We Still Hear the Calling;nCelebrating 30 Years of Death in June』s 「Nada!」

我們依舊聽到召喚，慶祝Death in June作品《Nada!》30周年

If you consider yourself a fan of thenneofolk genre, then at one point in time you have most assuredly crossed pathsnwith the music of Death in June, if indeed Douglas P. wasn』t the one to leadnyou down that path on his own to begin with. Born from the ashes of late-70snpunk band Crisis, Death in June was started by Douglas as a trio in 1981 alongnwith two other founders of the genre: Tony Wakeford, who would go on to formnSol Invictus, and Patrick Leagas, who later formed Sixth Comm. Originally, thenmusic was more of a post-punk style without the heavy acoustics, reflecting thenpath of an artist that would seem destined to follow in the footsteps of actsnsuch as Joy Division. This would later change as the band began to both shednmembers and evolve towards a progressively less experimental direction, finallynleading to a sound that has dominated its releases for some time now: acousticnguitar-driven neofolk. Those early albums contain elements of many differentnstyles that would all fall under the post-industrial umbrella, and it』s safe tonsay that many showcase the artists』 individual talents as musicians across anwide range of styles. A perfect example of this is the now thirty-year-oldnalbum Nada!nn

如果你認為你是新民謠樂迷，那麼即便不是Douglas P.引導你開始走向這條路，但在某一時刻你也一定曾遇見過Death In June（後文：DIJ）的音樂。DIJ涅槃於70年代末期的朋克樂團Crisis。1981年Douglas與其他兩位圈內樂手（Tony Wakeford，Patrick Leagas）構成了DIJ的三人組。Tony Wakeford 之後便組建了Sol Invictus，Patrick Leagas則建立了Sixth Comm。最初，DIJ的音樂方向追隨著Joy Division之類藝術家的步伐, 其更接近於沒有重型聲響的後朋克。隨著樂隊成員的離隊，音樂實驗化的逐漸減少,n最終由原聲吉他驅使的新民謠，成為了主導DIJ現今作品的風格。樂隊早期風格多變的作品均涵蓋在後工業範疇內，可以肯定的是這些作品展示了藝術家駕馭廣泛曲風的獨特天賦。一個完美例子便是這張現在已有三十年之久的作品《Nada!》。

Nada! was first released in 1985, and encompassedna brief era for the band that further developed and nurtured the folk elementsnthat were hinted at on Burial with 「Death of the West.」 It also introduced anrhythmic sound that was, by all accounts, Leagas』s influence, hence thenevolution away from it upon his sudden departure soon thereafter. Wakeford hadnleft Death in June after Burial, so this would also be the first album withoutnhis influence. Nada! is where fans ofnthe band would experience the beginnings of Death in June』s then-unique, trademarknsound. This uniqueness is present in Nada!『s truly diverse collection ofntracks, which range from post-punk-inspired industrial dance music (「ThenCalling [Mk II],」 「Carousel,」 「Rain of Despair」) to stripped-down acousticnfolk-noir (「Leper Lord,」 「Behind the Rose [Fields of Rape],」 「She SaidnDestroy」). The album also features another founder of the genre, David Tibet,nwho was credited as recording under the moniker Christ 『93』. In fact, one willnnotice that 「Behind the Rose (Fields of Rape)」 is also featured on the Currentn93 album Dogs Blood Rising—whose 30th anniversary we celebrated last year—nalbeit in a different style altogether from Death in June』s acoustic version.

