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

翻譯：豆目豆科

The 20th anniversary remaster of Smith's final solo album before his major label debut highlights its inimitable sound and style: a magical, alchemical mix of intimacy and bombast.

這是Smith在大廠牌發(fā)行專輯前的最后一張個(gè)人專輯，而如今也迎來(lái)了它的20周年紀(jì)念再版，其獨(dú)特的聲音和風(fēng)格依舊閃耀：親密感與浮華感間奇妙、如同煉金術(shù)般的融合。

About two minutes into?Either/Or?opener “Speed Trials,”?Elliott Smith’s seamlessly double-tracked lead vocal splits into a two-part harmony.?It’s a very subtle gesture, and only lasts for a few seconds—but contrasted with the tight, hushed unison of Smith’s prior solo output, it feels as dramatic as?The Wizard of Oz?shifting from sepia to technicolor. This moment plays out like a microcosm of?Either/Or?at large, the sound of Smith conjuring something far bigger than himself and coming into his own as a songwriter, arranger, and performer. The final album in Smith’s catalog before the major label-backed?XO?and?Figure 8,?Either/Or?marks the last time Smith’s instincts would outpace the studio resources to execute them. It's extraordinary how he embodies a magical, alchemical mix of intimacy and bombast.

在《Either/Or》的第一首歌“Speed Trials”進(jìn)行了大約兩分鐘后，Elliott Smith將雙軌主音悄無(wú)聲息地分割成兩部分和聲。這是個(gè)異常微妙的手筆，雖然只持續(xù)了幾秒鐘——但與Smith以往獨(dú)唱作品中緊湊、寧?kù)o的和諧相比，這感覺(jué)就像《綠野仙蹤》從深褐到多彩的戲劇性轉(zhuǎn)變。這一時(shí)刻宛如整張《Either/Or》的縮影，Smith用他的聲音召喚出一些遠(yuǎn)比他自身更強(qiáng)大的東西，堅(jiān)實(shí)了一個(gè)詞曲作家、編曲人和演唱者的多重身份。這是Smith在大廠牌旗下發(fā)行《XO》和《Figure 8》前的最后一張專輯，《Either/Or》標(biāo)志著Smith的創(chuàng)作本能最后一次蓋過(guò)工作室管制去執(zhí)行這有關(guān)音樂(lè)的一切。更為非凡的是他如何將親密與浮華奇妙、如同煉金術(shù)般的融匯在一起的。

By the time?Either/Or?was released in 1997, Smith was no stranger to the cynical machinations of the post-grunge major label gold rush. A year prior, his former band?Heatmiser?had been put through that very ringer, an experience captured in?Either/Or?standouts “Pictures of Me” and “Angeles.”?Either/Or?sounds like the work of somebody who has zero interest in either conforming to or directly transgressing the “commercial” sounds of the day. It’s too ambitious to read as “l(fā)o-fi” and too gritty to read as straightforward pop classicism. Thankfully, this 20th anniversary remaster doesn't smooth out too many of those rough edges—if anything, it brings the unique sound of the record into even clearer focus.

1997年在《Either/Or》剛剛發(fā)行時(shí)，Smith對(duì)主流唱片公司所鐘愛(ài)的post-grunge圈錢浪潮并不陌生。一年前，他還在樂(lè)隊(duì)Heatmiser擔(dān)任主唱時(shí)做了類似的嘗試，這一經(jīng)歷在《Either/Or》中的代表作“Pictures of Me”和“Angeles”中有所體現(xiàn)?！禘ither/Or》聽(tīng)起來(lái)像發(fā)自那種對(duì)順應(yīng)或直接超越當(dāng)時(shí)的“商業(yè)”聲音毫無(wú)興趣的厭世者的聲音。它的野心極大，與“擺爛”毫不相關(guān)，又太過(guò)晦澀，不像是通常意義上直白的流行經(jīng)典。值得慶幸的是，在這個(gè)20周年的重制版中這些棱角并沒(méi)有被磨平——如果有的話，也只是讓唱片中獨(dú)特的聲音變得更加清晰。

The sounds and words of?Either/Or?often conjure very specific images, textures, and situations. And yet, Smith—as with many truly great songwriters—used this specificity as a way to explore emotional themes that resonate both deeply and broadly. Nowhere is this clearer than “Between the Bars,” the closest thing to a modern-day standard Smith ever wrote and covered by everyone from?Metric?to?Madonna. It’s not a love song, exactly, and it’s not a song about addiction, exactly. “Between the Bars” is about the ways in which protecting somebody you love turns into the need to control that person. The fact that Smith was able to build this much emotional complexity into a song that sounds at home in a stadium or at a Starbucks speaks to his irreplaceable gift as a songwriter.

