翻譯：Nomanlandever

導(dǎo)言：《Fever》是Pitchfork評(píng)過的首張流行專輯，評(píng)論起因是本文作者Dominique Leone（在新千年初期為p4k撰寫了大量文章，主要側(cè)重古怪的實(shí)驗(yàn)音樂）在聽過大量無聊的流行音樂和法國前衛(wèi)搖滾樂隊(duì)Magma的專輯后，評(píng)價(jià)《Fever》是一張非?！俺錾?span id="s0sssss00s" class="font-size-12">（decent）的專輯，并寫下直率的樂評(píng)。他告訴我們：“在那段時(shí)間，Pitchfork發(fā)生了很多類似的事情，有些音樂永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)寫評(píng)價(jià)，要么就算被寫出來，也會(huì)是負(fù)面的評(píng)價(jià)?！?/span>“我不會(huì)說我是凱莉·米洛的粉絲。但我什么都聽了，我想我應(yīng)該把《Fever》當(dāng)作另一張（贊不絕口的）專輯?！痹瓨吩u(píng)在2002年4月1日愚人節(jié)當(dāng)天發(fā)布，標(biāo)志著Pitchfork開始轉(zhuǎn)型涉獵流行音樂。（文段節(jié)選自《承載Pitchfork25年歷史的38篇文章》https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-history-of-the-pitchfork-reviews-section-in-38-important-reviews/）

She's back.?The woman who brought American audiences that terribly rigid version of "The Locomotion" in the late 80s has risen from the dead (or massive overseas popularity, depending on how you look at it) to sock it to the red, white and blue just like she did 15 summers ago.?Okay, so that may not have been Kylie Minogue's primary motivation behind?Fever, her ninth album overall, but it's probably going to be the subject of the most of the press she gets in the U.S.?In fact, this is hardly her "comeback," since during the time she last made the Top 10 here, she was the most popular female pop singer in Europe and Australia.

天后再臨。這位曾在80年代后期給美國聽眾獻(xiàn)上死亡僵硬翻唱版 "The Locomotion"的女人東山再起（或者說一直在海外大受歡迎，看你怎么理解）如同15年前的夏天，再次打入美國市場。好吧，這可能不是Kylie打造《Fever》大碟的主要?jiǎng)訖C(jī)，她已發(fā)行九張錄音室專輯，但不出意外美國媒體將以“唱“The Locomotion”的過氣天后借尸還魂”的話題集中報(bào)道她。事實(shí)上，這不算是她的“重返復(fù)出”，在她在美國取得前十單曲的成績后，她一直是在歐洲和澳大利亞最紅的流行女星。

Perhaps a re-introduction is due.33-year-old Minogue first achieved fame as a child actress in several dramas, most notably the soap opera "Neighbors." When the soap began airing in the UK, Minogue's popularity soared. In 1987, she recorded a demo version of Little Eva's 60s pop hit "The Locomotion" for charity, and actually submitted the recording to the UK label Mushroom. Mushroom was fairly keen to release something by the young star, though weren't necessarily impressed by the recording.The label decided to turn the Minogue situation over to a team of producers they'd just entered into a partnership with: Stock, Aitken and Waterman, who were fresh of producing major hits for Bananarama, Rick Astley and Dead or Alive. Of course, Stock, Aitken and Waterman wanted to work with Minogue, but didn't take her very seriously, and didn't even have material for her on the day she showed up to their studios. Legend has it, they came up with the tune "I Should Be So Lucky" in ten minutes, which became Minogue's second #1 single in Australia and England. Perhaps due to the relatively haphazard experience of recording under the SAW blade, Minogue gradually took matters into her own hands throughout the 90s. The team continued to work with her in the early 90s, as Minogue scored more hits, and even began contributing her own lyrics.

