「世界文化藝術節─北歐五國」 World Cultures Festival: The Nordics Nordic & Hong Kong Band Sound Gala 打開北歐音樂大門 衝擊觀眾視聽神經 Offers many interesting gateways to new pop and rock music from the North
In photo: Elifantree (Finland) Credit: Susanna Majuri
撰文：Teemu Fiilin, Music Finland
中文版譯者：Carey Li
無論是Eleanoora Rosenholm用迷人的流行音樂講謀殺疑雲、Elifantree融合聲音和影像的作品，還是Pale Honey帶暗黑色彩的獨立搖滾舞曲，Nordic & Hong Kong Band Sound Gala打開北歐音樂大門，由新流行到搖滾音樂包羅萬有。
如果研究來自北歐國家的音樂，撇除瑞典國際知名的廠牌，你一定會遇到些有 趣、與別不同而且通常很精彩的音樂。即使在芬蘭的獨立音樂界，也充滿另類 的音樂人、樂隊和項目，Eleanoora Rosenholm 便是一例；由Noora Tommila、Pasi Salmi和Mika Rättö合組而成，以Pori（芬蘭西海岸一個84,000人口的城市）為創作基地。
Eleanoora Rosenholm成軍於2007年，在獨立音樂廠牌Fonal Records創始人Sami Sänpäkkilä擁有的錄音室SS-Palace studio裡，琢磨出以芬蘭語唱的專輯《Vainajan muotokuva》（譯：死者的肖像），被稱為是一張「用天籟之聲唱出富殺氣歌詞」的流行專輯。
很快地，三人組合在舞台上演變成一支七人樂隊。創始人Mika Rättö雖然不是現場演出的一員，但仍是樂隊的「教父」，經常在觀眾席上觀看樂隊表現。Eleanoora Rosenholm的音樂被形容為集藝術搖滾、電子流行音樂和芬蘭情懷於一身，節奏輕鬆愉悅卻同時有令人沮喪的拖拉感。憑藉Noora美妙的歌聲和背 後的天才樂隊，他們被稱為能創造一個讓家庭主婦連環殺手也會起舞的的士高 舞廳。
發行第三張專輯之後，Eleanoora Rosenholm約2011年起休團，到了2018年秋天，他們無預告復出，並推出專輯《Talvipalatsin puutarhassa》（譯：在冬宮的花園裡），用主題故事形式創作，唱出發生在前蘇聯的情節。專輯風格既黑暗又憂鬱，但同時又狂野而富於想像力，就像用當今技術孕育出七十年代的俄羅斯童書一般。歌曲的歌詞如帶領聽眾在莫斯科地鐵中逃離秘密特工的追趕，在瓦加諾娃芭蕾舞學院和鴉片館策劃陰謀。
至於來自芬蘭赫爾辛基的Elifantree，是一支不拘一格的樂隊，不愛墨守成規，樂聲神秘又難以預測；在一首樂曲中，可以從夢幻般的漂浮感，演變成瘋狂亢奮的旋律。雖然爵士樂是Elifantree音樂框架的原型，卻常會有新的突破；近十年來，樂隊常被拿來與 Kate Bush和Björk等音樂人作比較，而且通常被認為不相伯仲，而確實樂隊開闢了前衛音樂和即興演奏的新天地。
拿最新的第五張專輯《Anemone》（2018年發行）為例，充分表現他們傑出的音樂才能，有精彩的節奏和電影般的氛圍，其音域聽起來大且寬。主唱兼鍵盤手Anni Elif的嗓音可以細膩可以震撼，與合成器編織出大器而複雜的曲風。Elifantree中不可或缺的元素，包括Pauli Lyytinen的色士風演奏、電動管樂器的音色、現場效果以及Olavi Louhivuori精湛的鼓技，亦不要忘卻音響師Joonas Saikkonen擔當的角色。只是發行了五張專輯，Elifantree已逐步移向讓人起舞的電子音樂風格，不過只要仔細聆聽還是可以辨識到爵士樂的背景。
來自瑞典哥德堡的Pale Honey，就以較為傳統的視野創作獨立搖滾音樂和流行歌曲。二人樂隊於2013年成立，由兩名年輕女性組成，分別是負責打鼓的Nelly Daltrey和主唱兼結他手Tuva Lodmark。Pale Honey的首張同名專輯於2015年發行，並於2017年推出第二張專輯《Devotion》。在現場演出中，Pale Honey的製作人Anders Lagerfors會幫忙彈奏結他和鍵盤，助Daltrey和Lodmark一臂之力。
僅用兩種樂器，Pale Honey 的樂聲在設計上顯得原始而簡約，強調音樂上的留白。聽眾聆聽時，能專注感受Lodmark 聲音帶出的親切感和情感；例如當她唱出歌曲《Replace Me》的歌詞「why won’t you just leave me?」時，嗓音能明顯傳遞憤怒和沮喪。盡管歌詞常常展現黑暗且令人沮喪的風格，但Pale Honey的音樂仍然可以令人起舞，即使是流著眼淚。
當然，北歐音樂還有更多值得聆聽、欣賞和體驗！挪威獨立流行五重奏Einar Stray Orchestra演奏音樂時，使用了一種非常規的陣容，有大提琴和小提琴卻沒有吉他。冰島歌手JFDR的電子民謠優美飄逸並富有情調。還有丹麥大提琴家、歌手兼作曲家Cæcilie Trier，以CTM展開個人音樂項目，音樂風格徘徊於充滿靈魂的流行音樂和當代實驗性音景之間。
In photo: Eleanoora Rosenholm (Finland)
Written by Teemu Fiilin, Music Finland
From Eleanoora Rosenholm’s enchanting murder mystery pop to Elifantree’s fusion soundscapes and Pale Honey’s dark and dancey indie rock – The Nordic & Hong Kong Band Sound Gala offers many interesting gateways to new pop and rock music from the North.
