搬運(yùn)自：網(wǎng)易云音樂專欄【Music Online Zine Courier】（在原文基礎(chǔ)上添加了英語原文與排版調(diào)整）

翻譯：豆目豆科

It's a bit of a stretch, but a while ago I compared Boards of Canada's seminal?Music Has the Right to Children?with Miles Davis'?Kind of Blue. I wasn't saying anything about the similarity or relative quality of the actual music, of course; I was just making an observation about how each album has a remarkably wide appeal that stretches beyond fans of its respective genre, while simultaneously carrying great weight with more experienced and discerning listeners. Because of this dual nature, both records are considered ideal "first purchases" for those curious about the musical world they come from. The comparison fails in other respects, but there's no doubting the consensus of opinion that has formed around these records, shared among both newcomers and schooled aesthetes.

雖然這有億點(diǎn)牽強(qiáng)，但不久前我把Boards of Canada的開創(chuàng)性作品《Music Has the Right to Children》與Miles Davis的《Kind of Blue》作了比較。當(dāng)然，我并不是在他們實(shí)際音樂的相似與否或相對(duì)質(zhì)量好壞上說個(gè)所以然；我只是在觀察，這兩張專輯都有著尤為廣泛的吸引力，在其各自流派之外圈了不少粉，同時(shí)在那些頗具經(jīng)驗(yàn)和鑒賞力的聽眾心中也占有很大的分量。也正因如此，這兩張唱片都被認(rèn)為是那些對(duì)它們所處的音樂世界感到好奇的人理想的“新手村”。這種比較在其他層面則是毫無意義且必定失敗的，但毫無疑問的是，圍繞著這些唱片的探討已經(jīng)形成了共識(shí)，無論在新聽眾還是學(xué)識(shí)淵博的樂評(píng)家中都是如此。

The reputation of?Music Has the Right to Children?has everything to do with why?Geogaddi?is one of the most anticipated records of 2002 for indie and electronic music fans of all stripes. It's been four long years since this Scottish duo's landmark debut, and during this time, we've seen an uncountable number of "kind of like Boards of Canada" bands drifting by, with only a toddler's handful of new material released by the Boards themselves-- namely, the?In a Beautiful Place out in the Country?EP, released in late 2000. As Marcus Eoin and Michael Sandison toiled away in secrecy in their Hexagon Sun studio and remote artists' compound, fans speculated about possible new directions: where would they go next?

《Music Has the Right to Children》的享譽(yù)盛名與《Geogaddi》成為02年各路獨(dú)立和電子音樂愛好者最期待的唱片之一之間不無關(guān)系。自這個(gè)蘇格蘭二人組里程碑式的首張專輯以來，已過去了四年之久，在這段時(shí)間里，我們看到了數(shù)不清的“有點(diǎn)像Boards of Canada”的樂隊(duì)來了去、去了又來，而Boards自己卻只發(fā)行一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)新東西——也就是2000年底發(fā)行的《In a Beautiful Place out in the Country》EP。當(dāng)Marcus Eoin和Michael Sandison在他們的Hexagon Sun工作室和偏遠(yuǎn)的藝術(shù)基地中悄悄工作時(shí)，樂迷們迫不及待地猜測(cè)著可能的新方向——他們下一步會(huì)搞些什么新花樣？

Geogaddi?provides a clear answer: not so far, really. As similar as this album is to the rest of the band's catalog, it seems a safe speculation that the concept of "reinvention" is not part of the Boards of Canada M.O. Their exceptionally distinctive and oft-imitated sound emerged fully formed on the early EPs, and for now, at least, they're sticking with it. While some will complain about Boards of Canada's failure to cover new territory, which puts them apart from the praised eclectic "searchers" of the music scene (Miles made only made one stab at?Kind of Blue?before moving on, after all), the rest of us will delight in what we see as a very accomplished album packed with great music.

《Geogaddi》給了我們一個(gè)明確的答案：到目前為止，毛也沒有。盡管這張專輯與樂隊(duì)的其他作品很相似，但似乎可以推測(cè)，“重塑”的概念并不在Boards of Canada M.O.的字典里。他們獨(dú)樹一幟且常常效仿的聲音在早期的EP中便以初具規(guī)模，至少如今，他們?nèi)詧?jiān)持這樣做。雖然有些人會(huì)抱怨Boards of Canada的新作品未能覆蓋新的領(lǐng)域，這顯然與他們?cè)灰魳方缢Q贊的折衷主義“探索者”背道而馳（畢竟Miles在轉(zhuǎn)行前也只在《Kind of Blue》做了些新嘗試），但我們其他人仍不能不承認(rèn)這是一張塞滿了偉大音樂的專輯，并為它的成功而感到高興。

When it comes to discussing records, though, similarities are boring, so let's talk about what makes?Geogaddi?different. The first thing that comes to mind is the shift in mood. While the band continues to traffic in childhood and nostalgia, the atmosphere on this album is a shade darker than on previous releases, and comparatively tense with a noticeable thread of paranoia. Boards of Canada have always had a disorienting cast to their music, in part because of their proclivity for the quivery modulation of their analog synths. But where the warbles once seemed designed to evoke the sensation of strained memory, the distortions now have a disturbing undercurrent, suggesting that something frightening might lie beneath the surface.

