【碟評】Saloon《If We Meet In The Future》── 多愁善感、超越時空嘅後搖滾

(原文刊登喺2003年《mcb》,現版本稍作修改)

我哋每日都會遇上無數人同事,購買同聆聽唔同歌曲唱片。如果將呢一切都歸因於緣分偶然,咁今日我哋隨意任何一個決定選擇,必然會牽連影響日後嘅人生際遇。

如果我錯過咗舊年Saloon嘅處女專輯《(This Is) What We Call Progress》,而要到第二張《If We Meet In The Future》先開始聽,咁我會唔會同樣喺呢度寫著?

我會。因為Saloon呢兩張專輯幾乎係一模一樣。我曾形容Saloon係Stereolab失散多年嘅姊妹,但比Stereolab更多愁善感。新專輯入面彌漫住嘅,依舊係佢哋嗰種感情豐富嘅Post-Rock/Krautrock氣息,當中佔咗一半係動人慢板。喺簡單結構同和弦編排底下,配合主音Amanda Gome依舊細膩動人嘅演繹,無論係Folky嘅《Dreams Means Nothing》、點點爵士味嘅《Kaspian》、較開懷嘅《Intimacy》、抑或西班牙文嘅《Que Quieres?》,都一樣令人聽得落寞神傷。尤其鍾意完場曲《I Could Have Loved A Tyrant》末段重覆又重覆嘅純音樂演奏,就好似代表住一段揮之不去嘅感情,以及佢嘅副歌:「So many million stars, so many million bright galaxies. So many million stars, but the one of you is gone」。

Saloon《I Could Have Loved A Tyrant》Official Audia

緣分同抉擇,往往令人生充滿無限偶然同可能,或者咁正正係活著嘅趣味之處;但Saloon令我開始相信,呢個世界上有啲嘢係絕對性嘅、係超然於時間嘅。「In another car, on another plane, I won't feel regret again」。任憑我哋喺過去、現在同將來之間兜轉折騰,但始終,佢哋都會發生嘅。只要我投入其中,時間就唔再存在。「If we meet in the future, I'll know you my friend」。

Saloon《If We Meet In The Future》(2003)