作者:Rowdyruff@allkpop To say B2ST have come a long way from their 2009 debut is something of an understatement. It has taken them several mini-albums and overcoming a rough start to get to where they are now, but they’ve worked hard, grown, and developed into quite the force amongst the boy bands of today. 「Beast从2009年出道至今进步很多。」对我来说这是种过於粗糙简略的说法。在艰难 中起步，并通过几张迷你专辑的考验才成为现在的Beast的他们，一直以来付出相当的努 力并有所成长，到了今天才发展成男团中的一股强势的力量。 When B2ST debuted, one of the very first pieces of information to surface about these six (Dong Woon, Doo Joon, Hyun Seung, Jun Hyung, Ki Kwang, and Yo Seob) was that they were either failed solo artists, idol rejects, or something in between. They came from a purgatory of sorts; misfits taken in by the talent agency Cube Entertainment, who gave them another chance at the stardom few of them were oh-so close to achieving. Acknowledging the pasts of say, Hyun Seung – the member who was a hair away from making it intothe Big Bang – or Ki Kwang – aka AJ, the forgotten solo artist – is crucial to fully appreciating the music of B2ST and all of their achievements thus far. 当Beast刚出道的时候，首先最引人注意的是六位成员的组成背景中，不是失败的solo歌 手、idol的落选者，就是处於这两者之间的类型。他们来自各式各样的困境，分别有着个 人的苦痛。而Cube Entertainment给了它们另一个机会成为明星，这也是其中少数几位曾 经几乎就要实现的事。 检视某些成员的过去，是能够充分享受BEAST的音乐和欣赏他们到目前所有成就的重要关 键，比如说张贤胜－在成为Big bang一员的过程中遭到淘汰，或是李起光(别名AJ)－一个 被遗忘的solo歌手。 Musically, B2ST began as a cookie-cutter, run of the mill boy band that offered nothing more than the same old auto-tuned vocals sold on a silver platter of abs and biceps. B2ST’s singing voices, even Yo Seob’s at the time, were close to mediocre with little sense of unity as a group. They were average at best, and with a group as precise as SHINee overshadowing all rookies during that time period, B2ST’s 2009 debut fell to a lackluster standard and left very little to savor. However, B2ST possessed something that other rookies seemed to have lacked, and it’s what ultimately kept them reappearing on the scene time and time again: B2ST had a drive to lay it all out there – the good and the bad. You didn’t need to have followed B2ST through every single variety show or waking hour of their existence to see their thirst to always be better. It was evident from one mini-album to the next and in the consistency of their performances. Many groups go up and regress, but B2ST have been getting better as a pop group season after season. 就音乐而言，Beast从千篇一律的偶像打造开始，以最普通的男子偶像团体运作模式出道 。专卖Auto-tuned vocals老梗，再端上闪亮的腹肌和二头肌作为点缀。当时Beast的歌声 ，甚至是当时的梁耀燮，可以说接近平庸，几乎显示不出一个团体的团结感。他们充其量 只有达到平均标准。但在像SHINee这样具有特色的团体让当时所有其他新人团都相形失色 的时刻，Beast在2009年的出道表现平平，并没有留下什麽值得回味的东西。 然而，Beast却拥有所有其他新人团没有的东西。那就是让他们总是持续不断的一次又一 次出现在观众面前的，那种将终极的自我－不管是坏的还是好的－全部展现的驱动力。你 甚至不需要follow Beast所有的表演和节目或仔细观察他们的存在，就能察觉到他们不断 要进步的渴望。这样的渴望，可以轻易地从一张又一张的mini专辑，以及他们表演的强度 中找到证据。很多团体大红之後走下坡，Beast则是持续的在季和季之间成长茁壮。 As they trickled teasers for their “Fiction And Fact” album this week, the improvement from their previous endeavors to where they are now is monumentally impressive this time. 这个礼拜释出的Fiction and Fact专辑teaser，可以看出他们到此之前所累积下来的努力 ，这次带来令人印象深刻并具里程碑意义的跃进。 