The Sugarcubes

作為流行音樂圈中音域最為寬廣的歌手之一，Bjork Gudmundsdottir（既是Bjork）把主要的精力都花在創(chuàng)作一些藝術和實驗性很強的音樂，來跟主流音樂抗爭。 大多數(shù)人都以為她一直一個人做音樂， 故而當?shù)弥?993年單飛前曾經(jīng)和三個不同的樂隊合作發(fā)行過專輯時顯得很驚訝。 事實上，這個古怪精靈的天才自從16歲開始就有自己有關名聲榮譽的判斷尺度。
出生在冰島的Reykjavik時，沒有任何明顯跡象表明某天 Bjork將成為世界知名的冰島音樂家。 還是一個孩子的時候，她就開始練習長笛、鋼琴和聲樂。1979年，加入了第一個樂隊。 十五歲時，她組建了Tappi Tikarass這個組合，一個受 Siouxie and the Banshees強烈影響的post-punk樂隊。1982年，樂隊的兩首歌收入到一個叫Rock in Reykjavik的冰島New Wave運動的記錄片里，結果， Bjork很快就被認定為這個領域內(nèi)最有希望的天才。
1983年，Bjork和其他一些冰島New Wave明星被邀到一起，組成一個超級組合來做一個特別的電臺節(jié)目。 她和其他幾個成員（里面有Eina Orn和Sigtryggur Baldursson）相處得非常好。這樣到了這年的秋天，他們組成了一只名為Kukl的新樂隊。 到1983年Tappi Tikarass第二張也是最后一張專輯出來時，Bjork已把自己的主要精力都投放到Kukl上了。 接下來的兩年里，她和樂隊發(fā)行了共發(fā)行了兩張傳輯，在歐洲作巡回演出，開始形成一種帶爵士味的政治性post-punk的風格。但到了1986年中，Kukl卻解散了。
Bjork跟她的吉他手丈夫Thor Eldon在1986年6月8日有了一個兒子Sindir，于此的同一天， 她組建了一個新樂隊，除了這對幸福的新父母之外，還有幾個Kukl的舊成員。 到了年底，他們最終確定了樂隊的名字Sykurmolanir，用英文來說是Sugarcubes。 樂隊夢幻般的單曲"Birthday"的冰島語版在1987年獲得了巨大的成功， 也給他們帶來了一份跟Elektra公司的合約。1988年秋季， 他們的首張專輯"Life is Too Good"在美國發(fā)行， 獲得了極好的評論。 除"Birthday"之外，喧囂刺耳或者有點讓人迷惑的"Motorcrash"也受到些許青睞。 樂隊的第二張CD，"Here Today Tomorrow Next Week"，卻沒有以前那么幸運了。1990年， Bjork抽出一些時間錄制了"Gling Glo"，這是張傳統(tǒng)冰島爵士唱片。
盡管Sugarcubes 1992的第三張專輯"Stick Around for Joy"還附帶了一張合乎適宜的命名單曲， 樂隊在年內(nèi)遲些時候解散了。之前，樂隊的麻煩主要集中在Bjork身上； 她單飛的傾向越來越明顯。Sugarcubes的天鵝絕唱"It is it" 在1992年發(fā)行，后來又發(fā)行了一張舞曲重混專輯，它也預示了Bjork的單飛。
與Thor分手后， 1993年Bjork帶著兒子來到了倫敦。這次遷居讓她可以跟不列顛舞曲界的許多制作人合作。當中非常優(yōu)秀的一個（Nellee Hooper）為她首張個人專輯"Debut"掌舵制作。 專輯定音鼓、采樣機和吉他貫穿始終的單曲 "Human Behaviour" 發(fā)行量巨大。在此幫助下， Debut受到了差異巨大的評價，被Rolling Stone視為垃圾卻又為其他許多樂人所稱頌。數(shù)字敘述了事實：Debut的銷售量最終確定了Bjork在美國的地位。
1995年，Bjork推出了更富憂郁色調(diào)的"Post"。它沒有獲得像Debut那樣的銷量，盡管推出了大型娛樂性的Busby Berkeley風格的Video"Blow a Fuse(It is Oh So Quiet)"，Bjork做了一個爵士大樂團一樣狂妄的嘗試。 1997年早期，"Telegram"開始發(fā)行，其中幾乎每首Post里的歌要么被重新混縮，要么被重新錄制， 合作者也包括Dillinja、Deodato和Brodsky四重奏等許多人。
進入嶄新的世紀以后，Bjork的藝術生命中如今了電影的因素，她主演的影片《黑暗中的舞者》獲得了業(yè)內(nèi)人事的稱贊。 前不久它的最新專輯問世，這一切都讓我們看到， 這位樂壇的常青樹仍然具有了非常燦爛的藝術生命......
The Sugarcubes were the biggest group ever to emerge from Iceland, which helps explain their off-kilter sense of melody. Their 1988 debut, Life's Too Good, attracted terrific reviews and became a college radio hit, but they never were able to recapture that sense of excitement.
According to group legend, the Sugarcubes formed on June 8, 1986, the day that vocalist Bj?rk (born Bj?rk Gundmundsdottir) gave birth to her son. Prior to that day, the members of the group had been a variety of Icelandic bands. Bj?rk had the longest career out of any of the members. When she was 11 years old, the vocalist had recorded a children's album. In her late teens, she joined the Icelandic post-punk band Tappi Tikarrass, who released two albums before splitting in 1983. Drummer Siggi Baldursson (born Sigtryggur Baldursson, October 2, 1962) was a member of teyr (aka Theyr), whose most prominent international moment came in 1982, when they recorded with Youth and Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke. At the same time Theyr was popular within Iceland, Einar Benediktsson and Bragi Olafesson formed a punk band called Purrkur Pillnikk, which released records on Benediktsson's own label, Gramm. By 1984, Bj?rk, Benediktsson, and Baldursson had joined forces, forming K.U.K.L. with keyboardist Einar Mellax. K.U.K.L. -- which means witch in Icelandic -- was an noisy, artsy post-punk band that released several singles on the independent British record label Crass. In 1986, K.U.K.L. evolved into the Sugarcubes, adding Bj?rk's then-husband Thor Eldon on guitar and Bragi Olafesson on bass.
In late 1987, the band signed to One Little Indian in the U.K., Elektra Records in the U.S. The Sugarcubes released their debut album, Life's Too Good, in 1988 to critical acclaim in both the U.K. and the U.S. "Birthday," the first single from the album, became an indie hit in Britain and a college radio hit in America. In particular, Bj?rk received a heap of praise, which began tensions between her and Benediktsson. By the time the group recorded its second album, Thor had divorced Bj?rk and married Magga Ornolfsdottir, who became the group's keyboardist after Einar Mellax left. Furthermore, Olafesson divorced his wife -- who happened to be the twin sister of Baldursson's wife -- and married Benediktsson, making their union the first openly gay marriage in pop music.
Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week!, the Sugarcubes' second album, was released in 1989. The album featured a greater vocal contribution by Einar, which was criticized in many of the record's reviews, which were noticeably weaker than those for Life's Too Good. After the release of Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week!, the band embarked on a lengthy international tour. At the conclusion of the tour in late 1990, the bandmembers pursued their own individual interests. Stick Around for Joy, the band's third album, was released in 1992; before the record appeared, a collection of remixes called It's-It was released in Europe. Stick Around for Joy received better reviews than Life's Too Good, but the album failed to yield a hit single. Following its release, the Sugarcubes disbanded. In 1993, Bj?rk launched a critically acclaimed and commercially successful solo career that was based in dance music.