《Nada！》最初發表於1985年，其概括了樂隊發展的時期，也進一步發揚了《Burial》中的「Death of the West」裡面所蘊含的民謠暗示。唱片引進了節奏化的聲響，據說是受到Leagas個人的影響。此後樂隊陣容也發生了演變：Leagas不久後突然離隊。而Wakeford在Burial之後便已經退出了DIJ，可以說《Nada!》是第一張並未受到Wakeford所左右的唱片。正是從這張唱片開始，樂迷們開始體驗到DIJ獨特的標誌性的聲響。這種獨特性體現在《Nada!》多樣的曲目：從後朋克的工業舞曲(「The Calling [MknII],」 「Carousel,」 「Rain of Despair」)，到簡化的原聲民謠(「Leper Lord,」 「Behind the Rose [Fields of Rape],」 「She SaidnDestroy」)。樂團陣容還包括另一位圈內鼻祖David Tibet，他在這張唱片里化名為the moniker Christ 『93』。實際上，儘管與DIJ原聲的版本不同, 「Behindnthe Rose (Fields of Rape)」也出現在Current 93的唱片《Dogs Blood Rising》之中。去年我們也慶賀過該唱片發行30周年。

The album』s significance remains evident tonthis day as it represents the beginnings of not only what would become thenneofolk genre, but also its firm placement within the umbrella ofnpost-industrial music in general. In this post-industrial vein, the albumnfeatures the experimental, rhythmic song 「C』est un Rêve,」 whose oftnmisinterpreted theme surrounds the notorious Gestapo member Klaus Barbie. Sonnot only do we have the beginnings of both Sixth Comm and Death in June』snrecognizable sounds, but we also see the beginning of the controversial themesnwhich Douglas P. would incorporate into virtually every fragment of thenproject, from stage performances to photographic imagery and lyrical themes.nThe album also features more pop-oriented songs like 「She Said Destroy,」 whichnhas become a crowd favorite at performances and remains just as memorable asnwhen Nada! was first released thirty years ago this month. In fact, the albumnis riddled with songs that could be considered as venturing into pop territory,nand this is partially what has led to the album』s success with fans. The songsnfeatured on Nada! may not be the most accessible thematically, but theyncertainly are when the music is the only part of the equation.

nn在今日，這張唱片的意義不僅清晰地標誌著新民謠的起源，它也是後工業音樂範疇的里程碑。就後工業而言，這張唱片內凸顯出實驗和節奏化的曲目「C』est un Rêve」 由於其主題涉及聲名狼藉的蓋世太保成員克勞斯·巴比 （譯者：黨衛軍指揮官，此人駐紮在里昂時對猶太人和抵抗組織行刑有一套：打斷人四肢，電刑，性傷害，綽號「里昂屠夫」），而常遭到曲解。所以這張唱片不僅是Sixth Comm和DIJ標誌性聲音的起源，我們從中也能理解到現實中Douglas P.所面對的因舞台演出，圖片攝影，歌詞背景所引起的爭議。唱片中也包含了更流行化的，大眾所喜歡的演出曲目「She Said Destroy」。 像三十年前《Nada!》的第一次發表那樣，這首「She Said Destroy」充滿著紀念的意義。 事實上，導致這張唱片成功的部分原因是由於這張唱片充斥著被認為是在流行領域的投機曲目。《Nada!》中的曲目也許不是主題上容易接受的，但當音樂是唯一焦點的時候，它們卻是肯定的。

As mentioned earlier, much of the album』snrhythmic inspiration is credited to then-member Patrick Leagas, who would laterngo on to remake the track 「The Calling (Mk II)」 multiple times for Sixth Comm.nIn retrospect, when listening to Nada!—and then the early works of SixthnComm—one can tell that this really was the beginning of Leagas』 journey intonhis own musical universe and one which would inspire many artists in both thenneofolk and greater post-industrial scenes. But it doesn』t just stop there; thenlegacy of Nada!—as well as the albums that would come to follow over the nextndecade—is one that has truly inspired many different artists across a broad spectrumnof genres. Even the well-knownnelectro-pop group Ladytron would go on to cover But, What Ends When the SymbolsnShatter?『s most iconic track (and one of Death in June』s most enduring),n「Little Black Angel.」

