红色经典餐厅【视频】- 存在焦虑和社会疏离：新EP预示Chinese Football迈向成熟 评论-VOXRECORDS

【视频】| 存在焦虑和社会疏离：新EP预示Chinese Football迈向成熟 评论-VOXRECORDS

Chinese Football巡演只剩下本周最后两个通关站——青岛和北京了。不过在那之前，武汉站还有今晚在感官俱乐部唱片店的一场不插电，以及4月2日草莓音乐节草莓舞台的表演。巡演到杭州站时，接受了独立音乐文化的网站Under theWall的采访。虽然采访还未发出，这里有一篇他们对国足新EP的评论值得一读。
Review: Chinese Football -Here Come's a New Challenger!

著/Pengke
译/Zoo
The newest EP from Wuhan emo rockersChinese Football has highs and lows, but shows a maturity in their sound thatsuggests promising things for the band's future.
武汉Emo乐队ChineseFootball的新EP跌宕起伏，作品的成熟度预示着乐队充满希望的未来创作。
I have an admission to make...I've neverbeen a huge fan of Chinese Football. Owing their status as the Chineseequivalent of America's 'American Football' - both in name and in practice -the self-described 'emo-influenced indie rock band' are well-regarded asChina's flagship emo group. Favouring lush textures, uplifting choruses andmath rock-esque technical arrangements over the aggressive vocals, franticguitar riffs and pop arrangements characteristic of the former genre, ChineseFootball's sound is far removed - geographically, temporally and stylistically- from the mainstream emo era of the 00s. Yet the band's rehash of the keyconcepts that underpinned the emo movement - namely existential anxiety andsocial alienation - are notions just as relatable to contemporary Chinese youthas they were to Western teenagers 15 years ago, allowing the band to find anaudience in the introverted youth of modern China's anxiety-ridden middleclass.
首先我得承认自己其实不是国足的铁粉，也许是由于不论名字或是音乐创作方面ChineseFootball和American Football有着类似，他们形容自己是“受emo影响的独立乐队”，如今已经成为中国emo界标杆戎祥 。融合了前辈们音乐中的抓耳旋律、热血副歌和数学摇滚编曲和嘶吼人声，还有疯狂吉他riff和流行歌精髓，比起00后的emo音乐，国足的音乐远远超越了地域、时代和风格。国足重新重新强调了emo运动中的核心精神——存在的焦虑和社会疏离感，这种当代中国青年所感受到和15年前西方青年类似的心境，让乐队在现代中国焦虑的中产阶级青年中找到了大批知音。

Even more surprisingly has been the band'sability to attract considerable support internationally, with the band's debutalbum even regarded a cult classic within some niche online communities. Whilstthis can partly be attributed to the marketable gimmick of the band's name - aless-than-subtle nod to the States' American Football - the refreshinguniqueness of the band's debut EP, sonically unfamiliar to listeners outside ofthe highly underground Asian Emo scene蔡孝乾 , has been the real driving force behindthe band's success abroad.
更令人惊讶的是乐队吸引国际乐迷的能力，国足的首专甚至在一些小型互联网社区中被传为“地下经典”。虽然这部分归功于乐队“Chinese Football”的名字（很难不让人想到美足），但乐队首专对于不了解亚洲地下Emo场景的听众来说非常新鲜，也是乐队成功冲向世界的重要原因。
Fast-forward to March 2017 and their new EP- the suitably titled '新的挑战' (Here Comes a NewChallenger!)' - is a confident step forward from their prior music. Retainingthe complex-yet-straightforward arrangements and pop appeal that led to theirdebut album's success, Challenger evidences Chinese Football's maturity as aband, showcasing a much more polished sound and improved lyrical depth over itspredecessor, and contesting for a spot at the forefront of the scene.
