搬運(yùn)自：微信公眾號(hào)【評(píng)論搬一堆】（在原文基礎(chǔ)上添加了英語(yǔ)原文與排版調(diào)整）

翻譯：Simon Joanne

校正：Ryan-Chopin

Solange’s fourth album is unhurried, ambient, and exploratory. Using everything from spiritual jazz to Gucci Mane, Solange conjures her hometown with exceptional songcraft and production.

Solange的第四張個(gè)人專(zhuān)輯沒(méi)有顯得急躁冒進(jìn)，反而充滿(mǎn)了氛圍感和冒險(xiǎn)精神。Solange憑借自己高超的音樂(lè)技巧和制作功底，巧妙運(yùn)用了從靈歌爵士到Gucci Mane式饒舌的所有元素，并在這張專(zhuān)輯中重現(xiàn)了自己的家鄉(xiāng)。

In a?T Magazine?interview with?Solange?published last fall, writer Ayana Mathis described the making of the new album as taking the singer back to “a kind of Houston of the mind.” It’s a city that figures heavily in Knowles family mythology as the birthplace of Solange and her sister. At the time of the interview, we didn’t know the name of the record,?When I Get Home,?which indicates that this is an album about return. Now we have music and an accompanying?short film?that reconstructs the Houston of Solange’s mind.

《T》雜志在去年秋天對(duì)Solange進(jìn)行了一次采訪(fǎng)，作者Ayana Mathis將Solange新專(zhuān)輯的制作描述為歌手“腦海中的歸鄉(xiāng)之旅”。作為Solange和姐姐Beyoncé的出生地，休斯頓這座城市在Solange家族的歷史中扮演了非常重要的角色。采訪(fǎng)進(jìn)行的時(shí)候，專(zhuān)輯的名字——《When I Get Home》——當(dāng)時(shí)我們還不得而知，但是現(xiàn)在再來(lái)看，毋庸置疑這張專(zhuān)輯是圍繞“回歸”展開(kāi)的?，F(xiàn)在我們不僅能聽(tīng)到整張專(zhuān)輯，還能觀(guān)賞到配套的音樂(lè)電影，而在電影中，Solange重建了自己回憶中的休斯頓。

It’s not literal objectification of the past so much as a future memory of the city, an ephemeral mental grid. See-sawing bass booms from phantom slabs, wood-grained and candy-painted?per local tradition. Synthesizers and samples ricochet off the tall, empty office buildings of downtown Houston, reverberating to the heavens. Black cowboys gallop through the dusk—the clip of hooves a drumbeat. Space refuse is treasure. And snatches of vocals from hometown rappers Devin the Dude and Scarface float like murmurs from passing car windows.

配合這張專(zhuān)輯的音樂(lè)電影并不是對(duì)于過(guò)去的回憶進(jìn)行簡(jiǎn)單的具象化，而是展示了對(duì)于休斯頓這座城市的一種未來(lái)想象，或者說(shuō)，一次短暫的精神旅行。幻影般此起彼伏的板擊低音隆隆聲、木制的紋路、糖果般色彩……這些都來(lái)自于當(dāng)?shù)氐膫鹘y(tǒng)音樂(lè)。合成器、音樂(lè)小樣與休斯頓城中心空蕩蕩的寫(xiě)字樓辦公室、傳至天空的回響互相交織，奏成一曲樂(lè)章。黑人牛仔在夕陽(yáng)下來(lái)回奔馳——馬蹄也踏出了鼓點(diǎn)。來(lái)自太空的廢棄物在歌里也成了寶藏。專(zhuān)輯里還有來(lái)自同鄉(xiāng)饒舌歌手Devin the Dude和Scarface的演唱片段。

Three years after releasing the soul-baring opus?A Seat at the Table, Solange has ditched traditional song structure and world-weary lyrics for a sonically and thematically ambiguous record that feels freer, and less burdened by the white gaze. Although Houston is the beating heart at its core, much like New Orleans pulsed through?A Seat, the music’s spectral, free-associative quality suggests that the idea of “home” is less rooted. Solange offers a fundamental lesson of those who leave: Home isn’t something you can possess, it lives on without you. Perhaps she also understands that we can’t trust our memories and so Solange gives her music motion. We slide into this “Houston of the mind,” on a repeated refrain that reinforces the slipperiness of recall: “I saw things… I imagined/Things… I imagined.”

