翻譯：Nomanlandever

The four-year-old pop phenom and famous pig’s second album is a charming and self-assured celebration of family, friendship, and muddy puddles.

年僅四歲便紅遍全球的佩奇女王的第二張專輯是魅力四射的，一場(chǎng)對(duì)家庭，友情，泥坑引以自豪的慶祝會(huì)。

Peppa’s Adventures: The Album, the second LP by UK singer-songwriter and television star Peppa Pig, arrives at a critical moment for the young artist. Only 4 years old, and one of very few pigs working in the music industry today, Peppa’s rise has been as rapid as it was unlikely. Her 2019 debut,?My First Album, was an unexpected smash upon release. The record racked up 136 million streams, reached No. 1 on the UK Independent Albums Breakers chart, and?won?accolades?from fellow pop renegades?Charli XCX?and?Lil Nas X. As Peppa readied her sophomore effort, critics wondered: Was?My First Album?a fluke? Or is Peppa equipped to play in the UK’s crowded pop big leagues, alongside more established stars like?Dua Lipa?and?Ed Sheeran?

《Peppa’s Adventures: The Album》，英國(guó)歌手、詞曲創(chuàng)作者、電視明星小豬佩奇的第二張專輯。對(duì)于這位年輕的藝術(shù)家來說，這是一個(gè)關(guān)鍵時(shí)刻。佩奇年僅4歲，是當(dāng)今音樂界為數(shù)不多的幾只“豬”之一，她的迅速崛起令人難以置信。她2019年處女作《My First Album》出乎意料地獲得商業(yè)成功，目前已積攢1.36億流媒體點(diǎn)擊，在英國(guó)獨(dú)立專輯破壞者排行榜(UK Independent Albums Breakers)上衛(wèi)冕冠軍，贏得樂壇同輩藝人Charli XCX和Lil Nas X的贊許。正當(dāng)佩奇準(zhǔn)備她的第二張專輯時(shí)，評(píng)論家們想知道：《My First Album》是僥幸嗎？或者佩奇是否能力在英國(guó)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的“流行聯(lián)盟”中突出重圍，與Dua Lipa和Ed Sheeran等更知名的明星一決高下?

On?My First Album, Peppa made a careful study of Brian Wilson’s sunny melodies and progressive pop structure. She hews closely to this formula throughout?Peppa’s Adventures, particularly on the wistful “Perfect Day” and on “Recycling,” which evokes?Fiona Apple?in its percussive use of glass bottles and tin cans. Reaching further into pop’s past, she interpolates British and American folk music on the cheery “The School Bus Song” and the contemplative “Winter Days.” The traditionalist Approach to production pairs well with Peppa’s efficient songwriting. She’s adept at mining the mundane stuff of suburban life for glittering moments of camaraderie. “Perfect Day” celebrates the simple pleasures of friendship, particularly poignant after more than a year of social distancing. “Digging With Mr. Bull” turns the inconvenience of road construction into an exhilarating block party. Loveliest of all is “North Star Lullaby”; Peppa wrote the elegant, understated song for her 2-year-old brother, George. “I’d fly to space if I had wings,” she sings, her voice a near-whisper, “and play with George on Saturn’s rings.” The lullaby’s verses, written in iambic tetrameter, demonstrate a gift for poetic construction well beyond her years.