乐队很快又在2017年推出了全新EP'新的挑战' (Here Comes a New Challenger!)'，在之前创作基础上迈出了自信的一步。保持了他们招牌“复杂又冲撞”的行进方式和抓耳流行旋律，新EP预示着国足的成熟：相较之前的作品，这张声音更加精致、歌词也颇具深度伍冰枝 ，成功吸引了场景内乐迷和乐队的关注。

Chinese Football live @Mao, Hangzhou,12/03/2017（摄影：泡面）
The EP's opening track and lead single '电动少女' (Electric Girl) is inarguably the highlight from the EP. Anupbeat德尔塔高达 , melodic riff in the song's opening few seconds, quickly joined by afunky bass hook, sets the tone for the rest of the track, framing lead singerXu Bo's dreamy vocals "她不停的旋转 在空荡的舞台 (She spunendlessly / upon the empty stage"). The song evolves into an epic,mosh-destroying fireball in the chorus, Xu Bo's serenade as illuminous as aflare in the dark night sky吕布新传, before reaching a climax in the identity-searchingfinal verse;
开场曲“电动少女”无疑是是整张EP的亮点。活泼且抓耳的吉他riff开启歌曲几秒后，进入funk感十足的贝斯hook，还有主唱徐波梦幻般地吟唱“她不停的旋转在空荡的舞台崔苔青 ，给整首歌定下了基调。然后战狼传奇 ，副歌部分变得宏大，徐波小夜曲般的人声突然变得就像划过夜空的闪电，紧接最后点题的高潮部分：
"她想说 她想问 她是谁
一直转一直转 是为了谁 "
The song possesses a musical and lyricaldepth unexpected of a self-described 'DIY' band, synaesthesic melodies and XuBo's romantic lyrics teleport the listener to his youth - muggy summer nightsby the Yangtze riverside. References to the romantic transitory nature of thesong's protagonist ["她说她是透明 / 她说她快熄灭了 (She said she was transparent / She said she'd soonevanesce)"] allude to Xu Bo's relishing of his fleeting youth. Moredirectly, these themes are reflected almost literally in the song's musicvideo.
这首歌在音乐性和歌词上都远远超越了一支号称DIY乐队的水准，符合旋律和徐波浪漫主义的歌词会将听众带回到他的青春期——江滩边的朦胧夏夜。根据歌曲描写主角的歌词部分"她说她是透明 / 她说她快熄灭了，可以看出徐波对于青春稍纵即逝的感伤。这首歌的主题在MV中可以得到更好的阐述。
The hermetic retreat of an otaku (actedall-too-naturally by Xu Bo) unable to find love in the real world, only able tosatisfy unfulfilled romantic desires in the company of his DIY gameboy. The lonely Californian dreaming of a virtualschoolgirl wandering the Wuhan back streets, soul searching for purpose andmeaning in a society obsessed with materialism, practical relationships anduniformity. The irony of the coexistence of these two narratives, intermittedby footage of the band on stage with an assortment of geeky paraphernalia -guitar pedals, video game controllers and a sole inflatable football - leavesthe viewer with impressions of summers past, first love, and the exoticenticement of video games.
宅男与外界隔绝的生活让他们难以在现实生活中找到真爱，未被满足的浪漫幻想只有和手工制作的gameboy游戏机相依。南柯一梦中的孤独制服女孩漫步在武汉街头，在物质社会、现实关系和一成不变的生活中找寻着灵魂意义。讽刺的是，这两个叙述视角随着乐队在台上的演奏所终结，舞台上堆满了宅男趣味收藏品——吉他单块、电动游戏手柄和闪光足球，给观众留下关于过往夏日、初恋和异次元电子游戏的无限遐想。
Connecting the song's lyrics and the musicvideo is are the underlying themes of romance and sentimental yearning for thesimplicity of life as a child. In both the video's narration of a chanceromance between the otaku protagonist and the virtual shoolgirl, and thetragedy of the 'fading' clockwork girl described in the song's lyrics, Xuspiels a vivid anecdote of the melancholic nostalgia felt by many Asian youth.Specifically, how the relative child-like simplicity of 二次元 - the land of video games and Japanese animation - acts as anescape from the extreme pressures one faces on the path to adulthood.
