※ 引述《bedtimestory (流離尋NN)》之銘言： 以下是中文簡譯 : Sarah McLachlan : "When you look up Afterglow in the dictionary, it is defined : as 'the glow or light that remains once the sun is gone'. : You're used to this bright, shiny beautiful glow but the moment : the sun disappears, all of a sudden you have to readjust every- : thing. It's a very transitional moment. A lot of these songs : are about transition...the turning over of the rock, what's : underneath, the murky, shadowy uncertainty where everything : looks very different." : - Sarah McLachlan Afterglow 是 McLachlan 繼 Surfacing 專輯後，六年來的全新錄音室作品 若你去查字典，它將會告訴你，afterglow 指的是「在太陽消逝剎那間的微 光」 你習慣了這明亮、美麗的微光，但當太陽不見了，你必須在突然間讓自己重 新適應，那是一個變化的時刻。Afterglow 專輯中收錄的作品的共同主題就 是「變化」。 : Birth, death, tragedy and joy; the six years since the release : of Sarah McLachlan's last studio album Surfacing have been both : defining and redefining, not just in the world's recent history : but also in Sarah's own life. 誕生與死亡，悲劇與喜樂 Surfacing 專輯發行以來六年時間是界定與重新界定的過程 這不僅是指這個世界最近出現的變化，也是指 Sarah 自己的生活ꔊ : As a result, Afterglow is a record of many layers. At first : glance, the warmth of production, the purity of her voice and : the beautiful harmonies all serve as a reminder of the reasons : that McLachlan has gained worldwide acclaim for her talents. As : the disc unfolds, however, it becomes clear that this record is : a merging of two elements: the wonderfully familiar and the new. 因此，Afterglow 是一張有許多層面／層次的作品 第一次聆聽時，整張作品表現出的溫暖、歌者聲音以及和聲的純淨 都使人再度想起 Sarah 這些年來之所以能獲得如此多讚譽，是因為她的才能 但繼續聽下去，聽者將會發現這張專輯蘊含著兩種元素 即 Sarah 令人熟悉的部分以及過去所未曾見的 Sarah : The most familiar aspect is unquestionably the richness in : Sarah's music. Afterglow contains many moments that evoke remin- : ders of the singer's unique musical gifts. From the reflective : first single, "Fallen", to the love-inspired lyrics of "Push", : to the gorgeous, whispered tones of "Answer", there are many me- : lodies on Afterglow that showcase her strengths. 最叫人感到熟悉的毫無疑問是 Sarah 音樂中的豐富 : Some of Sarah's favored moments seem destined to be beloved by : fans as well. "'Answer' is one of my favorites", she admits, : smiling broadly. "It's a total 'two o'clock in the morning, whis- : pered in your ears' headphone track. That's always been my thing, : feeling the very essence of a song. I have to be able to break it : down and still feel its strength acoustically on piano or guitar. : If the essence is strong, you can do whatever you want with it, : it'll still be good. " 一些 Sarah 自己也很偏愛的部分必定也會受到樂迷欣賞 Answer 是 Sarah 最喜歡的歌曲之一 這是首完全「會在凌晨兩點鐘，在你耳邊響起」的歌 那一直都是屬於我自己的體驗，感覺到一首歌的本質 我必須把它拆解開來，並在用鋼琴或吉他演奏時，仍可以感受到它的力量 如果它的本質夠強，不過你怎麼改變它，它仍然會是一首好歌 : I own my insecurities I try to own my destiny That I can make or : break it if I choose - "Perfect Girl" 我掌握著自己的不安全 我試著掌握自己的命運 以致當我選擇，我可以創造，抑或選擇破壞 -完美女孩- : While the familiar is most charming, equally endearing is the : newness found within Afterglow's grooves. Ironically, one of the : biggest changes in Sarah's music is also perhaps the least noticeable : to the listener's ear: her songwriting process. "I used to go live : in a cabin in the woods for eight months and write and write and : write. Now, spending time with India [Sarah's young daughter] means : that I have two hours in the day where I'm not focused on her, yet : even then my focus is continually being brought back to her. All of : my old tricks didn't apply anymore in songwriting, and I really had : to find that new way." 熟悉的旋律叫人心醉，但同樣迷人的是 afterglow 專輯中 Sarah 表現出的創新 但叫人諷刺的是，Sarah音樂中出現的最大改變或許也是聽者最難發現的部分 —即她的創作過程 「以前我可以花上八個月的時間，在林子裡的小屋寫啊寫。但現在把時間放在 India（Sarah 的小女兒）身上代表的是，一天裡面我只有兩個小時可以不把注 意力放在她身上，但即便如此，到最後我的精神還是會回到她那邊。我以前寫歌 時用的技巧現在完全不管用，我得發現新的方法」 : In exploring that process, Sarah discovered another benchmark; for : the first time in her career, not one song on Afterglow was written : on guitar. Instead, all were created on piano. Every one of the tracks : were written in the last 2 1/2 years and all were recorded either at : producer Pierre Marchand's home studio in Montreal or at McLachlan's : own home studio in Vancouver. For courage to pull away there will be : hell to pay the deeper you cut to the bone - "Time" 在探索的過程中，Sarah 發現另一個新基點。 在整個創作過程中，這是頭一遭她專輯中的作品完全都是用鋼琴創作 Afterglow 所有作品都是在最後兩年半完成，錄音工作不是在製作人 Marchand 在 Montreal 家裡的錄音室進行，就是在 Sarah 自己位於 溫哥華的家中錄音室完成。 : Anyone who is familiar with Sarah McLachlan's recent history might : well expect that the songs on this record would be entirely about : love and loss. Since 1997's Surfacing, Sarah lost her mother to cancer : and had a baby. "To me," she admits, "Afterglow is a perfect metaphor : for that reason. Such a huge transition...first, losing my mother, : then five months later giving birth to India. It's still all a blur : to me -- it has less to do with the album tracks and more to do with : my recent state of mind. I'm sure in five or six years there's going : to be a record about all of this, but it's too close right now." 對 Sarah 最近幾年生活有所瞭解的人都會明白 Afterglow 中的歌曲 完詮釋以愛與失落為主題 1997 年後，Sarah 的母親因為癌症過世；於此同時，Sarah 有了個女兒 「因為這樣一個原因，Afterglow 對我個人而言，是個完每個隱喻。這是一 個巨大的變化，首先，我失去了自己的母親，五個月之後，India出生。對 我而言，一切都是混亂，與其說是和專輯中的作品有關，不如說是因為我近 來的心境。我相信在未來的五、六年裡，還會有一張專輯是關於發生的這一 切，但現在時間還太早。」 : Even during McLachlan's 'down time', her philanthropy never lulled. : She has continued to impact the lives of others. September 2003 marked : the third year that Sarah has funded the Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach : Program, which provides free music education classes to inner city : youths whose school music programs have been affected by budget cuts. : "As a kid," she recalls, "music saved my life; having that one thing : that I knew I was good at made all the difference. A lot of these kids : might have that, but there's no outlet. It feels so good to be able to : see their lives impacted, and I'm the first one at the recitals giving : them a standing ovation. There's hardly any joy comparable." 即便是在 Sarah生命中的低潮，她仍未停止她的慈善活動 2003年9月為止， Sarah McLachlan 音樂外展方案已成立三年 這方案主要是協助那些因為學校音樂方案預算遭到刪減的內城少年們 提供他們免費的音樂教育課程 : Back to the project at hand, Afterglow is a record of cumulative life : experiences: a collection of beautiful melodies, lush instrumentation, : occasionally surprising lyrics, and a musical whole that is yet another : reminder of just how talented this artist is. : "When anyone asks 'Why did it take so long in between records?'" : Sarah explains, unhesitatingly, "The answer is that I was just living : my life. I lost a mother and I became a mother. Almost a year after : having India, I walked away from music for a few months. I didn't play : my piano, I didn't open up my journals, I just really needed to let go : of all the pressures and the expectations of 'it's been so long...gotta : get this record out' stuff. I felt paralyzed. Taking a break and walking : away was the best thing I could have done. I came back to it with fresh : ears, listened to the tracks, and I realized that it was all sounding : really good and to finish it didn't seem impossible anymore. That's my : truth. It's honest, and it brought me to a much happier place. I'm loving : music again." 「有人會問：『為什麼兩張專輯隔那麼長一段時間？』我想是因為我在過我自 己的生活。在失去自己母親的同時，我也為人母。在 India 出生幾乎有一年 的時間，我完全不碰音樂，不談鋼琴，不翻自己的日記。我需要放下『已經 那麼久了...應該有一張專輯出來了』這樣想法產生的壓力和期待。我覺得自 己麻痺了。稍做休息、選擇離開是我能想到善待自己的最好方法。當我帶著 全新的音感回來，聽著一首一首的歌，我知道它們聽起來相當不錯，要完成 這張專輯不再不可能。那是我揭露的真實，誠實，讓我進入一個更快樂的境 地，我再度發現自己對音樂的愛。」 : Noteworthy Facts: : - Sarah has sold over 22 million records worldwide since her : recording career began with her debut release, Touch, in 1988. 自 1988 年專輯 Touch 發行至今 Sarah 已在全世界累積了 2200 萬專輯的銷售量 : - She is a 3 time Grammy Award winner: Sarah 也是三座葛萊美獎得主 : Grammy Award 1999 : "I Will Remember You" - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance : Grammy Award 1998 : "Last Dance" - Best Pop Instrumental Performance : Grammy Award 1998 : "Building a Mystery" - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance : - The Sarah-founded Lilith Fair tour brought together 2 million : people over its 3 year history and raised more than $7 million : for charities. Sarah 號召的 Lilith Fair 音樂季在舉行的三年時間內 共有 200 人次參加，並籌募了超過七百萬的慈善基金 : - She has been profiled by media the world over including cover : stories for Rolling Stone, Time and Entertainment Weekly. : - She was awarded the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award in : 1998 for advancing the careers of women in music. : Afterglow's Players: 參與新專輯的製作陣容 : Sarah McLachlan - Vocals, Guitars, Piano : Pierre Marchand - Keyboards, Bass, Guitars, Percussion : Ashwin Sood- Drums, Percussion, Loops, Keyboards, Keyboard Bass : Jerry Marotta - Drums, Percussion : Sean Ashby- Guitars : Bill Dillon - Guitars : Ethan Johns - Guitars : Yves Desrosiers - Guitars : Michel Pepin - Guitars : Michael Chaves - Guitars : Jim Creeggan - Upright Bass : Daryl Johnson - Bass : Tony Levin - Bass : Jorane - Cello, Background Vocals -- 永遠都記得你離去的那天清晨 你無聲無息地從我的枕邊離去 你選擇回到那擁有你靈魂的人的身邊 而我 只能再回到那段令我恐懼的歲月 我連忙跑到海邊 哭喊著「請別離開我」 悲傷的淚水不斷的從我的眼中流出 無奈的我只願大海能帶走我心中的傷痛 但只見一陣陣的潮水打在岸邊 彷彿悲傷又再一陣陣的湧上心頭 --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.166.107.166