Japancakes

猶記得后搖滾樂派蓬勃發(fā)展的九零年代尾，來自美國獨(dú)立音樂重鎮(zhèn)雅典（此地還產(chǎn)過R.E.M.、Neutral Milk Hotel與Pacific UV等良團(tuán)），由吉他手Eric Berg領(lǐng)軍的純演奏團(tuán)體Japancakes，是一隊(duì)聲響調(diào)校與譜寫概念都出類拔萃至極的組合。
雖然團(tuán)員迭有更換，Japancakes始終堅(jiān)持在錄音過程中，奉行一次只錄一項(xiàng)樂器的美學(xué)。換言之，樂手在另一名樂手的已成篇幅上加諸自己的詮釋，一層一層往高樓堆砌。說來神奇，即使編曲嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)，音樂卻出落得有機(jī)奔放，毫無拘束感。Japancakes改良了鄉(xiāng)村音樂的靈魂P(guān)edal Steel Guitar，賦予此種傳統(tǒng)樂器嶄新的現(xiàn)代氣息，同時(shí)兼容了大小提琴構(gòu)成的弦樂部。旋律一如團(tuán)名，沾染著初秋正午的溫暖色調(diào)，就像一塊濃郁香甜的日式蛋糕。
無怪乎發(fā)行于1999年的首張專輯If I Could See Dallas，早成了我個(gè)人鐘愛的后搖滾經(jīng)典大作?？上У氖?，或許初試啼聲便將標(biāo)準(zhǔn)拉得太高，Japancakes往后于不同廠牌發(fā)行的后續(xù)作品，竟給人原處繞圈的感慨。尤其2004年于家鄉(xiāng)廠牌Warm發(fā)表的Walking Hours，內(nèi)容寂寥停滯，幾已陷入了死氣沉沉的泥沼。
所幸Japancakes力圖振作，2007年尾重整旗鼓，野心十足地推出了兩張錄音室大碟。先行問世的Giving Machines延續(xù)了Japancakes成軍以來的同質(zhì)音色，雖稱不上再攀高峰，卻也一掃了Walking Hours時(shí)不我予的局促感。比例吃重的高低弦樂與魔音穿腦般的Pedal Steel Guitar仍是Japancakes兩門主要武器，開場曲Double Jointed踏著輕快的步伐，配合逐漸上揚(yáng)的曲勢，聽者的心境很難不隨之愉悅。
若說Walking Hours揭開了Japancakes不為人知的陰沈面，Giving Machines便完整回歸至If I Could See Dallas討人歡心的快活調(diào)子。尤其翻玩了Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas一曲，成了全張唱片最驚艷的一段?？墒浅梢卜?，敗也如此。Japancakes企圖勃勃地發(fā)表了另一張徹頭徹尾的翻玩專輯，將原曲改編成地道的日式蛋糕風(fēng)味。別的不挑，他們挑上了My Bloody Valentine的絕世名盤Loveless。
將原曲中的人聲改為Pedal Steel Guitar，主旋律改為弦樂，少了My Bloody Valentine最受人稱道（也是Loveless定義Shoegazing紀(jì)元）的吉他反饋效果（Feedback Effects），Japancakes版本的Loveless呈現(xiàn)出的是一幅油漆未干，外出時(shí)少穿了一只襪子的「未完成」格局。這種薄霧退盡的赤裸狀態(tài)，恰好完全背離了Loveless經(jīng)由一圈圈吉他反饋塑造出的厚重神秘質(zhì)地。
翻玩的原意除了某種致敬趣味，最高段數(shù)仍屬賦予原作嶄新生命的同時(shí)，仍能鑒古知今，兼具兩組人馬的獨(dú)到風(fēng)格。Japancakes的圓滑氣場，或許契合了Loveless的部份歌曲，事實(shí)卻是絕大多數(shù)顯得滑稽牽強(qiáng)，起了強(qiáng)烈的反效果。以I Only Said與Sometimes為例，曾癡迷于My Bloody Valentine版本的樂迷若再聽Japancakes的演繹成品，很難不聯(lián)想到一個(gè)昏昏欲睡、于廉價(jià)汽車旅館中渡過的荒蕪下午。
Japancakes敢于挑戰(zhàn)經(jīng)典，勇氣當(dāng)然可佳。但先天的結(jié)構(gòu)性問題（缺少主唱，既有的樂器選擇），譜出的結(jié)果卻令人皺眉。唯一的正面意義是再度提醒我們原始的Loveless之所以難以超越，正在于這等刻意復(fù)制都會(huì)錯(cuò)誤百出的難以再造（Re-Create）性格。
播畢Japancakes的Loveless，我做的第一件事不是即刻重聽，反而是起身至唱片架，抽出My Bloody Valentine的版本。將音量轉(zhuǎn)到頂端重新溫習(xí)一遍，顯然原汁原味才是正道。
by Jason Ankeny
Improvisational drone-pop orchestra Japancakes was the brainchild of Athens, GA-based musician Eric Berg, who in 1997 had the idea of organizing a group of ten musicians to take the stage without any previous rehearsals all for the sake of playing a single "D" chord for 45 minutes. Fascinated by the subtle changes and imperfections which textured the performance, Berg began mounting other experiments within a similar conceptual framework; although the onstage lineup often expanded to as many as a dozen instrumentalists, other constants included Nick Bielli, Todd Kelly, Heather McIntosh, John Neff, and Scott Sosebee. The debut Japancakes album, If I Could See Dallas, followed on Kindercore in the autumn of 1999; an EP, Down the Elements, appeared in the spring, and the sophomore effort Sleepy Strange was issued in early 2001. Darla relased Belmondo the following year, and Waking Hours arrived two years later on the Warm imprint. Japancakes switched back to Darla for their two 2007 albums, a cover of My Bloody Valentine's classic album Loveless and an album of original material, Giving Machines, which both arrived that fall.