《Either/Or》中的聲音和文字往往能令人聯(lián)想到非常具體的圖像、紋理亦或情境。然而，Smith——同許多真正偉大的作曲家一樣——將這一特性視作探索情感主旋律的一種方式，廣而深地引起共鳴。這一點(diǎn)在“Between the Bars”中體現(xiàn)得淋漓盡致，這也是Smith筆下最接近現(xiàn)代審美標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的歌曲，無(wú)論是Metric還是麥當(dāng)娜都曾翻唱過(guò)。確切地說(shuō)，這并不是一首情歌，也不是一首講述迷戀情愫的歌?！癇etween the Bars”是對(duì)你所愛(ài)之人的保護(hù)欲慢慢演變?yōu)榭刂朴倪^(guò)程。事實(shí)上，Smith能夠?qū)⑷绱藦?fù)雜的情感建立在一首適合在各種場(chǎng)景中演繹的歌曲上，也印證了他有著作為一個(gè)作曲家不可或缺的天賦。

Elsewhere, Smith amplifies his well-honed songwriting chops with more fleshed-out arrangements. “Ballad of Big Nothing” propels itself forward with bubbly?McCartney-esque bass lines and background vocals that sound like they might have been string arrangements if there were an orchestra handy. “Angeles” and “Cupid’s Trick” provide a back-to-back study in Smith’s versatility as a guitarist, going from intricate fingerpicked pattern to lopey electric riffs. By the time album closer “Say Yes” rolls around, it’s clear that the solo acoustic approach is a specific and purposeful?choice, and no longer Smith’s default mode.

在專輯的其他曲目中，Smith運(yùn)用更豐富的編曲來(lái)為他嫻熟的歌曲創(chuàng)作技巧增色?！癇allad of Big Nothing”以McCartney式的輕快低音和背景人聲向前推進(jìn)，倘若手邊就是管弦樂(lè)隊(duì)的話，相較而言這些聲音聽(tīng)起來(lái)同弦樂(lè)編曲也沒(méi)什么不同?！癆ngeles”和“Cupid 's Trick”讓我們對(duì)Smith吉他手的身份有了進(jìn)一步的了解，他從復(fù)雜的指彈旋律到極速的電吉他riff無(wú)所不能。來(lái)到專輯的尾聲“Say Yes”，很明顯，獨(dú)唱，這一聲學(xué)表現(xiàn)方法是一個(gè)特定且“有所圖”的選擇，而非Smith歌曲的默認(rèn)模式。

This reissue is framed as an “expanded” edition, and the bonus materials included fit the bill nicely. Rather than aiming for comprehensiveness or definitiveness, the bonus tracks provide interesting glimpses into Smith’s growing strength as a live solo performer (some excellent live recordings of album and non-album cuts), sense of humor (a sketch of?New Moon?track “New Monkey” that sounds like it was played on a baseball organ), and where he would go with his next record (a formative version of?XO?cut “Bottle Up and Explode!” that shows just how much thoughtful editing and revision went into the final version). And then there’s?“I Figured You Out,”?a longtime fan favorite that Smith gave to his friend Mary Lou Lord to record because it “sounds like the fuckin’ Eagles.” “I Figured You Out” would have been the most straightforward and polished song on?Either/Or, and its omission speaks volumes about how determined Smith was to find his own voice and chart his own path.

這次是以“擴(kuò)展”版的形式再發(fā)行的，其中囊括的附贈(zèng)加曲很好地滿足了這一噱頭。加曲并非以全面或“敲定成品”為目標(biāo)，而是提供了那些創(chuàng)作過(guò)程中有趣的“靈光一現(xiàn)”，讓人們了解到Smith作為即興獨(dú)唱表演者日益增長(zhǎng)的實(shí)力（一些來(lái)自專輯或其他輯子里曲目的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)錄音）、幽默感（《New Moon》中的曲目“New Monkey”的小樣，聽(tīng)起來(lái)像是用體育場(chǎng)風(fēng)琴演奏的），甚至還有他下張專輯的影子（《XO》中“Bottle Up and Explode!”的最終版本，也可見(jiàn)它的誕生進(jìn)行了多么深思熟慮的編輯和修改）。還有“I Figured You Out”，這是歌迷多年以來(lái)的口碑之作，Smith因?yàn)樗奥?tīng)起來(lái)像特么的老鷹樂(lè)隊(duì)”而將之交給朋友Mary Lou Lord來(lái)錄制?！癐 Figured You Out”原先是《Either/Or》收錄的最直白、最精煉的歌曲，它多年的遺漏充分說(shuō)明了Smith多么堅(jiān)定地尋找自己的聲音、規(guī)劃自己的道路。

In the years that followed the release of?Either/Or, Smith managed to do just that, performing “Miss Misery” at the Academy Awards and releasing an uncompromising major label debut. For some of his fans,?Either/Or?marked the end of Smith’s career as a direct and intimate folk singer-songwriter. For others,?Either/Or?marked the beginning of Smith’s career as a one-man classic pop band. In truth,?Either/Or?marks the one moment in Smith’s career when he was truly both.

在《Either/Or》發(fā)行的后幾年里，Smith走上奧斯卡頒獎(jiǎng)典禮的舞臺(tái)上表演“Miss Misery”，并在主流唱片公司名下發(fā)行了毫不妥協(xié)主流的首張專輯。對(duì)于他的一部分歌迷而言，《Either/Or》標(biāo)志著Smith作為一個(gè)直白而親民的民謠歌手兼詞曲作家的職業(yè)生涯的結(jié)束；而對(duì)其他人來(lái)說(shuō)，《Either/Or》標(biāo)志著Smith單人經(jīng)典流行樂(lè)隊(duì)生涯的開(kāi)始。無(wú)論如何，《Either/Or》標(biāo)志著Smith在音樂(lè)生涯中的一個(gè)重要時(shí)刻，他真正做到了非此即彼、二者兼得。