在《My First Album》中，佩奇潛心鉆研了Brian Wilson的陽光旋律和前衛(wèi)的流行結(jié)構(gòu)。在《Peppa’s Adventures: The Album》中她嚴(yán)格遵循了這一準(zhǔn)則，尤其在令人向往的歌曲《Perfect Day》和《Recycling》上得以體現(xiàn)，這兩首歌對(duì)玻璃瓶和錫罐的敲擊使用讓人想到Fiona Apple。佩奇進(jìn)一步深入過往的流行音樂，在歡快的《The School?Bus Song》和沉思的《Winter Days》中加入英國(guó)民謠和美國(guó)民謠元素。傳統(tǒng)守舊式的制作與佩奇高效的寫歌相得益彰。她擅長(zhǎng)挖掘郊區(qū)生活的平凡事物，從中尋找閃耀的友情時(shí)刻。歌曲《Perfect Day》慶祝友誼的簡(jiǎn)單快樂，尤其是在一年多的社交距離后的辛酸。《Digging With Mr. Bull》將公路建設(shè)帶來的生活不便轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)橐粓?chǎng)令人興奮的街區(qū)派對(duì)。最可愛的是《North Star Lullaby》，佩奇為她兩歲的弟弟喬治寫出了這首優(yōu)雅而低調(diào)的歌。“I’d fly to space if I had wings,”她近乎耳語地唱道，?“and play with George on Saturn’s rings.”這首搖籃曲是以抑揚(yáng)格四步格的方式寫成的，顯示出她在詩歌構(gòu)建方面的天賦，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出了她的年齡。

Yet?Peppa’s Adventures?is most compelling when Peppa departs from her standard chamber-pop formula. Lead single “Bing Bong Champion” is an ambitiously maximalist shot across the bow at those who called?My First Album?a Sarah Records retread. A tribute to sport in a fraught Olympic year, it moves with the grand air of?Taylor Swift’s “State of Grace.” Chimes and brassy horns abound, but Peppa, a nimble vocalist, ably holds her own. On the bridge, she assumes the role of coach and leads her backing singers in rhythmic cheering. It is among her best work to date.?

然而，《Peppa’s Adventures: The Album》最亮眼之處在于佩奇脫離了室內(nèi)流行樂標(biāo)準(zhǔn)模板的限制，首單《Bing Bong Champion》是野心的極端嘗試，對(duì)那些稱《My First Album》是Sarah Records（獨(dú)立音樂廠牌 英國(guó)花草系）新瓶裝舊酒的人進(jìn)行回?fù)?。這首歌是在充滿危機(jī)的奧運(yùn)年向體育運(yùn)動(dòng)致敬，有著Taylor Swift《State Of Grace》的大氣。編鐘和黃銅喇叭比比皆是，但佩奇，一個(gè)靈活的歌手，巧妙地把持著自己的風(fēng)格。在歌曲Bridge處，她扮演教練的角色，帶領(lǐng)她的和聲歌手有節(jié)奏地歡呼著。這是她迄今為止最好的作品之一。

Similarly expansive is the opener and title track, “Peppa’s Adventures,” a celebration of the natural world. Like her contemporary?Lorde’s “Solar Power,” the song throws off the past year’s miseries and flies through life with every pore open. “Adventures” relies heavily on a fiddle riff that recalls, or perhaps revives, the heyday of Mumford & Sons, the Lumineers, and Edward Sharpe. It’s a little gauche and though it doesn’t quite sink the song, it does raise questions about Peppa’s taste.

同樣大氣恢宏的專輯開場(chǎng)曲和同名曲《Peppa’s Adventures》，一場(chǎng)歌頌自然世界的慶祝會(huì)。如同佩奇同時(shí)代的歌手Lorde《Solar Power》般，這首歌摒除了過去一年的苦痛，使整個(gè)人煥然一新。這首歌在很大程度上依賴于一段小提琴重復(fù)段，或讓人回想到芒福德父子(Mumford & Sons)、Lumineers和愛德華·夏普(Edward Sharpe)的全盛時(shí)期。這有點(diǎn)笨拙，雖然這并沒有讓這首歌顯得很沉悶，但這著實(shí)讓人容易質(zhì)疑佩奇的音樂品味。

This minor concern aside, Peppa has proven herself a graceful navigator of a pop scene often hostile to her species. When?My First Album?debuted, in 2019, on the same day as?Iggy Azalea’s?In My Defense, Azalea cruelly threatened to turn Peppa into “a breakfast special.” In light of such attacks, Peppa’s unapologetic embrace of her identity is all the more inspirational. She oinks without shame; she celebrates “jumping in muddy puddles” on no fewer than four of this record’s nine tracks. “Birdy Birdy Woof Woof” demolishes preconceived notions about animal vocalists—“The birds go woof, and the dogs go tweet!”—as Peppa enlists friends and frequent collaborators Suzy Sheep, Pedro Pony, and Candy Cat to sing in one another’s styles.?