在評(píng)價(jià)一張專輯時(shí)，談?wù)撃切┫嗨泣c(diǎn)是極其乏味的，那不如讓我們來談?wù)劸烤故鞘裁醋尅禛eogaddi》如此與眾不同。我首先想到的是情緒的轉(zhuǎn)變：雖然樂隊(duì)繼續(xù)“販賣”童年和懷舊情懷，但這張專輯的氛圍相比前作要更為陰暗、氣氛緊張，偏執(zhí)傾向尤為明顯。Board of Canada的音樂總會(huì)使人迷失，部分原因是他們鐘愛于模擬合成器的顫音調(diào)制。但這些顫音過去似乎是用以喚起人們不安的記憶，而如今這些扭曲的聲音直接化為一種令人不安的暗流，預(yù)兆著表面之下可能隱藏著可怖之物。

Part of this darker trend comes from a thicker production environment and apparent aversion to unused space. On?Geogaddi, Boards of Canada have replaced silence with the drone, and the master tapes are saturated with the sounds of the duo's customized machinery. There's none of the wistful airiness of a track like "Turquoise Hexagon Sun," nor the lighthearted warmth of a?Music Has the Right to Children?track like "Aquarius." Gone, too, is the gentle pastoralism of?In a Beautiful Place out in the Country.

這一部分的黑暗傾向來自于更為厚實(shí)的制作環(huán)境和對(duì)空白間隙的刻意避免。在《Geogaddi》中，Boards of Canada以嗡鳴取代沉默，母帶中充滿了二人組專屬器械的底噪。沒有像“Turquoise Hexagon Sun”那樣俏皮的輕盈感，也沒有像《Music Has the Right to Children》中“Aquarius”那樣舒適愜意的溫馨。一并消失的還有《In a Beautiful Place out in the Country》中柔和的田園氣息。

In its place, we find the swirling claustrophobic winds of "Julie and Candy," menacing swells of feedback anchoring the rhythm of "Dawn Chorus," and the lonely, isolated Nuno Cannavaro-isms of "The Devil Is in the Details," whose two sampled voices are a crying baby and a monolog given by a woman who might be drowning. Some of the beats on?Geogaddi?compliment this new, darker undercurrent and stand out from previous work. The pummeling, mechanized drum loop that drives "Gyroscope" is downright violent, and seems squarely aimed at the distorted child's voice in the background. And on "Alpha and Omega," hints of tabla mix with multi-layered percussion, lending an intriguing live band feel to an otherwise unremarkable track.

在其各自的領(lǐng)域，我們能夠發(fā)掘“Julie and Candy”中的幽閉漩渦，“Dawn Chorus”鼓點(diǎn)中洶涌的回彈聲浪，以及“The Devil Is in the Details”中孤獨(dú)的Nuno Cannavaro主義，這里的兩個(gè)采樣是一個(gè)哭泣的嬰孩和一個(gè)即將溺死的婦人的獨(dú)白。《Geogaddi》中的一些節(jié)拍與這種新穎而更為陰暗的暗流相得益彰，一改以往作品的模樣、脫穎而出。驅(qū)動(dòng)“Gyroscope”的機(jī)械化循環(huán)鼓點(diǎn)則尤為暴力，并且這一暴力似乎完全針對(duì)與背景中扭曲的孩童啼哭而生。在“Alpha and Omega”中，手鼓同多層次的打擊樂混合在一起，給這首本來不起眼的曲子帶來了一種有趣的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)樂隊(duì)既視感。

So, yes, the Boards have implemented their trademark tools on?Geogaddi, but in the service of a slightly gloomier vision. Granted, the familiarity of their sound could prove to become a liability on their future releases, but it's easy to see why Eoin and Sandison have played this record so close to the vest. If you'd perfected a sonic playground like this, you'd probably want to explore it a while longer, too.

這樣看來，Boards在《Geogaddi》上大肆使用他們標(biāo)志性的工具，卻服務(wù)于一個(gè)略顯陰暗的愿景。當(dāng)然，他們音樂中存在的熟悉感可能會(huì)在他們未來的作品中變作一種負(fù)擔(dān)，但很容易看出為什么Eoin和Sandison把這張唱片做得如此“躡手躡腳”。如果是你，既然都已經(jīng)如此一個(gè)音樂游樂場(chǎng)已經(jīng)竣工，那為何不再多探索一段時(shí)間。