是時(shí)候重新介紹這位天后了。今年33歲的Kylie還是童星演員時(shí)就憑借幾部電視劇的出演已小有名氣，其中最著名的是肥皂劇"Neighbors."(家有芳鄰)。當(dāng)這部肥皂劇在英國播出時(shí)，Kylie的人氣飆升。在1987年，她為慈善機(jī)構(gòu)錄制了Little Eva的60年代熱單“The Locomotion”?，并將這張唱片提交給了英國唱片公司Mushroom。Mushroom廠牌十分渴望發(fā)行這位流行新星的物料，盡管不一定對(duì)這段錄音刮目相看，但廠牌決定把Kylie Minogue的事務(wù)交給他們剛剛建立合作關(guān)系的制作團(tuán)隊(duì)Stock, Aitken和Waterman處理。他們不久前才為banana arama、Rick Astley和Dead or Alive制作了熱門歌曲。當(dāng)然，Stock, Aitken和Waterman都想跟Kylie合作，但卻沒很重視她，甚至在她現(xiàn)身工作室的那天也沒有為她準(zhǔn)備資源。據(jù)說他們?cè)谑昼妰?nèi)創(chuàng)作出單曲《I Should Be So Lucky》，這首歌成為Kylie在澳大利亞和英國的第二首冠軍單曲。也許是在相對(duì)混亂的SAW模式下的錄音經(jīng)歷，隨著更多熱單的問世，Kylie在90年代逐漸開始自己掌控事業(yè)，甚至開始自己寫詞。

Her work ethic has been similar to Madonna's, in that she makes it a habit to produce interesting videos for her songs (usually opting for the role of seductress rather than clean cut girl-next-door), and always keeps her sound current. She also worked with many different collaborating producers after leaving the SAW team in 1991.?Her relationship with the late INXS singer Michael Hutchence resulted in further musical experimentation, going so far as to work with Nick Cave for the tune "Where the Wild Flowers Grow," in addition to working with members of Manic Street Preachers for her 1997 release?Impossible Princess.

她的職業(yè)理念一直與Madonna相近，因?yàn)樗偸菫樽约旱母枨谱饔腥さ腗V（通常扮演誘惑狐貍精的角色，而不是乖巧精致的鄰家女孩），而且始終確保自己的音樂時(shí)髦新鮮。在1991年離開SAW團(tuán)隊(duì)后，她也與不同的制作人開展合作。她與INXS樂隊(duì)已故主唱Michael Hutchence的戀情引起她對(duì)實(shí)驗(yàn)音樂的延伸，如她與Nick Cave的合作曲?"Where the Wild Flowers Grow"（原作者打錯(cuò)歌名），還與Manic Street Preachers樂隊(duì)成員做出1997年專輯《Impossible Princess》。

It wasn't all good times for Minogue, though, as her jaunts outside the dance-pop realm weren't received very well, critically or popularly. She was actually dropped by her label after?Impossible Princess?(the gall!), only to resurface in 2000 with the back-to-basics, disco-drenched?Light Years?LP. She received co-writing credits on about half the tunes, and managed to retain control of her career while simultaneously jumping back into the limelight.?Fever?continues in this vein, adding a touch of adult-contemporary soft-groove in amongst the dancefloor escapades. Minogue brought in former dance-pop star Cathy Dennis to collaborate this time around, resulting in three songs: "Can't Get You Out of My Head," "Come Into My World" and "Dancefloor."?The first song launched Minogue back into relevance in the U.S., with its very dry arrangement, straightforward disco pulse and breezy,?Xanadu-esque bridge. The song exudes a catchiness that belies its inherent simplicity, so reassuring during an era when chart acts sound increasingly baroque and producers race to see who can ape electronic music trends first. And with the tag "set me free," perhaps Minogue is saying something about her relationship to trends in modern pop.