将这首歌歌词和MV联系在一起空中怪车事件 ，你就能发现对单纯童年的怀念憧憬和浪漫感伤的潜在主题。MV中的浪漫冒险中，宅男视角和制服女孩视角，以及歌词中所描述的悲情消亡的电动女孩，徐波形象描绘了很多亚洲青年所感受到的忧郁怀旧情绪。另外，童年般单纯的二次元世界——电动游戏和日本动漫就像是通往成年生活的成长道路中的一次逃离。
电动少女MV
The EP's second number '清醒白日梦 (Awaking Daydream)' is a decided step back from the intensity ofthe preceding track, best accompanied by the song's MV, a DIY collage of travelvideography shot on Xu Bo's iPhone. The song opens in a leisurely 6/4, anextended intro building up slowly before a short drop - characterisedbeautifully in the MV by footage of a girl running in slow-motion, armsoutstretched, toward the camera. And from there it just winds on, guitarist 王博 (Wang Bo) strumming in 11/8, a math rock enthusiast's lullaby,whilst Xu Bo instructs the listener to "good night, sleep well".
EP中第二首歌“清醒白日梦”决定从上一曲紧张的氛围中抽离出来圭江论坛 ，完美契合由徐波iphone拍摄自制的风景画MV。这首歌舒缓的6/4拍开场，行进到某一段落——正好是MV中女孩张开手臂奔跑的慢镜头时，镜头和音乐同时停了下来。风呼啸而过，吉他手王博弹奏着11/8拍的数学摇滚旋律，配合徐波吟唱“good night, sleep well”。
清醒白日梦MV
However it's a farce. Just as the songstarts to fade away, drummer 郑紫莉 (Zheng Zili)interjects - rolling in with a tight punk rhythm, whilst bassist 李立鑫 (Li Lixin)follows suit - dotting along with an improvised bass jam, before Xu Bo closes,preaching messages of positivity ["就冲出去吧 别后悔梦里没飞远一点 (Just go out / lest your dreams won't fly further)"] thatresides in the listener's memory long after the song's abrupt ending. Theresult is a fun and light roller which will undoubtedly enrich the band's liveshows, however it does struggle to carry on the momentum of the EP's explosiveopening number.
然而这段安静部分只是个玩笑。随着鼓手郑紫莉加入，敲击着紧凑的朋克鼓点，贝斯手李立鑫恰到好处地弹奏了一段跳跃的即兴贝斯。歌曲快结束时，徐波反复唱着"就冲出去吧 别后悔梦里没飞远一点”，最后让听众的想象长久停留在歌曲戛然而止中。
The third track '晴天霹雳 (A Bolt From the Blue)', is an interesting hybrid of math rock andpop emo, with Xu Bo shifting up his vocal style in the chorus, forgoing hissignature dreamy sung vocal for shouted lyrics. Sonically, the song is notedlymore aggressive than anything Chinese Football have written before优折网, mirroringthe band's maturity and Xu Bo's evolution as a lyricist. The song's themes arealso notably more heavy than the rest of the rest of the EP, relating anarrative of struggle and adversity through abstract concepts;
第三首歌“晴天霹雳”是一首融合了数学摇滚和emo流行的作品，徐波在副歌中转换了人声风格，从他标志性的梦幻人声变成了凶猛嘶吼。这首歌大概比国足之前任何一首歌都要激进农历四月十八 ，标志着乐队创作和徐波作为词作者的成熟。这首歌的主题也比EP中其他歌曲要寓意深刻，通过模糊意象来表达挣扎和厄运的主题：
“欲望 仇恨 交织的方块
困惑 迷惘 滋生的平台”
The EP's closing track, '盒子 (box)', is a bizarre 180° turn from the aggressive tone of A BoltFrom the Blue, ditching aggressive arrangements and shouted lyrics forstraightforward, upbeat rock sensibilities. Unfortunately the song is asforgettable as its title, with Xu Bo's description of "在盒子里生长 在盒子里衰老 (Growing up and aging in a box)" as dry as the song'suninspiring "radio filler" arrangement. The song's only redeemingfeature is a cute saxophone feature by Wang Wei, lending a tinge of jazzyflavour to the EP's otherwise unmemorable closer.