It was a very risky move to release an album full of mellow overtones rather than something filled with pounding beats and drilling synths (as B2ST have done before), but they have somehow managed to inject those idiosyncrasies into “Fiction And Fact” without overwhelming the softness of it all. 在此之前让整张专辑充满柔和的overtones取代强烈的节奏和钻脑的电子合成音(就像 Beast已经尝试过的)，是件非常冒险的事。但他们却为这张专辑注入和那些节奏一样强烈 的特质，而没有使整张专辑被柔性主宰。 The album opens with “The Fact” (video above); this song is short enough to be considered an intro-track, but long enough to enjoy as a full song. “The Fact” is slow and features a simple instrumentation with a chiming guitar part. Like in last year’s releases, the production of this song and the rest of this album is stellar. Right from the start, there’s a clear indication that B2ST wont be recycling any of their old styles (like they did from “ Shock” to “Soom“), which is always a challenge for a pop group. This time, they have gone down an R&B road while successfully keeping it 100% pop with very melodic structures and phrases. 专辑从The Fact开始，这首歌的长度可以被称为intro-track，但也长得足够做为一首完 整的歌来欣赏。The Fact是慢板的歌曲，并在简单的乐器编排中和chiming guitar搭配。 正如同去年发行的作品一样，这首intro与专辑中接下来的其他歌曲相互辉映。从一开始 ，这首歌就清楚地告诉我们： Beast不会再度重复过去的风格(就像他们已经在Shock到 Soom的时期做了这件事)。而这对於流行团体来说一直以来就是个挑战。在这首歌，他们 选择走一条R&B的路，但又利用优美的旋律结构和乐句成功地保持100%流行性。 “Fiction” transitions almost flawlessly from “The Fact”, laying down those very same heart-wrenching melodies you hear in the first song. Fiction则放下第一首歌中我们听到的那种重复的痛心旋律，几乎毫无失误的从The Fact 承接了情绪的转变。 About a year ago, I had argued that it was the production that brought B2ST to life, but today, it’s the complete opposite. The production in “Fiction” is like a final gloss layered above a well sung and well delivered lead single. When you can strip away an amazing production from a song and still have the remains of something brilliant, that’s when you know you’ve nailed it. 约在一年前，我曾认为是幕後制作才让Beast有了生命。但到了今天，情况则是完全相反 。制作在Fiction这首歌中，就像为一首已经被好的歌唱完整诠释的主打歌打上最後的一 层薄薄光泽一样。当一首歌去除所有炫丽的制作却仍然杰出，那就是通过一切考验了。 As a song, one of the best parts of “Fiction” is the chorus, not because it ’s catchy, but because of the way it was pieced together. There are essentially two things going on: a broad set of lines (sung byHyun Seung and Yo Seob the first time around) and an underlying base, i.e. “fiction in fiction.” It’s so subtle, but remove one of those two things and the entire feeling is lost. It’s that kind of attention to structure that I’m impressed to hear out of Cube Entertainment right now, and guess what – it happens several times in this album. 和任何一首歌一样，Fiction最出色的其中一个部份就是副歌。并不是因为它悦耳得琅琅 上口，而是它被拼凑起来的方式。基本上主要有两个部分在合作: 一长串歌词(第一次由 张贤胜和梁耀燮唱的部分) 以及一个潜伏的基础(fiction in fiction) 。这个安排相当 微妙，将这两样东西其中任何一个拿掉都将让这首歌的感觉不再完整。而听到这种对歌曲 结构的特别安排让我对这次的Cube Entertainment惊艳，而在接下来的专辑中我还有数次 同样的感受。 “Fiction” is very strong, and yet it contrasts dramatically with the vibes that K-pop wants us to feel as the Summer approaches. This album doesn’t sound chipper or high-energy, so this will come off as far-removed to those who are purchasing bikini swimsuits right now. Fiction是首感觉强烈的歌，戏剧性地和接下来K-pop要我们感受到的夏日气氛产生对比。 这张专辑听起来并不开朗或充满能量，所以对现在准备去买比基尼的人来说可能会有很不 寻常的感受。 