繼三年前發(fā)行了Solange袒露心靈之作《A Seat at The Table(桌前的一個(gè)座位)》之后，她摒棄了傳統(tǒng)的歌曲編排方式和充滿(mǎn)厭世情緒的歌詞，掙脫了恐黑主義的挾裹，打造出一張更加自由大膽、令人捉摸不定卻又從未偏離主題的專(zhuān)輯。盡管休斯頓作為Solange的家鄉(xiāng)在專(zhuān)輯充當(dāng)著主題核心的角色，這張專(zhuān)輯中如鬼影般繚繞不已、隨性組合的氣質(zhì)卻決定了“家的感覺(jué)”的根蒂并不是非常深，就像《A Seat at The Table》之中也貫穿著新奧爾良風(fēng)格一樣。Solange在專(zhuān)輯中給那些背井離鄉(xiāng)的人上了一堂非?；A(chǔ)的課——家不是你能夠占有的，就算你不在，家還是能夠佇立。也許Solange也明白我們有時(shí)不能太過(guò)相信自己的記憶，所以她讓自己的音樂(lè)靈動(dòng)了起來(lái)。Solange不斷重復(fù)著副歌“I saw things… I imagined/Things… I imagined（我看見(jiàn)了想象中的東西……）”，強(qiáng)調(diào)著回憶的順滑，于是我們也一同滑入了這個(gè)“意識(shí)中的休斯頓”。

The music is so in motion it’s hard to pin down. Its obliqueness does not give it automatic significance; instead, like in jazz or drone music, engaged listening instigates feeling. Because Solange doesn’t offer a clear thesis like on?A Seat at the Table, the onus falls on the listener to get close and make their own meaning. That can be a liberating creative impulse, particularly for a pop star who is widely considered an auteur. Solange and her musical collaborators—for what it’s worth, nearly all men aside from?Abra?and?Cassie—duck and weave through various time signatures, burying Easter Eggs beneath bold keys, Moog magic, and textured drum lines that embellish the omnipresent low end. There are samples, background vocals, and additional personnel credits to people representing Houston’s past, present, and future: from Phylicia Rashad and the poet Pat Parker, to Solange’s young son Julez Smith II, who has a production credit on the interlude “Nothing Without Intention.”

這張專(zhuān)輯中的音樂(lè)靈動(dòng)到根本無(wú)法被固定住。音樂(lè)自帶的傾斜感沒(méi)有讓音樂(lè)自主地?fù)碛懈枋窒胍磉_(dá)的思想，不過(guò)，像爵士或是極簡(jiǎn)主義音樂(lè)那樣，當(dāng)你投入地聆聽(tīng)之時(shí)，這些音樂(lè)同樣能引起情感上的共鳴。在這張專(zhuān)輯中，Solange沒(méi)有再像在上一張專(zhuān)輯里那樣把主題思想明確提出，因此聽(tīng)眾必須自主地去探尋音樂(lè)背后的意義。這樣可以釋放出一種創(chuàng)造的沖動(dòng)——特別是對(duì)于一個(gè)被廣泛認(rèn)為是一個(gè)電影導(dǎo)演的流行歌手來(lái)說(shuō)。Solange和她的合作藝人除了Abra和Cassie幾乎全部都是男性藝人，這些音樂(lè)在幾個(gè)極具標(biāo)志性的時(shí)間點(diǎn)之間編制穿插，將復(fù)活節(jié)彩蛋埋在了這些大膽的音調(diào)之下，魔幻的穆格電子合成器、具有質(zhì)感的鼓點(diǎn)都將無(wú)處不在的斷點(diǎn)潤(rùn)飾得天衣無(wú)縫。音樂(lè)中充滿(mǎn)了各種采樣、背景人聲和附加對(duì)代表著休斯頓過(guò)去、現(xiàn)在和未來(lái)人們的贊頌，從Phylicia Rashad到詩(shī)人Pat Parker，再到Solange的小兒子Julez Smith II（他參與了口白“Nothing Without Intention”的錄制）

When I Get Home?is exploratory, but still kind of glossy. The melodies on “Down With the Clique” and “Way to the Show” could be rearranged remnants from her first album?Solo Star, released in her teen pop days.?Pharrell, the king of sheen, shows up with his signature four-count intro on “Sound of Rain,” a song that perfectly channels the kitschy, pixelated optimism of late ’90s/early aughts futurism. He also brings his toolkit staples of tightly wound drums and syncopated piano for “Almeda,” an early fan-favorite because of an unexpected feature by a baby-voiced?Playboi Carti?who raps about diamonds shining through the darkness on a track where Solange heralds black ownership. We’re in Houston, so only one track hints at the time Solange recently spent in Jamaica. “Binz” is a wall-slapper, waist-winder, booty-popper. The airy three-part harmonies that have been her true calling card since covering the?Dirty Projectors’ “Stillness Is the Move” ascend over a dense arpeggiated bassline, and then give way to playful back-and-forth toasting between Solange and?The-Dream?that echoes the incantations of?Sister Nancy: “Sundown, wind chimes/I just wanna wake up on C.P. time.”

《When I Get Home》極具冒險(xiǎn)精神，但也有一點(diǎn)流于形式。“Down With the Clique”和“”這兩首歌的旋律可能是從Solange早期發(fā)行的第一張專(zhuān)輯《Solo Star》中的棄曲中改變過(guò)來(lái)的。百變制作人Pharrell在“Sound of Rain”中帶著他極具標(biāo)志性的四聲計(jì)數(shù)開(kāi)場(chǎng)出現(xiàn)，這首歌完美地運(yùn)用了各種制作技術(shù)，將流行于上世紀(jì)末的未來(lái)主義做了像素化的處理。他還給“Almenda”帶來(lái)了急促鼓點(diǎn)和鋼琴斷奏，這會(huì)是一首讓粉絲瞬間愛(ài)上的歌，因?yàn)樵谶@首Solange歌頌黑人的資源占有的歌曲中，Playboi Carti出其不意來(lái)了一段娃娃音饒舌，唱著鉆石的光芒能穿透黑暗。聽(tīng)到這里，我們已經(jīng)到過(guò)休斯頓，但是只有一首歌能接軌一點(diǎn)Solange前不久在牙買(mǎi)加度過(guò)的日子?！癇inz”是一首能讓人想拍響屁股、扭動(dòng)腰肢、倚墻聆聽(tīng)的音樂(lè)。這如空氣般和諧的三部分自Solange翻唱了Dirty Projector的“Stillness Is The Move”以來(lái)便成為了她的名片，其歌聲跨越一條稠密的低沉琶音線(xiàn)，然后引出了Solange與The-Dream之間你前我后交杯般回響的Sister Nancy的咒語(yǔ)：“Sundown, wind chimes/I just wanna wake up on C.P. time（夕陽(yáng)西墜，風(fēng)聲似鐘；我只想在開(kāi)普敦的時(shí)區(qū)醒來(lái)。）”

Solange is frolicking here, using a freeform template that aspires to the endlessly uplifting magic of Stevie Wonder, the psychedelic pleasures of chopped and screwed music, or the spiritual jazz of?Alice Coltrane?and the Arkestra of?Sun Ra. One of her chief collaborators throughout is John Carroll Kirby, whose solo music could only be described as New Age.?Standing on the Corner, a young New York City jazz group, provide some sublime moments of drama and tension—a perfect template for the gestural, post-modern, Kate Bush-esque choreography that Solange prefers.

Stevie Wonder的歌曲好似無(wú)盡上升的魔法，Solange在靠近這一自由模式時(shí)顯得頑皮不已。將音樂(lè)旋緊又砍碎的樂(lè)趣讓人迷醉，其中還有Alice Coltrane 和Sun Ra中Arkestra的影子。Solange在整張專(zhuān)輯中最主要的合作者是John Carroll Kirby，他的風(fēng)格經(jīng)常只能被形容為新世紀(jì)音樂(lè)。Standing on the Corner——一支來(lái)自紐約的新興爵士樂(lè)隊(duì)——為專(zhuān)輯中增添了不少令人嘆為觀(guān)止的極具戲劇性或張力的時(shí)刻，這也是一種完美形象的后現(xiàn)代體現(xiàn)，如Solange最?lèi)?ài)的Kate Bush式舞蹈編排。

When I Get Home?is particularly beautiful as an ambient piece that’s unencumbered by the emotional catharsis of?A Seat at the Table—but it is missing a palpable thesis statement. Fourteen of the album’s 19 tracks clock in at under three minutes, but the patchwork effect suggests a more stream-of-consciousness bricolage than, say,?Tierra Whack’s idea-led brevity. She’s got a lot of ideas, but I’m still left wondering what this album can tell us about her aesthetic practice. (Despite its title, the interlude “Nothing Without Intention” doesn’t provide a clue.) But this need for direction only matters because?A Seat at the Table?felt so urgent.

