S.C.U.M自己明白樂(lè)隊(duì)的音樂(lè)目標(biāo)絕非裝裝姿態(tài)的無(wú)病呻吟，想要真正去影響別人便只有寫出能感染人的歌曲這一條路。于是，在早期那張走實(shí)驗(yàn)風(fēng)格但聽上去有些蒼白的 《Visions Arise》之后，樂(lè)隊(duì)便沒(méi)有再發(fā)表作品，而是鉆研起了電影配樂(lè)，民謠和鄉(xiāng)村音樂(lè)，并想從中得到一些寫歌的啟示。在去年的時(shí)候，樂(lè)隊(duì)更是花了整整一年的時(shí)間到荒無(wú)人煙的英國(guó)郊區(qū)去排練創(chuàng)作，最終完成了首張專輯。 盡管這張專輯會(huì)在什么時(shí)候發(fā)表還并沒(méi)有確定，但從Mute公司率先為樂(lè)隊(duì)發(fā)表的《Amber Hands》單曲來(lái)看，他們的表現(xiàn)已經(jīng)有了脫胎換骨的變化，早期作品里那噪音化卻顯得單調(diào)的吉他部分得到了很大程度的豐富，算是樂(lè)隊(duì)的音樂(lè)打下了一個(gè)很深沉的基礎(chǔ)，再加上合成器的演奏，S.C.U.M的新作聽上去黑暗而又飄逸。而Thomas Cohen的嗓音也變得旋律化了不少，很能打動(dòng)人。不過(guò)，可別以為樂(lè)隊(duì)就這么放棄了之前的藝術(shù)立場(chǎng)走起了流行路線。從他們能請(qǐng)來(lái)了德高望重的Silver Apples和Sonic Boom來(lái)給《Amber Hands》做Remix的舉動(dòng)，我們就能看出他們依然保持了很高的眼界。 在有態(tài)度的同時(shí)，又通過(guò)勤奮的排練得到了音樂(lè)上的提升，或許隨著專輯的發(fā)表，會(huì)有越來(lái)越多的樂(lè)迷意識(shí)到S.C.U.M絕非一群眼高手低的紈绔子弟，而是真正懷有熱忱和創(chuàng)新意識(shí)的音樂(lè)家。
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S.C.U.M. – or to give them their full originally-invented-by-would-be-Warhol-assassin Valerie-Solanas name, Society For Cutting Up Men: essentially a cheery manifesto about how all men are a bit rubbish, basically – hark back to the clattering industrial sounds of yore, managing to evade the ham-fisted attempts of lesser acts who’ve looked to the era for inspiration.
There is something over-archingly immense about how the band have transformed from the embryonic state of ‘a(chǎn)ll talk and no trousers’, and are now bursting into a thrilling declaration of ‘a(chǎn)ctually, there’s more than just trousers, there’s hats too’. After initially arriving in 2008 as an act born from the Underage (festival, club nights etc) scene, and featuring a brother of a Horror and the son of an Add N to (X), they seemed a bit like a psychedelically incestuous art-rock EastEnders.
Comparisons with The Horrors are rife, mainly because of the connections and a similar outlook and sound. But then, we all thought we had the measure of Faris and company once, and now they’ve turned into the best band in Britain. And, really, there’s no reason why S.C.U.M. shouldn’t follow them.
Amazingly haired soundscapery and ominous and intriguing racket is S.C.U.M.’s stock in trade. Opener Faith Unfolds bowls about optimistically for a while, before swooning into a motorik glide, while the synthy washes of Amber Hands suggests there was a roaring trade going on for early Simple Minds albums around Hoxton at the start of this year. Thomas Cohen’s voice fits perfectly, with a baritone full of foreboding and illicit promise. Requiem builds into a coalescent swarm of noise, while album closer Whitechapel moves gracefully with a touch of cosmic disco among its swathes of cello and mellotron, and then breaks into a slight canter.
With high-concept sounds and an ace sleeve, Again Into Eyes is a bold debut, and an extremely rewarding experience. Initial listens may paint it as a bit of a pretentious dirge, but dive into it and soon warmth and light flood in. There’s a sense that S.C.U.M. are only just beginning, and the promise here suggests you should mark them for future greatness.