If you dig into the music coming from the Nordic countries – save for maybe Sweden with their international-hit-maker-factories – you are bound to bump into something interesting, unusual and, often, wonderful. Even in the indie music landscape in Finland – full of unorthodox personalities, bands and projects – the band Eleanoora Rosenholm is an anomaly. The odd “mystery pop” trio was born as the brainchild of musicians Noora Tommila, Pasi Salmi and Mika Rättö – all based in the town of Pori (a city on Finland’s west coast with a population of 84 000).
Eleanoora Rosenholm started out in 2007 by locking themselves inside the dark stonewalls that surround the “SS-Palace studio” owned by Sami Sänpäkkilä, the founder of cult record label Fonal Records. There the trio crafted Vainajan muotokuva (translated: The portrait of the deceased), a record that has been called a “genius pop album with murderous lyrics” sung in their native Finnish.
On stage the threesome soon evolved into a full 7-piece band. Founder Mika Rättö is still not a part of the Eleanoora Rosenholm live ensemble, but works as the band’s “godfather”, often watching his band from the audience. Eleanoora Rosenholm’s music has been described as a “combination of art rock, electronic pop and Finnish pathos” and being “light-heartedly rhythmic and depressingly dragging at the same time”. With Noora’s amazing vocal work and the genius backing band, they have been said to “create a disco any housewife serial killer would be proud to dance to”.
After their third album, around 2011 Eleanoora Rosenholm went on a hiatus for eight years. In the autumn of 2018 they suddenly came back with Talvipalatsin puutarhassa (translated: In the garden of the winter palace), a new thematic full-length with a storyline taking place in the former Soviet Union. The album’s sound is dark and melancholic, but at the same time wild and imaginative – like a Russian 1970’s children’s book come to life with present-day technology. The song lyrics take the listener to a chase to escape secret agents in the Moscow subway, to plot intrigues at Vaganova Ballet Academy and Chinese opium lounges.
Elifantree, based in Helsinki, Finland, on the other hand is a more free-flowing band and does not rely as much on concept. Their sound is enigmatic and unpredictable – within a single song the music can progress from dreamy floating to a manic fever dream. While jazz is the original framework for Elifantree’s music, the band usually finds itself outside of it. Elifantree has often been compared to artists like Kate Bush and Björk – and those comparisons are not far off – but during the last years the band has really opened new doors in the territory of progressive and improvised music.
Take for example their latest, fifth album Anemone (2018): it’s filled with outstanding musicianship, amazing rhythmical textures and cinematic ambience designed to sound larger and wider than the sum of its parts. Singer and keyboardist Anni Elif’s vocals range from delicate to powerful and her synthesizers weave an atmospheric, complex web. Equally important factors in Elifantree are Pauli Lyytinen’s saxophone, the rarely heard electric wind instrument and live effects as well as Olavi Louhivuori’s virtuoso drumming – not to forget soundman Joonas Saikkonen’s part. Within five albums Elifantree has developed an increasingly danceable and electronic edge to its sound but the band’s original jazz background is still easy to hear upon closer inspection.
Pale Honey, hailing from the Swedish city of Gothenburg, provides a more traditional vision of indie rock and pop songwriting. The duo consisting of two young women, Nelly Daltrey (drums) and Tuva Lodmark (vocals and guitar) was formed in 2013. Pale Honey’s eponymous debut album came out in 2015, and was followed in 2017 with their sophomore effort Devotion. In the live setting, Pale Honey’s producer Anders Lagerfors lends a helping hand to Daltrey and Lodmark, with his additional guitars and keyboards.
With only two basic instruments, Pale Honey’s sound is raw and minimalistic by design and leaves much space in their music. With no unnecessary distractions, the listener can really feel the intimacy and emotion in Lodmark’s voice. When she sings (in the song Replace Me) “why won’t you just leave me?”, the anger and frustration in her vocal delivery is almost tangible. But although the lyrics are often dark and quite depressed, Pale Honey keeps their music danceable – even if you’re dancing with tears in your eyes.
And of course there is much more to hear, see and experience! Norwegian indie pop quintet Einar Stray Orchestra play their music with an equally unorthodox line-up including a cello and a violin – and no guitar. Icelandic JFDR’s folk-tronica is beautifully ethereal and atmospheric. Danish cellist, singer and composer Cæcilie Trier’s solo project CTM swings between soulful pop and experimental contemporary soundscapes.
In photo: Pale Honey (Sweden) Credit: Jasmin Storch
世界文化藝術節 ─ 北歐五國
World Cultures Festival: http://bit.do/fcAna
Nordic & HK Band Sound Gala: http://bit.do/fcAnk