2014年7月12日 星期六

Godspeed You! Black Emperor / Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada

Godspeed You! Black Emperor因為去年四月來台的演唱會,從我心中的如偶像般的樂團昇華成如宗教信仰般無可取代的存在,正如他們在雜誌上這樣描述自己:「我們的音樂雖然沒有歌詞、沒有主唱,並不代表我們沒有要傳達的意念。對於小巧美麗卻空洞的旋律,我們沒有過度的熱情去刻意營造。我們想要帶給聽眾截然不同的觸發,藉由旋律與編曲上的創新以及音樂電影的製作,使得歌本身富有內容與質地,重新編制這些獨特的聲響以及現場收音,塑造出一個今天這個意念堅強的Godspeed You! Black Emperor。」


這張《Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada》是Godspeed You! Black Emperor在廠牌Kranky發行《F# A# (Infinity)》之後,以EP形式釋出的第二張專輯(但黑膠卻是在廠牌Constellation發行),由於Godspeed You! Black Emperor於1993年在蒙特婁成團,1997為了要舉行北美巡迴演唱會,便由本來的廠牌Constellation轉到Kranky,Kranky收到GY! BE(Godspeed You! Black Emperor的簡稱)的第一張限量黑膠後,隨即發行他們在Kranky的第一張專輯也就是《F# A# (Infinity)》。

他們選擇芝加哥作為北美巡迴演唱會的起點站,第一場演唱會僅僅吸引二十五人前來觀賞,不過隨著巡迴表演持續地進行,很快地GY! BE在北美洲建立了相當程度的知名度,經過多年耕耘以及如宗教般令人狂熱信想的黑暗旋律,GY! BE已確立在後搖滾之中不可不知的地位。

《Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada》中收錄了兩首歌,分別為〈Moya〉跟〈Blaise Bailey Finnegan III〉(簡稱為〈BBF3〉),專輯長度仍長達二十八分鐘。

〈Moya〉是引自GY! BE剛開始成團的其中一位成員——吉他手Mike Moya,《F# A# (Infinity)》、《Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada》這兩張專輯裡的吉他都是出自Mike Moya之手,然而Mike Moya在1998離開GY! BE,轉而專注於Set Fire to Flames與HṚṢṬA這兩個樂團上,值得一提的是,Mike Moya離開GY! BE的時候,《Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada》這張EP尚未發行,所以〈Moya〉也算是紀念Mike Moya的里程碑,但在2000年發行的《Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven》中〈Antenna to Heaven〉開場的人聲便是Mike Moya的聲音,Mike Moya濃濃的鄉村風味唱著:「Baby oh... Baby Oh...」的字句,便被捲入時光漩渦之中。


在早期GY! BE的表演中,〈Moya〉有時候會以〈Gorecki〉的名稱出現在歌單中,因為一般相信〈Moya〉受到波蘭當代古典編曲家Henryk Górecki,尤其Henryk Górecki善用低音大提琴嗡嗡作響的低音聲製造出環境音樂的氛圍,隨即帶入隆隆作響的鼓聲與小提琴的加入,使得歌曲進入另一個高潮澎湃的橋段,Henryk Górecki的作品中也時常運用聲樂增添歌曲中的神聖優美感,從Henryk Górecki的〈Symphony No.3〉(又可稱作〈Symphony of Sorrow Songs〉)中便可隱約察覺其脈絡,由此也已將〈Moya〉視為GY! BE對Henryk Górecki致敬的作品。




第二首歌曲〈BFF3〉的歌名源自於街頭訪問一位叫做Blaise Bailey Finnegan III,這首歌的核心在於此人發表的特殊言論而引起議論,訪談內容其實是很隨性的聊天,但因為Blaise Bailey Finnegan III談及的日常生活、人生觀以及對於美國政治地位的見解與常人迥異,使得歌曲除了本身的旋律之外,這位男子的言論更是一大亮點。

在訪問的後半段,Blaise Bailey Finnegan III唸了一段他自己寫的詩,然而這首詩大部分都是援引自英國重金屬樂手Blaze Bayley在1996年替樂團Iron Maiden寫的〈Virus〉,歌詞以描述社會病態與社會觀察,這位Blaise Bailey Finnegan III在先前的《F# A# (Infinity)》中〈Providence〉也貢獻了訪談的部分。



〈BBF3〉是一首影像之歌,並不是說歌曲以音樂影片的方式呈現,而是音樂本身並非單純擔任訪談背後的配樂,訪談與音樂的質量相輔相成,雖然特殊題材的訪談內容構成歌曲本身的核心價值,但旋律卻再次營造訪談內容的高潮迭起,歌曲前二分之一的地方確實著重於訪談本身,當訪談在進行時,GY! BE的貝斯、吉他重複的相同旋律,偶有鋼琴的聲音點綴,隨著訪談的聲音漸漸淡去,蟄伏在背景之後的鼓聲漸漸隆隆作響和狂飆的吉他成為急促而不可忽視的存在,直到歌曲末段才慢慢消散逝去,由小提琴以及高頻人聲像是鬼魂般若有似無的環繞周圍。

GY! BE與後搖滾其實無法再多做什麼評論,當他在我的生命中成為狂熱且不可動搖的信仰時,我閉上雙眼就可以看見黑暗帝國的行軍畫面,唯一客觀就是瞭解每首個的背景淵源,像是聖經箴言炙熱地烙在心上。

最後附上奇男子Blaise Bailey Finnegan III在〈BBF3〉的訪談內容。

GY! BE: Well...where are you coming from?

