愛護你的膝關節2.0

藝人：Art of Fighting
專輯：第二個故事（Second Story）
評價：8.0
類型：獨立搖滾、Slow-core
年代：2004
發行：小白兔
哪買：小白兔、許多店都有

孤海裡傳來一首歌，撐舉著你的寂寞，淹沒曾經失去的曾經….

來自南半球的澳洲樂隊「AOF」有個很奇趣的團名，全名為「Art of Fighting」，據悉是從該團之前一首歌名，同時也是個電玩遊戲名稱，若翻成「打架的美學」，你會以為他們的歌曲充滿暴戾之氣，相反地，他們的音樂躲藏了巨大的憂懼與傷痛。

「AOF」主唱Ollie Brown聲線，有如「酷玩」樂團主唱Chris Martin那種能量飽滿的嗓音混合「電台司令」(Radiohead) Thom Yorke的慘情音色，成為一種新品種的憂鬱系歌喉，引發出聽者內心無限投射。若治療系文字能換化成音樂，「AOF」應該是治療系音樂的一種。

「AOF」第二張專輯「第二個故事」( Second Story)有許多歌曲和「酷玩」樂隊歌曲簡直是系出同門，一樣濃郁的悲傷式美學。不過「AOF」在編曲長度上明顯略長於「酷玩」，首曲「Alone the Run」節奏稍嫌樂觀了點，第二曲「Your Easy Part」立即恢復樂團應有本色，在副歌輕快的吉他刷弦下仍能展現壓抑的音色。

接連的第三軌「Break for Me」，展延了這股鬱鬱之聲，開場的吉他彈得極度留白，輕輕地飄過你心頭，緩慢地吟唱了三分半鐘後，吉他才宛若剛清醒般猛調大音量飆奏，一口氣撥開了漫天悽楚。最推薦第五曲「Two Rivers」，維持「Break for Me」裡副歌後發動飆音，這一首在兩分半後演繹出高潮，而且只能激情維持一段，才讓激情不顯煽情，留白收斂的學問遠高於激情高唱。這一點，「AOF」做得極佳，無庸至極。

值得一提的是，第六曲「Where Trouble Lived」是主唱前女友，同時也是「AOF」的貝斯手Peggy Frew擔任演唱，聲色神似「迷惑之星」(Mazzy Star)主唱Hope Sandoval，加上編曲也莫名神似，背景還經常閃爍著木琴輕音，一不留神，你就陷入「AOF」的蒼白音海中了…

註：原文已於KK Box刊登，尊重智慧財產權，試聽後喜歡再買



Art Of Fighting - Busted, Broken, Forgotten
if you're looking for a good thing
if you're looking for a clean heart
looking over this way
is not a very good start
been hanging on an old line
been living in a fixed time
been sticking to the same moves
and now i'm busted broken fogotten
old and worn and used
it's ok i know it now
and there's nothing like the truth
in anything that i can still do
in anything that i can still be
if there's a part of me that's still true
it's trying to promise what i cannot prove
so in the daylight you will see me
as not a definite or real thing
just as a shadow left to shifting
now that i'm busted broken forgotten
lost beyond all use
it's ok i know it now
and there's nothing like it
false signs and faulty lines well they may be excused
but how will time forgive me all the damage that they'll do?
so baby i'm leaving yeah i'm packing up and moving away
you'll never see me the broken boy is leavin' today
and you'll never find me from the the pieces scattered all along the way
cause they're bound to fade
now that i'm busted broken fogotten
lost beyond all use
it's ok i know it now
and there's nothing like the truth