不過Kylie的事業(yè)并非一帆風(fēng)順，因?yàn)樗诹餍形枨I(lǐng)域之外的嘗試并沒有得到很多很好的評(píng)價(jià)，無論是樂評(píng)還是商業(yè)。事實(shí)上，在《Impossible Princess》之后，她就被自己的廠牌無情拋棄（惋惜至極?。?，直到2000年才憑借返璞歸真的迪斯科大碟《Light Years》再次回歸大眾視野。她參與了《Light Years》專輯里一半歌曲的創(chuàng)作，在重新成為大眾焦點(diǎn)的同時(shí)捍衛(wèi)住對(duì)自己事業(yè)的掌控權(quán)?！禙ever》繼往開來，在揮灑自如的舞池中加入當(dāng)代成人舒緩節(jié)奏，Kylie Minogue這次與前舞曲女王Cathy Dennis合作出三首歌：?"Can't Get You Out of My Head," "Come Into My World" 和"Dancefloor." 其中第一首歌讓Kylie在美國重新翻紅，歌曲干練的編曲，直白的迪斯科節(jié)奏，輕快的、世外桃源式的bridge樂段亮點(diǎn)頻出。這首歌散發(fā)出足以掩蓋簡約內(nèi)核的抓耳性，在這個(gè)曲風(fēng)越發(fā)巴洛克、制作人競相效仿電子音樂潮流的時(shí)代，這首歌沁人心脾。"set me free（歌詞）"這個(gè)標(biāo)簽，或許Kylie想表達(dá)的是她與現(xiàn)代流行趨勢(shì)之間的關(guān)系。

The album initially brings to mind the sound of younger acts like N'Sync or Britney Spears, but where they tend to favor more aggressively spectacular production, Minogue seems comfortable with a basic groove, minimal backing, and vocals bared up in front. "Come Into My World" is a more traditionally disco-oriented track, reminiscent of Eumir Deodato's fantasy soundscapes, and with the alluring refrain, "Come, come, come into my world." "Dancefloor" is straight club music, along the lines of old-school Lisa Stansfield or the Real McCoy's eurodisco standards.

這張專輯最初映入眼簾的是N'Sync或Britney Spears這樣的新生歌手，但這樣的歌手往往喜歡更激進(jìn)的華麗制作，Kylie更適合處理基本節(jié)奏，細(xì)微的背景音，突出的人聲。"Come Into My World"是一首更傳統(tǒng)的迪斯科風(fēng)格歌曲，誘人的副歌"Come, come, come into my world." 讓人聯(lián)想到Eumir Deodato的幻想音景。"Dancefloor"是典型的俱樂部音樂，沿循老派的Lisa Stansfield或the Real McCoy的歐陸電子舞曲標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

Songs that don't quite succeed on that level are the title track, which is punchy but sounds a little too clean cut for someone who's asking if "you feel the fever like I do." The production isn't quite as current as the rest of the album, as if Minogue suddenly had an 80s flashback. "Fragile" is nicely atmospheric, but verges on being indistinct if you're not paying close attention. Conversely, "Give It to Me" attempts a more aggressive posture, though I think at this point Minogue is better at being straightforward and smooth than down and dirty.?As a whole,?Fever?works well as an icebreaker for grown-up parties and the Sunday mornings after. It's a mature sound from a mature artist, and one that may very well re-establish Minogue for the VH1 generation.

在這層次上不太成功的是專輯同名曲“Fever”，強(qiáng)勁有力，但對(duì)一位暗示著"you feel the fever like I do."的人來說太干凈了。這首歌制作也不像專輯其他歌那么流行化，好像Kylie立馬穿越回80年代。歌曲“Fragile”氛圍感到位，但如果不細(xì)聽就會(huì)瀕臨模糊。相反，歌曲"Give It to Me"嘗試了一種更激進(jìn)的姿態(tài)，盡管我認(rèn)為在這一點(diǎn)上，Kylie Minogue更擅長直率和流暢，而不是失落和黯淡。總的來說，專輯《Fever》很適合當(dāng)作成人聚會(huì)和 聚會(huì)后周日早晨的破冰工具。這是一個(gè)老練藝術(shù)家做出的成熟作品，它很可能在VH1一代重新塑造Kylie的形象。