如之前所述，唱片中許多旋律化的靈感來源於Patrick Leagas，他後來也以Sixth Comm的名義多次重做了曲目「The Calling (Mk II)」。回顧過去，聆聽《Nada!》與Sixth Comm早期的作品，這些便是Leagas個人音樂歷程的起始，同時也影響了諸多新民謠和大部分後工業藝術家。但是它並沒有止步不前，即便經歷下一個十年《Nada!》的影響力和其唱片依舊會被繼續追隨，它給予了廣泛領域的諸多不同藝術家靈感。即使是眾所周知的電子流行樂團Ladytron的標誌性作品亦是翻唱DIJ作品「But, WhatnEnds When the Symbols Shatter?」（這首也是DIJ不朽的作品）和「LittlenBlack Angel」。

Yes, it is obvious that Nada!『s legacy isnincredibly far-reaching, branching out over three decades to inspire artistsnthe world over while continuing to acquire newly dedicated fans, some ofnwhich—like the two authors behind this article—weren』t even born yet when thenalbum was originally released. WithnNada! reaching its thirtieth year of unyielding relevance this month, wenencourage our readers to go back and listen to this album and take note of itsnsignificance. Keep in mind the lengthy discography that both Death in June andnSixth Comm have managed to create throughout the last three decades whilenlistening, and try to immerse yourself in the memory of that first experiencenwith the album. Sit back, turn on your record player, and enjoy one of the mostnsignificant and iconic albums that the last three decades have had to offer.

的確，《Nada!》有不可思議般地深遠的影響。撇開這三十年受過其影響的世界範圍的藝術家們，它依舊吸引著新的樂迷，亦如在發表這張唱片首發時尚未出生的這篇文字的兩位作者。當這個月《Nada!》依舊在延續著它三十年不屈的生命力的時候，我們鼓勵讀者回去聆聽這張唱片，銘記它顯著的意義。讓自己記住DIJ 和Sixth Comm 諸多的作品所努力去建造的三十年的聽覺盛宴並且試著沉浸在第一次聆聽這張唱片時的體驗之中。放鬆，打開你的唱機，欣賞這一張過去三十年里最有意義和標誌性唱片。

Written by: Conor Wrigley

Co-written by: S.L. Weatherford

原文地址：

We Still Hear the Calling; Celebrating 30 Years of Death in June』s 「Nada!」

翻譯：靈魂前線

附C』est un Rêve歌詞：

Où est Klaus Barbie

nOù est Klaus Barbie

nOù est Klaus Barbie

nOù est Klaus Barbie

nIl est dans le coeur

nIl est dans le coeur

nIl est dans le coeur noir

nIl est dans le coeur

nOù est Klaus Barbie

nOù est Klaus Barbie

nOù est Klaus Barbie

nIl est dans le coeur

nIl est dans le coeur noir

nIl est dans le coeur

nLiberté

nCest un rêve...

nOù est Klaus Barbienn

譯文：

克勞斯·巴比在哪裡？

在心裡

在黑色的心裡

自由，只是個夢

克勞斯·巴比在哪裡？

註：從歌詞可以看出，DIJ並未直接讚頌或者譴責克勞斯，只是提及他在人們心中。DIJ在現場演出時曾把這首歌的歌詞「Il est dans le Coeur」改唱為「Il est dans votre Coeur」（譯：他在你的心裡）。 我更願意相信這首曲目想表達的是：正與邪宛如一面鏡子，其實惡魔在我們每個人心中，我們是受害者也同是加害者，我們既是猶太人也是德國人。

很遺憾的是在隨後的NADA!巡演時，DIJ成員穿著黨衛軍的偽裝軍服在義大利博洛尼亞演出。當離開舞台的時候，招致一名年輕女士的強烈反對：「我希望你們的母親會憎恨你們!」。 之後Leagas接受採訪時候曾說：「我們穿著黨衛軍軍服在一個曾經被右翼分子抹殺許多生命的地方演出，這件事讓我感到恥辱，我選擇離開DIJ。」而Douglas P. 描述Leagas的離開為 「Leagas失去了他的『憧憬』，我也希望他離開。」也許DIJ本身亦是那個雙面的魔鬼，但在新民謠世界裡他永遠是那個偉大的啟蒙。

-靈魂前線

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