聽(tīng)眾不需要再吸收到像在《A Seat at the Table》里負(fù)重的情感宣泄，《When I Get Home》作為氛圍感強(qiáng)的音樂(lè)來(lái)說(shuō)尤其動(dòng)聽(tīng)，但是音樂(lè)主體性也顯得不再那么清晰可見(jiàn)。整張專(zhuān)輯19首歌中有14首歌的時(shí)長(zhǎng)都沒(méi)有超過(guò)3分鐘，但這種拼貼的效果卻顯得比Tierra Whack那種由一個(gè)觀(guān)點(diǎn)導(dǎo)出的時(shí)長(zhǎng)較短的音樂(lè)更加能夠凸顯拼貼的意識(shí)流感。她的想法很多，但是我始終在思考這些音樂(lè)能告訴我們她的哪些審美實(shí)踐（除了“Nothing Without Intention”這首歌完全沒(méi)有提供任何線(xiàn)索）。但如果不是《A Seat at the Table》讓人感覺(jué)異常的急迫，這種對(duì)于主體方向的需要也顯得不是非常重要。

Here, Solange is unhurried. The album rewards repetition, in listening and in execution. Repetition can cue a meditative state; it can also be code. “I saw things I imagined, things I imagined,” she sings on the opener. “We were down with you, down with you,” she continues on “Down With the Clique.” And by the time she switches up the single phrase repetition on “Almeda,” listing with pride, “brown skin, brown face, black skin, black braids,” the album is half over and the mood, the dream state, resets.

在專(zhuān)輯中，Solange收放自如、不緊不慢。這張專(zhuān)輯在被聆聽(tīng)和演繹的過(guò)程中，適當(dāng)?shù)闹貜?fù)得到了最好的效果。這樣的重復(fù)在引人進(jìn)入一種冥想的狀態(tài)，也可以被當(dāng)作是一種密碼?！癐 saw things I imagined, things I imagined。（我看到想象中的東西。）”她在專(zhuān)輯的開(kāi)場(chǎng)曲中唱道。“We were down with you, down with you。（我們和你一樣失落。）”她于“Down With the Clique”中在此句開(kāi)始重復(fù)。但在“Almeda”中重復(fù)模式有所調(diào)整，這次是一些詞組在不斷地被重復(fù)著（“brown skin, brown face, black skin, black braids（棕色皮膚、棕色臉龐，黑色皮膚，黑色辮子）”），此時(shí)整張專(zhuān)輯已經(jīng)播放過(guò)半，音樂(lè)情緒、夢(mèng)境狀態(tài)也隨之被重置了。

Some spiritual traditions use repeated mantras or prayers to invite awareness and presence, others as a way to invoke the past or alter the future. Design principles teach that repetition communicates unity and cohesion—enter “My Skin My Logo,” where Solange trades admiring verses with a cooing?Gucci Mane, whose name conjures an endless monogram of interlocking Gs. The song itself is childlike and loving; the macho rapper softening his nursery rhyme-flow for something that sounds like an actual nursery rhyme. It’s through repetition that Solange resurrects a timeless, formless Houston of her mind. She uses the device extensively and almost compulsively, trying to remember, trying harder not to forget, and trying even harder to situate these traditions within a wider context of black music and culture in America.

一些精神傳統(tǒng)使用重復(fù)的咒語(yǔ)或禱告來(lái)凝聚人們的注意力并喚起自我感知，或者作為援引過(guò)去或改變未來(lái)的方式。設(shè)計(jì)學(xué)準(zhǔn)則認(rèn)為重復(fù)能夠緊密聯(lián)系和加強(qiáng)團(tuán)結(jié)——歌曲“My Skin My Logo”中，Solange將抓耳的主歌部分與Gucci Mane的咕咕聲融合在一起，主要是Gucci的名字剛好合上Solange的名字組成了“GS”無(wú)盡的字母串聯(lián)歌詞(譯者注：歌曲中Solange的歌詞部分總是以“Gucci”開(kāi)頭，Gucci歌詞部分總是以“Solo”開(kāi)頭)。歌曲本身幼稚而可愛(ài)，這位頗具男子氣概的饒舌歌手將自己幼兒讀物般的音樂(lè)韻流柔化。正是通過(guò)重復(fù)，Solange得以將自己腦海中那個(gè)永恒而無(wú)形的休斯頓重現(xiàn)。Solange重度甚至過(guò)度使用這一技巧，只是希望去銘記，不要遺忘，更是希望將這些傳統(tǒng)定位在更加寬廣的美國(guó)黑人音樂(lè)、黑人文化之中。