先拋開這個(gè)小問題，佩奇女王早已證明在這魚龍混雜，步步為營(yíng)的流行樂壇中，自己優(yōu)秀領(lǐng)航員的地位。佩奇2019年出道作《My First Album》與Iggy Azalea 專輯《In My Defense》同日發(fā)行當(dāng)天，Iggy便兇狠地?fù)P言道要把佩奇做成早餐。此威脅場(chǎng)景下，佩奇毫不掩飾地承認(rèn)自己的身份，這更鼓舞人心。她不掩天性，毫無羞恥地肆意豬叫；在專輯的九首歌中，至少有四首都在慶?！疤M(jìn)泥濘的水坑”的快樂?！癇irdy Birdy Woof Woof”打破了大眾對(duì)動(dòng)物歌手的固有印象——“The birds go woof, and the dogs go tweet!”——佩奇召集朋友和長(zhǎng)期的合作伙伴，如綿羊蘇西、小馬佩德羅和糖果貓，各露頭角的歌唱。

The other political moments of?Peppa’s Adventures?are not as successful. “Recycling,” for all its delightful percussive flourishes, fails to consider the impact of the UK’s recycling programs on Southeast Asia, where?landfills overflow?with Western waste. A brief reference to private spaceflight in “The School Bus Song” is similarly ill-advised, given that billionaire astronauts continue to exploit the working-class and classroom-working listeners whom Peppa courts.

《Peppa’s Adventures: The Album》的政治時(shí)刻卻沒達(dá)到同等的優(yōu)秀程度，歌曲“Recycling”》雖然聲勢(shì)浩大，但卻沒有考慮到英國(guó)的回收利用項(xiàng)目對(duì)東南亞的影響，那里的垃圾填埋場(chǎng)充斥著西方國(guó)家的垃圾。?“The School Bus Song” 中對(duì)私人太空旅行的簡(jiǎn)略提及略顯失策，因?yàn)橄氲健皟|萬富翁宇航員們”正不斷剝削佩奇想討好的工薪階層和在教室的聽眾。

Peppa is, of course, a very young artist; one hopes that she will refine her political sensibility as she matures. Her influence, within and beyond the pop scene, is immense.?The Wall Street Journal?recently?reported?that Peppa’s most devoted American fans have developed British accents and adopted her slang. Peppa seems to have borne up remarkably well in this position of influence, with all its attendant pressures. She clearly benefits from the closeness of her family and friends, who Appear throughout?Peppa’s Adventures.?As her profile rises, and her music reaches an even wider audience, Peppa will need their support to stay grounded. If her abundantly successful new record signals one thing, it is this: Peppa is some pig.

佩奇，無疑是位非常年輕的藝術(shù)家；人們期望，隨著她日益成熟，她會(huì)提高自己的政治敏感性。她在流行樂壇內(nèi)外的影響都是舉世無雙的?！度A爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》最近報(bào)道稱，小豬佩奇最忠實(shí)的美國(guó)粉絲已經(jīng)學(xué)會(huì)了英式口音，并接受了她的說話方式。佩奇似乎在影響力的交椅上承受住了千斤重?fù)?dān)的壓力。顯然，她從家人和朋友的親密關(guān)系中受益，他們都出現(xiàn)在《?Peppa’s Adventures》中。隨著她的知名度不斷提高，越來越多的聽眾接觸到她的音樂，佩奇腳踏實(shí)地的行進(jìn)，需要他們的支持。如果說她的新專輯大獲成功標(biāo)志著什么事情，那就是：佩奇是頭不同尋常的豬。