【本地薑】M.1.2 紅塵中的破道與輪迴 - 《Twisted Cycle - 夢落破鏡》
作為一個喜歡文字的樂迷，這張專輯我鍾愛非常。這次要介紹的，是 Twisted Cycle 的 《夢落破鏡》。
從 Soni@InfreeRecords 手中買下這張專輯，看著封套「夢‧落‧破‧鏡」的四部樂章時，已莫名期待；因為以一個完整的思想概念創作音樂、並以統一性的編奏和文字串連整張專輯，對任何音樂人來說都是極大的挑戰。很多時，人們都斂起前衛(Progressive)這個詞彙形容這種概念專輯；惟今時今日的前衛金屬，當中所囊括的元素已愈加廣闊，「前衛」一詞幾近難以辨明音樂的特性。就像 Twisted Cycle 這張《夢落破鏡》，當中的音樂元素廣攬 Mathcore、Industrial、Gothic、Melodic 等音樂元素，再揉合以獨特優雅的中國文字，與其勉強籠統地說他們「前衛」，倒不如說 Twisted Cycle 以他們的音樂修養創作了他們獨有的音樂類型。
Twisted Cycle《夢落破鏡》，探討的就是浮生墜落紅塵的破道與輪迴。「紅塵」、「浮生」、「破道」與「輪迴」，正是華文社會兩大思想流派「釋」、「道」中重要的思想概念。所謂「紅塵」，其表意為鬧市中車馬輪蹄翻起的塵土，即以此景象喻意繁華璀璨、追逐不斷的生活；紅樓夢/石頭記就以「紅塵」點出俗世的糾纏與盲目的慾求追趕。「浮生」，源於莊子之說，意指飄泊不定的生命旅程；李白就曾於詩中提句「浮生若夢」，即生命的短暫和虛幻不定就如一霎夢境般一閃即逝。
Twister Cycle 憑藉釋、道的中心思想，反思凡人在眾生皆苦的紅塵裡如何墮落、掙扎、看破，並竭力逃離那彷彿不滅的生命輪廻與循環。
看畢這張專輯的文字，其筆鋒之精煉、其落墨之優雅，筆者感嘆這隊非主流樂隊的文字修養；那果敢細膩的文風，筆者敢言，Twisted Cycle 在這張專輯裡創作的，不是詞，是詩。《夢落破鏡》中如詩的簡潔文字，像以畫筆刻劃一幕又一幕的幻境異域，為樂迷帶來遼闊的想像平原；相比起常遇到平舖直敘的字詞，Twisted Cycle 的文字訊息使用了意境的描述，如五言的詩句，其意含蓄內斂，其氣抽象留虛，給予了受眾思考的無邊空間。
詩詞之外，《夢落破鏡》編曲的手法，亦成熟而精妙。合成的電音與弦樂，與凜冽的重型演奏沒有半點違和，強烈的金屬旋律沒有被馴化。相反，輕薄飄渺的合成音調所營造的氣氛與緊繃紮實的結他段落的沉重感化成了強烈的氛圍對比，就好像合成器在奏著紅塵的迷霧、結他在演繹著浮生墮落繁塵的掙扎與不知所措般，一種共生而矛盾的情緒在暴走著。
一些編曲上的細節亦叫人拍案叫絕。Twisted Cycle 明顯對節奏轉變的處理有著極高的要求。在變奏與氣氛的過場，樂隊大多以三至四組旋律漸次過渡，或以暫停節奏樂器的手法令受眾對結構轉變有著充足的心理準備。這些細緻的鋪墊，反應了樂隊在編曲上所花的心思與精密的樂曲設計。
第一部的《夢紅塵》所述的是生命之始與繁塵之初遇。從初遇到沉醉於浮華生活，凡心的夢隨美麗一閃即逝的繁華落花一起墮落，欲望的瀰漫和追求引來那浮生的哀愁。在《落紅塵》裡，凡生則察覺到繁塵表面的虛華在掩蓋俗世的敗絮，覺悟起落、生死、繁華、凋零的不斷循環，在浮生的飄泊中，覓不得打破循環的道，惟以殘花之態偷生於俗世，在慾念之下求一現之曇花。
《破紅塵》中，樂隊講述眾生在浮華中求破輪迴之道的戰鬥，或有以慾念驅使求得破道之士，以破壞與塗炭逐慾；或有感念浮生之短暫，將絕望的壓迫盡化為芳華。種種的破，皆將紅塵煙滅重來... 終章的《鏡紅塵》，Twisted Cycle 為這個循環不息的輪迴作了可期的回應與反思。從詞中，感受到樂隊認為在生的命途只是鏡中之象；我們看著鏡子，見盡自己所作，或懷緬悔悟、或自得其樂，但所呈之映，並不能永恆。惟在落世與破世的旅程中，我們所作的雖仿似毫無痕跡，但其實盡皆化為緣與業，遺落在世間為這抹繁塵留下了情，留下了夢。
這張專輯，照直說，單看詩詞以值回票價；配合以揉合了多種不同類型的獨特樂風，在小眾裡堅持著重型與精緻平衡的編奏，筆者感激 Twisted Cycle 的努力，亦望更多樂迷能賦以更多的支持。知道他們快將有新作推出，筆者萬分期待！
Edward@Jamintheroom
你可以在Twisted Cycle的專頁找到他們更多最新資訊:
https://www.facebook.com/twistedcyclehk/
你可在 Infree Records 購買 Twisted Cycle 的專輯:
https://www.facebook.com/Infreerecords/
將會有更多有關音樂的內容在 Jamintheroom發生:
https://www.facebook.com/jamintheroomhk/
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As a fan of literature and lyrics writing, I need to admit that I love this album much. I am introducing to you all the album 《夢落破鏡》(The Dream, The Fall, The Destruction and The Reflection) from Hong Kong indie band Twisted Cycle.