EP结尾曲“盒子”和攻击性十足的“晴天霹雳”截然相反，再次回到线性跳跃感性摇滚。不幸的是，这首歌和歌名一样让人记不住，徐波反复唱着"在盒子里生长 在盒子里衰老”极品阴阳师 ，干巴巴地就像这首歌“电台杀手”式编曲一样。这首歌唯一的亮点是结尾特邀乐手王威吹奏的可爱萨克斯，让整张EP结束在爵士氛围中。
If I had one criticism of the EP (apartfrom the forgettable fourth track), it would have to be patches of incohesionbetween the guitarists and drummer. There are several moments on the EP wherethe two become desynced, undoubtably due to the band's lack of experience andthe incoherence associated with changing band members (there are three drummersfeatured over the EP's four songs). However, given anecdotal reports of theband's quickly improving live performances, it is hard to imagine this pointwon't be addressed by the time their next full-length is released.
如果我必须要对这张EP苛刻求全的话（除了平庸的第四曲之外），那大概得是吉他和鼓的不和谐了。这张EP中有多处吉他和鼓脱节之处俄木果果 ，当然也有乐队本身缺乏经验和更迭鼓手的缘故（EP中的四首歌用了三位不同鼓手）。然而，根据乐队已经开始磨炼现场演奏能力的八卦消息，这个缺点估计用不了多久草字头加青 ，等到下张全长专辑发行时就能得到改观。
Overall, it is the joy of Chinese Football'smusic, their willingness to experiment, and their love for the intangible thatsets this EP apart. Should it garner anywhere near the amount of attentiontheir debut album received, the sheer uplifting power of 'Electric Girl' willundoubtedly lead it to become a generational classic for the Asian emo scene.The transcendental nature of their music - appreciated by hardcore fans, laylisteners, Chinese and Westerners alike - owes to Chinese Football'soverwhelming positivity, as well as their ability to encapsulate the sentimentof disenfranchisement and nostalgia for simpler times characteristic of today'syouth.
总之红色经典餐厅 ，通过这张EP能够感受到国足在音乐方面探索实验的乐趣和热情，以及EP音乐之外无形的爱。就算没有首专积累下来的大量关注，电动少女陡然上升的力量也毫无疑问会让他们变成亚洲emo场景中的当代经典。国足音乐中的普世价值归功于他们的乐观主义，以及当代青年的怀旧情绪和无能为力打包塑造成形象的创作能力，所以才会被硬核乐迷、外行乐迷、中国人和西方人等很多人所喜爱。张梦瑾
Arguably, it is Here Comes a NewChallenger!'s title which sums it up best. The 'challenger' - denoting anunexpected opponent in a video game - alludes to the hardships faced by youngpeople today. However, in their trademark optimism, the band argues this'opposition' is not something one should despair over, suggesting '[the]challenger is not only your enemy but also your partner...You don't have tobeat him...Just have fun". Ultimately it Chinese Football's commitment tocreating uplifting anthems, and willingness to reinterpret the traditionallypessimistic philosophy of emo music that sets them apart. And as I playElectric Girl on repeat whilst writing these closing remarks, I realise I toohave become a fan of Chinese Football.
再也没有比Here Comes a New Challenger自由星球!作为EP名称更能总结这一切了。“挑战者”是电动游戏中的对手，也象征了当今年轻人所面临的困境。不过在乐队一贯的乐观态度面前，反面并不是我们应该逃避的，“挑战者不仅是你的敌人，也是你的伙伴……你无需打败他，不如放轻松辣文小寡妇 。”国足将令人振奋的主题，排期传统emo音乐中的悲观主义，带着热情重新诠释了emo音乐。就在我伴着“电动少女”这首歌单曲循环写这篇平路时，我意识到我已经成了国足的粉丝。