BBF3: Well...I don't like the way the country's ran, don't you know, and, erm...that's pretty much what I was expressing in my poem. the government...the american government - they're sneaky, they're very deceitful, they're liers, they're cheats, they're rip-offs. I mean, the american government is one systematic government that...that nobody can trust. i don't trust them myself. 

GY! BE: And how long have you been writing for?

BBF3: Huh?

GY! BE: How long have you been writing for?

BBF3: Since i was four. 

GY! BE: D'you do this sort of thing a lot, like, open-mic kinda questions?

BBF3: Oh i love open-mics, I love coming here to do open-mics, absolutely. 

GY! BE: What kind of reactions d'you usually get?

BBF3: Usually, people are...are pretty much in agreement with what I'm saying. 

GY! BE: We overheard you before talking about...you went to court today for a speeding ticket...?

BBF3: That's accurate.

GY! BE: Right. D'you wanna tell us that story?

BBF3: Yes, absolutely, I wouldn't mind telling you the story. Erm...I went to court today for a speeding ticket, and I told the judge, erm..."let me tell you something, and you listen and you listen good, I'm only gonna say this one time and one time only, I don't repeat myself for nobody," I said. I says..."I'm here to pay a speeding ticket, not to listen to your lectures and hear you run your mouth for an hour." I says "I'm here to pay off my speeding ticket...and I'm here to get my fines out of the way and get the fuck to work." The judge says "you can't talk like that in my courtroom, you're in contempt of court." then I said...I told the judge, "if that's the best you can do, I feel sorry for you." I said "why don't you just shut your fucking mouth for once and listen." I said "I'm not gonna take any shit." I said "I'm gonna pay my speeding ticket like I said." I walked up to the god damn judge and I hand him my 25 dollars and i says "here's my money, now I am leaving."
and I left it at that...
...then, before I left, I turned around and told the judge "I'm here to state who I am and be honest with you." I said "if they thought I was dangerous on the road like you're trying to accuse me of, wouldn't they have taken my license when I first got it? yes they would. and the judge says "yeah, you have a point," he goes "you don't need to get loud," I said "don't get loud?" I says "I've got every right to get loud." I says "you can't do a god damn thing about it, because i'm expressing myself in your court, and there is nothing you can do about it. you think you're god because you have a robe and you can put people up the god damn river for 20 years? well you're not."and I left it at that... 

GY! BE: Did you walk away?

BBF3: Yes i did...I don't like the judicial system, i don't like the government system, I don't like the police, I don't like anything to do with this country's government. I just don't like it, because...they're sneaky, like I said - they're deceitful, they're lying, they're cheats, the rip people off. That's the american government for you. america is a third world country, and people don't recognise it...and I think that that's pretty god damn sad, that they don't recognise their own country as a third world, third rate, third class slum.

GY! BE: Well...d'you have any weapons?

BBF3: Yes, i do. I own a high-powered assault rifle, I own a 12-gauge double barrel shotgun, I own a regular shotgun, I own a regular hunting rifle, I own a 9 milimetre, a 357, a 45 handgun, a 38 special, and, erm...I own an m-16 fully automatic ground assault rifle... 

GY! BE: D'you think things are gonna get better before they get worse?

BBF3: No way. Things are just gonna get worse and keep on getting worse. Like I said, America's a third world country as it is and...and we're just basically in a hopeless situation as it stands. 

GY! BE: What d'you think this country's gonna look like in the year 2003?

BBF3: Y'know, I'll tell you the truth - nothing against you guys, but I don't wanna answer that question because...I haven't even got a mind that's that...that inhumane.

GY! BE:  Are you ready for what's coming?

BBF3: Ready as I'll ever be. 

GY! BE: Most people aren't.

BBF3: There's a little saying...dates back for generations... 

GY! BE: Go on...

BBF3: Be prepared for anything at any time from anybody, don't take no shit, always stand your ground. People wanna come up to me and run their mouth - guess what? I'll throw them through the fucking window...I won't think a thing of it.

GY! BE: Would you mind reciting your poem for us?

BBF3: Not at all, i don't see why...I don't see why I couldn't. 

(接下來這段就是BBF3有引用到Iron Maiden 〈Virus〉的歌詞)

there's an evil virus that's threatening mankind
it's not state of the art, it's a serious state of the mind
the muggers, the backstabbers, the two faced elite
a menace to society, a social disease
to brainwash the mind is a social disorder
the cynics, the apathy one-upmanship order
watching beginnings of social decay
gloating and sneering at life's disarray
eating away at your own self esteem
pouncing on every word that you might be saying
to attack someones mind is a social disorder
the constitution, the government, martial law order
superficially smiling a shake of the hand
as soon as your back is turned treason is planned
when every good thing's laid to rest
by the governments hate, by the constitution and their lies
and every time you think you're safe
and when you go to turn away
you know they're sharpening all their knives
all in your mind
all in your head
try to relate it
all in your mind
all in your head
try to escape it
without a conscience they destroy
and that's a thing that they enjoy
they're a sickness that's in all of our minds
they want to sink the ship and leave
the way they laugh at you and me
you know it happens all the time
but it only happens in your mind
the rats in the cellar you know who you are...
or do you?
watching beginnings of social decay... 

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