一聽音樂網

2004年Autumn's Grey Solace這隊美國Dream-Pop二人組合加盟Projekt廠牌發表了他倆的第二張專輯《Over The Ocean》，大概近年沒有太多這類風格出塵脫俗、不吃人間煙火的音樂，故即使Autumn's Grey Solace的聲音談不上有多大新意，感覺上他們又是另一支「后Cocteau Twins」樂隊，但倒有叫人聽得有點稱心之感。同時，也再度反映到Projekt向八十年代4AD廠牌追崇之意圖。 Autumn's Grey Solace的二人陣營很簡單，女生Erin Welton負責主唱與填詞，而Scott Ferrell是結他手兼音樂主腦；前者靚聲飄逸，后者夢幻奏樂，合作起來總能恰到好處，宛如云頂觀世的一對。如果說七年前他們自資出版的處女作Within The Depths Of A Darkened Forest是記載了其摸索階級，而2004年的Over The Ocean看到了二人找到該走的音樂路線，那么Autumn's Grey Solace的第三張專輯Riverine，則標志著他倆的聲音已趨向成熟渾圓。無疑，這次Autumn's Grey Solace的歌曲來得更見動聽。Human Shell是一首百分百雋永怡人的漂亮Dream-Pop作品，好比如沐春風般美好──今趟Autumn's Grey Solace已不獨屬于灰色的秋日了，而Riverine正是一張為春天而設的唱片。更觸動心靈，還有Erin在Sorrow Ashes里孤高得令人心碎的演繹；而Falling Sky的飛翔式結他，可讓聽者的情懷也不禁豁出去。今天的Autumn's Grey Solace仍不脫Cocteau Twins的影子，聽A Tangle Of Scars和Cold And Empty Constellations，那簡直時光倒流至Cocteau的黃金時代。論驚艷之作，是The Unshakable Demon的中古氣與Gothic底蘊；而聽著清爽快板的Eclipse和Cloudburst，卻又別有一番情味，奏出好比涼風送爽的Dream-Pop妙韻，甚至Inward Bound更好讓我聯想到All About Eve來。在Autumn's Grey Solace的音樂里，Erin的歌聲與Scott的結他總是互相輝映──在Riverine內便嚴正聲明「No keyboards or synthesizers were used in the making of this recording」，以告訴大家他們的樂曲全由Scott的結他編織而成。這是樂隊的第六張專輯。

　　Autumn's Grey Solace returns with Eifelian, their sixth full length album. Eifelian is a collection of fourteen luscious darkwave compositions built on swelling emotional moods ranging from beautifully tranquil to darkly morose. Erin's richly layered vocals deliver a hypnotic effect, taking the listener's mind to otherworldly places. Scott's dense churning guitars create a wall of sound, completely enveloping the listener in lush ambience. Together, they create a spinning sonic world of escapism.

　　Eifelian tells the tale of early Earth. Vast wilderness, lonely yet peaceful, a serene planet. Seven-string minor guitar chords, the low-end growl of a 5-string bass, ambient mandolin, and other more exotic sounds are heard throughout the album. Of course, there is a liberal dose of shoegaze staples: heavily processed electric guitars, drums immersed in reverb, and atmospheric vocals. Eifelian lies on the darker side of the Autumn's Grey Solace sound with an ample amount of melancholy tones.