When I got this album from Soni@InfreeRecords, I am extremely excited with the tasty track titles「夢‧落‧破‧鏡」(The Dream, The Fall, The Destruction and The Reflection), as an album with a clear concept, a sophisticated core expression, an aligned melodic & rhythmic tones & lyrics composition in all chapters of the album is always a big challenge for musicians. Some people get used to pick up the word “progressive” to describe this kind of conceptual music composition, yet in the modern scene of “progressive” music, the fusion of genre keeps growing further and broader, which means the term “progressive” is going to describe less to none on the characteristics of the music concerned. Just like Twisted Cycle's album《夢落破鏡》, the band threw mathcore, industrial, gothic, melodic and many more genres into a big melting pot, and the band seasoned the music with elegant lyrics. I would rather say the Twisted Cycle had crafted their specific type of music from their knowledge and skill rather than grouping them into an over-generalized “progressive” genre.
This album aimed to explore the eternal nirvana and the ambitious attempt to breakthrough the eternal cycle of fallen souls in the wracked world. The terms 「紅塵」(“Red Dust”, i.e. the world of mortals),「浮生」(“Floating Lives”, i.e. lives of uncertainties),「破道」(The breakthrough of eternal cycle), and「輪迴」(“Nirvana”, the cycle of life and resurrection) are rooted from the Buddhism and Tao philosophy. These terms have been well discussed and quoted in many ancient and iconic Chinese philosophies.
The artistic choice of words and the elegance and poetic way of expressions had shown the powerful lyrical skills of the band. The delicacy of writing made these lyrics a marvelous poetry. The atmosphere and ambience constructed by these lyrics brought the audience to the vast space of imagination.
The musical arrangement is mature and delicate. The synth strings and sampling ambience blended into the heavy groove without any disharmony, neither did the synth tamed the beast in the heavy metal tone. The lightness and airiness of the synthesiser and the dark and tight guitar riffs formed an atmosphere with contradicting layers of mood, just like the contrast between the calm eternity of the nirvana and the painful struggle of lives dragging in the forever cycle.
Twisted Cycle handled the change of pace, pattern and rhythm with great details. At any change in pace, a transition including 3-4 musical patterns will be composed to smoother out the odds of changes, or a cut off of rhythmic instruments will be executed to get the audience prepared. These well-thought arrangements reflected the time and effort spent by the band in furnishing their compositions.
In “The Dream” (夢紅塵), the band described the birth of lives and their connections with the world of mortals, the fallen of lives into the addiction of the short-span beauty of lust and greedy world, and the pain and sorrow risen from the eventual loss of the temporary pleasure. Through “The Fallen” (落紅塵), the living beings found the rotten truth of the mortal world beneath the prosperous outlook, and started to understand the eternal cycle of rise and fall, life and death and the prosperity and drought. Through the hardship and struggle of the uncertain path of living, some beings may give up and throw themselves into the rotten world for the short and temporary happiness, and wishing to live with the superficial beauty in the soon-to-be-fallen lust and greed.
In the 3rd chapter, “The Breakthrough” (破紅塵), the band explored the thoughts of those who fight the struggle of eternal nirvana, some may aim to destroy everything in order to break the cycle, and some may lit up the world sacrificing their lives and brighten others. Through the lyrics, you can sense that the band expected that both may decompose the mortal world and lead to a brand new beginning.
The final chapter “The Reflection” (鏡紅塵) is a reflection of the struggle within the eternity of nirvana. Twisted Cycle had given their views that the short span of life is like a reflected image in the mirror. We see ourselves more clearly, and more importantly it is just a virtual image and will not sustain eternally. However, what we have done and the effort paid to break through the eternity of nirvana would leave marks for the upcoming, lit a torch for the weak and left pieces of memories that bond emotions. The dream would go on in a transcended form.
Writer simply believes that the poetic lyrics written in the album are already worth the pennies, and the effort to perfect the arrangements, to fuse different music genre in a creative manner and to stand firmly into the underground band scene complete the package of reasons for you to get the album. Would like to say thanks to Twisted Cycle for their sweat and tears, and hope audience will support them as much as I do. They just released a teaser in their Facebook page about their next release, cannot wait to get into the strange and twisted world created by the Twisted Cycle.
Edward@Jamintheroom
You can get the latest news from Twisted Cycle at their Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/twistedcyclehk/
You can get a copy of the album at Infree Records:
https://www.facebook.com/Infreerecords/
You may get different music content from my FaceBook Page “Jamintheroom”: