Damon Albarn

有著新奇想法的思想總會帶著人以美妙的感覺，Damon Albarn就是有著千萬個出其不意的新奇頭腦。從Blur到Gorillaz，再到現(xiàn)在的The Good The Bad & The Queen，Damon Albarn留給我們永遠(yuǎn)的姿態(tài)就是：后備車廂里不曾停歇的歌聲。
 
如果可以，我想Damon Albarn一定會選擇在慢悠悠前行的列車后備車廂里悠閑地歌唱，從日出到日落，從春溫到秋肅，他就是這樣一路唱來的。臃懶、無謂、閑適，Damon Albarn的血液中流淌著和時間相反的精神，他會用自己的無所謂去抵抗時間的歷練，就這樣他成了真正“在路上”的歌者，并未曾有一刻畏懼過時間的腳步。Damon Albarn的身上和音樂中都帶有著“在路上”的魅力：不停地尋找，不停地行走，從風(fēng)光時代的Blur, 到神氣再現(xiàn)的Gorillaz，樂隊的魅力很大一部分都在于Damon Albarn，他腦中的奇怪思想總是為音樂增添了玄妙，千篇一律是他所不啻的，他寧愿半敞著衣襟隨意的哼唱。我們也都如在異方大地上尋找的迷失者，跟隨著Damon Albarn去探詢著音樂的極至。
 
如今The Good The Bad & The Queen樂隊的出現(xiàn)則是給了歌迷們更多聯(lián)想，Gorillaz的替身？還是Damon Albarn又一興起之作？我們又一次沉浸在神秘的思索中。應(yīng)該說樂隊的成員們都是成名已久的大牌，樂隊貝斯手是英國早期著名朋克樂隊The Clash的貝司手Paul Simonon，鼓手也是在非洲享有極高聲譽的Fela Kuti樂隊的鼓手Tony Allen，正是他為TGTB&TQ的音樂中帶來了非洲大地的神秘感覺。吉他手則是給許多人留下美好回憶的The Verve樂隊的吉他手Simon Tong，他也在當(dāng)初的Gorillaz中擔(dān)任吉他手。這樣一個龐大的陣容不免讓人覺察到Damon Albarn音樂野心的開始膨脹，是華麗陣容下一次徹底的回歸嗎？Damon Albarn的心思永遠(yuǎn)不會是固定的，所以一切猜測只能是我們自我閑玩的游戲。也許所有猜測都不甚重要，Damon Albarn以何種方式出現(xiàn)只是關(guān)乎形式，重要的是他能不斷地挑戰(zhàn)自己的創(chuàng)作靈感，我們能不斷地聽到他的音樂，這樣的相互關(guān)聯(lián)是美妙的，Damon Albarn對于我們，更多的是音樂的關(guān)聯(lián)。
 
當(dāng)《History Song》中低暗的木吉他響起時我們所有的猜測頓刻化解，Damon Albarn的新樂隊是一種延續(xù)，將Gorillaz式的實驗迷幻演繹的更加隨性。隨性是歌曲的風(fēng)格，更是樂隊的組成，據(jù)說樂隊的名稱并沒有正式確定，而僅是以發(fā)行的專輯名代稱，因此我們看到了這樣一個調(diào)皮的樂隊名字。試圖用某種固定的風(fēng)格來界定TGTB&TQ的音樂是徒勞的，它就像手中古老的萬花筒，雖然不再光亮但卻有著私秘的新奇景象。《History Song》為我們將古老的萬花筒打開，彈響昨日的吉他，猶如在荒涼的大地上行走，其中摻雜著某個非洲原始部落的神秘感，Damon Albarn用老電影的方式向我們問候，一陣雜亂過后他要繼續(xù)為我們講故事。鋼琴的步調(diào)沒有打破靜謐的感覺，真正的列車上的感覺，《'80's Life》帶我們?nèi)セ脑叺男℃?zhèn)環(huán)游，空曠下的吉他效果如天邊垂下的夕陽挽挾著悠閑的腳步。真不知道在這樣的氣氛中還會有其他的想法，除了和Damon Albarn一起半睜眼的躺著，再無其它奢望。《Northern Whale》的電子效果并沒有將音樂的節(jié)奏加快，緣自Damon Albarn的吟唱從來都是速度中的緩慢，他不會去刻意追逐，節(jié)奏在他的口中只能變緩。《Kingdom Of Doom》中陰暗城堡的夏生秋死，《Herculean》中吉他墻隨鋼琴的破碎，《Behind The Sun》的荒涼陰霾，一切都由Damon Albarn的嗓音塑造，他是在不停地為我們講述，永遠(yuǎn)不知疲勞。如果你心中向往著黑白相片般的古老，TGTB&TQ就會給你徹底的沉浸，在經(jīng)過《The Bunting Song》幔幕般的迷幻后是《Nature Springs》中清新的小調(diào)，鼓點擊起輕盈的腳步，電子效果撥開另一片未知，Damon Albarn嘴里念叨的是“Everyone is a submarine.Looking for a dream far away”，一片迷茫的回聲在泛起的小提琴聲中徜徉著悠遠(yuǎn)，此刻的冥想讓我們承受住更多的沉重。也許《A Soldier's Tale》中士兵對愛的追求能緩解心中的承重，糜醉的大腦在溫?zé)嶂谢匦?，進入其中就會有眩暈的感覺，我們鉆進了迷幻中，無從逃離?！禩hree Changes》中的迷失就如那扭曲的吉他和雜亂的鼓點一樣慌亂，真正的失敗者，Damon Albarn用生活的哲理這樣告訴我們。他會用怪叫讓我們心悸，同樣會在《Green Fields》嬉皮式的為我們緩解，一片綠地是黑暗中最具希望的象征，在一段吉他亂撥之后，留下的只是我們孤獨的懷思。
 
當(dāng)我們還糾纏在迷惘中，《The Good, The Bad & The Queen》用七分鐘的鋼琴和散沙般的鼓擊迎來了沉寂后的爆發(fā)，將我們心中所有的淤積通通釋放，這樣的欲揚先抑在一句“Everything is so slightly come.”中顯得更具力量，什么是微小的？音樂？生命？還是那一團淤積在聽者心中的陰霾？也許專輯封面上歡呼的人群給了我們暗示，一種古老糟粕的倒掉是另一種美好的開始。
 
The Good The Bad & The Queen成全了Damon Albarn一個人的吟唱，我們慶幸Damon Albarn還將繼續(xù)“在路上”。
 
The frontman for Brit-pop icons Blur, singer Damon Albarn was born March 23, 1968, in London. The product of a bohemian family, as a youth he studied piano, guitar, and violin and at 12 befriended one Graham Coxon, a fellow student at the Stanway Comprehensive School. Albarn later studied drama before joining the little-known synth pop outfit Two's a Crowd; at 15, he also won the regional heat in the Young Composer of the Year contest. While a student at Goldsmith University, he again crossed paths with guitarist Coxon, and together they formed the band the Circus; with the additions of bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree, the group rechristened itself Seymour before finally settling on Blur upon signing to Food Records. Their debut single, "She's So High," cracked the U.K. Top 50, while the follow-up, "There's No Other Way," went Top Ten; however, the baggy beats and shoegazer-inspired textures of Blur's 1991 debut album Leisure earned the band unkind critical comparisons to the dying Madchester scene, and with the follow-up, 1993's Modern Life Is Rubbish, they consciously set out to evoke a more traditional pop sound. With 1994's Parklife, Albarn's songs revealed an altogether new sophistication, his wry social commentaries and clever melodies evoking the great British pop tradition of bands like the Kinks and the Jam; the album made Blur the most popular and most influential band in England and captured a rabid cult following abroad as well. Although chief rivals Oasis quickly usurped Blur's dominance, their 1995 The Great Escape debuted at number one. Still, when the record slipped down the charts, the band was written off by the music press and spent much of 1996 in seclusion, although during that time Albarn made his solo debut with "Closet Romantic," his contribution to the Trainspotting soundtrack. Blur's 1997 self-titled LP restored the band's luster as the single "Song 2" became an American hit; that same year, Albarn made his film debut in Antonia Bird's Face. Blur's 13 followed in 1999.