搬運自：網(wǎng)易云音樂專欄【Music Online Zine Courier】（在原文基礎(chǔ)上添加了英語原文與排版調(diào)整）

翻譯：豆目豆科

For their sophomore effort, the Calgary post-punk band offer a bleak but beautiful record, full of subtly skewed melodies.

談到他們的第二部作品，來自卡爾加里的后朋樂隊為我們提供了一張黯淡卻美麗的唱片，充斥著微妙的奇異旋律。

On their self-titled debut, Women kept their howls and hooks separate. The Calgary-based post-punk quartet dished out gritty drones and pristine pop with equal aplomb, but the album's highlights-- the spiky and dissonant "Shaking Hand" or the melancholy psych-pop nugget "Black Rice"-- stuck to one camp or the other. Two years later, Women have bridged the divide. The group's sophomore effort, Public Strain, pushes forward in both directions-- the hooks are noisier, the noise is hookier, and both are fogged over with enough reverb to make Felt records seem bone-dry by comparison. Fidelity-wise, it's a step down. But in just about every other sense, Public Strain is an improvement-- a bleak but beautiful record, full of subtly skewed melodies.

在他們的同名首專中，Women第一次將他們的嚎叫與Hook相分離。這支來自卡爾加里的后朋四人樂隊以泰然的姿態(tài)發(fā)出了粗糲的、無意識的、純粹的流行聲音，同時專輯的高光——尖銳而不和諧的“Shaking Hand”或憂郁的迷幻流行小品“Black Rice”——堅持在各自各自的領(lǐng)域、涇渭分明。兩年后的Women已經(jīng)彌合了這一分裂感。這支樂隊的第二張作品《Public Strain》在兩個方向上都取得了進展——Hook更吵，噪音更Hook，而且都被充足的混響所籠罩，以至使Felt的唱片相比之下都顯得骨感、枯燥。就保真度而言，它有所“退步”。但在其他方面，《Public Strain》實現(xiàn)了飛躍——一張陰郁而美麗的唱片，充斥著微妙的奇異旋律。

Women's debut revved up quickly-- a minute's worth of garage-rock stomp dropped straight into the throbbing art-noise of "Lawncare". Public Strain is a more subdued record. Album opener, "Can't You See", drifts gradually into form-- the bass anchoring Patrick Flegel's vocal amid a haze of bowed guitars and abstract sampler-squeals. "Narrow With the Hall" pits ghostly vocals against a sea of feedback, bound together only by a couple of wiry, tremolo-riddled chords. The atmosphere owes a distinct debt to the noisier side of 1980s underground music-- particularly Sonic Youth's darker, skuzzier early days. But the when it comes to melody, Women dial things back a few extra decades. The Flegel brother's vocals are harmony-heavy, recalling the work of ornate 60s pop acts like the Zombies and the Electric Prunes. The mixture produces a unique, gray-paisley vibe-- the sound of vintage psychedelia bleached of its color.

Women的首專節(jié)奏很快——僅一分鐘的車庫搖滾“咣嘰”直接掉進了“Lawncare”悸動的藝術(shù)噪音之中。而《Public Strain》是一張更為低調(diào)的唱片。專輯開篇“Can't You See”，漸入佳境——在一片朦朧的弓形吉他和抽象采樣器尖嘯中拉開帷幕，在貝斯搭襯下，Patrick Flegel的聲音漸漸趨于平穩(wěn)?！癗arrow With the Hall”將幽靈般的人聲與海浪般洶涌的回聲相抗衡，卻僅由幾個毛茸茸、顫動的和弦將它們聯(lián)系在一起。這種氣氛明顯受惠于80年代地下音樂的嘈雜一面——尤其是早期Sonic Youth黑暗、污穢的歲月。但當(dāng)我們談及旋律，Women把視角往回調(diào)轉(zhuǎn)數(shù)十年。Flegel兄弟的人聲重疊交錯，讓人想起60年代華麗的流行音樂，就像The Zombies和The Electric Prunes的作品。自這種混搭中誕生了一種獨特的、灰白色的氛圍——復(fù)古迷幻的聲音，卻漂去了它的色彩。

But by the halfway point, Public Strain shifts toward darker, more paranoid territory. "China Steps" rides the eerie, tick-tocking, interplay between the rhythm section and two de-tuned guitars. The Flegel brothers' ethereal vocals drift in and out of key, creating an unsettling call-and-response at the song's climax. For all the sonic bric-a-brac, it's these vocals that push Women off of the retro-rock grid and into territories unknown. Their songs start out familar enough, but the Flegels-- along with guitarist Chris Reimer, who also sings-- frequently dovetail into unexpected, crooked-sounding harmonies. In the first minute, "Venice Lockjaw" screams Velvet Underground knock-off. But by the time the chorus swings around, things have been screwed an octave up into choir-boy territory, giving the song an awkward but tender resolution.

但當(dāng)專輯進行到一半，《Public Strain》轉(zhuǎn)向了更黑暗、更偏執(zhí)的領(lǐng)域?！癈hina Steps”中，節(jié)奏部分與兩把失調(diào)吉他間發(fā)生了陰森、滴答作響相互作用。Flegel兄弟空靈的歌聲飄忽不定，在歌曲的高潮部分營造出一個令人不安的呼喚和回應(yīng)交疊響起的狀態(tài)。所有的音浪，正是這些將Women從復(fù)古搖滾的漁網(wǎng)中掙脫，推向未知的領(lǐng)域。他們的歌曲從一開始就很是親切，但Flegels兄弟和吉他手Chris Reimer（他也唱歌）經(jīng)常碰撞出出人意料的、聽來很扭曲的和聲。在“Venice Lockjaw”的前一分鐘里，他們叫囂著，就像The Velvet Underground的山寨版。但到了副歌，已被完全扭轉(zhuǎn)了一個八度，遁入唱詩班男孩的領(lǐng)域，給這首歌一個尷尬卻貼心至極的收尾方案。

Public Strain was recorded alongside producer Chad VanGaalen, who also helmed Women's self-titled record. His production is chilly and thin-- possibly a nod to the early-80s indie bands that Women hold in high regard. Or maybe it was just the weather--the sessions were conducted in Alberta, Canada during the dead of winter. At first listen, Public Strain is impenetrably cold. But deep down, beneath the blizzard of noise and hiss, something's burning.

《Public Strain》是他們與制作人Chad VanGaalen一起錄制的，他同時也是Women同名專輯的掌舵人。他的制作冰冷而單薄——也可能是向Women所推崇的80年代早期獨立樂隊致敬?；蛘咭苍S只是天氣的原因捏——加拿大阿爾伯塔省的冬天，這張專輯的錄制是在冬天進行的。乍聽，《Public Strain》是令人難以忍受的冷；但實際上，在充斥著噪音和嘶嘶聲的暴風(fēng)雪之下，有東西在灼灼燃燒。