B2ST have always had a good grip on catchy melodies, but there was always that cheesy factor that ended up cheapening the credibility of their music. Fortunately, their songwriters and B2ST have removed most of the corny elements this year and replaced it with a dash of sophistication. “Back To You” (third song) could have easily fallen victim to sounding like a complete cheese-fest, but the boys turned it into a charming number, and it worked (Back To You). Beast一直以来都很会处理catchy的旋律，但总还是因为俗气这个因素到头来使他们的音 乐变得廉价。幸运的是，作曲者和Beast这次用少许成熟的韵味取代过去的陈腔滥调。 Back To You这首歌很容易听起来像是完全俗气的音乐制品，但这群男孩成功地将它变成 一首迷人的歌。 The following song, titled “You“, also highlights something that hadn’t entirely been covered before, which is placing B2ST’s vocals onto an upbeat pop song and making them sound fantastic from start to finish.This song features a laid back beat with engaging verses and a beautiful chorus. It’s one of the better songs on this album. Why? Because the vocals sound absolutely amazing. 接下来的You，将Beast的vocals带进情绪高亢的旋律里，凸显了某些以前还没完全展现出 来的特质，让他们听起来从开头到结尾好得难以置信。这首歌带有慵懒的节奏、魅力的 verses和出色的副歌，也这是这张专辑中，表现较好的其中一首。 为什麽？因为这首歌的vocals绝对令人惊艳。 B2ST’s voices have also gone through a transformation of their own. Dong Woon ’s voice in particular is like night and day. Well, not completely, but he’ s the one member who has most improved in the vocal department. Beast的声音也经历了一段自我的转变。特别是孙东云的声音，就像黑夜和白天一般。嗯 ，也不完全是。但他是在vocal部分进步最多的其中一位成员。 During his newbie days, Dong Woon sounded less like a singer and more like someone singing directly from his throat – or rather, someone just talking his lines in hopes of at least staying in pitch. I remember questioning his presence in a singing group, as his singing was…well…nonexistent. 刚出道的时候，孙东云听起来不像是一个歌手，而比较像一个用直接用喉咙唱歌的人－或 者是，一个边将歌词念出来边祈祷至少别走音的人。我还记得我曾对他在这个歌唱团体中 的存在表示质疑，正如同他的歌声就像…嗯…不存在。 just pushing from the throat. Dong Woon’s voice is very mute and it’s hard to hear how broad his range might be because it always feels like he’s going to break at any second. Regardless, he’s cautiously pushing his vocal limits, and as he does so (like in “You”), we get to hear just how far he can go. I mean, he even reaches his head voice in some of these songs. The boy is learning, as well as Doo Joon, the other secondary vocalist in B2ST. There are moments when the lead singers – Hyun Seung, Ki Kwang, and Yo Seob – sound untouchable, and now Doo Joon is working his way up there. 现在孙东云开窍了，并了解到唱歌并不是将声音从喉咙推出来。孙东云的声音非常沙哑， 而且很难知道他的音域有多广，因为他每分每秒都像是准备要破音一般。然而，他谨慎地 在这些歌曲中探索了自己声音的极限，就像他在”You”里面作的，而我们终於能听到他 有多大的能耐。我的意思是，在其中的几首中，他甚至到到达了头声。这男孩正在学习， 而斗俊，Beast的另外一个副唱，也是一样。有些时候这些主唱张贤胜、李起光和梁耀燮 听起来无懈可击，而现在斗俊也正往那迈进。 “Freeze” follows as the most ‘Cube’-esque track, featuring a brighter tone with an unending pace and a ton of energy. It reminds me of the up beat songs Big Bang released before their wax into the age of electro-pop. It’s a little too CF, but kudos to Jun Hyung for at least working on something himself. Freeze遵循cube一贯的路数，使用较为明亮的曲调和不间断的节奏，并充满了活力。这让 我想起Big bang在进入electro-pop之前的那些节奏强烈的歌。这是一首有点太像CF的歌 曲。但仍要向龙俊亨致敬，至少他创作了自己的作品。 The next song on the album is “Virus” and it brings us back to the primary style of the album. This one isn’t as strong as any of the previous tracks; for the most part it remains pretty flat, but it’s chock full of falsettos (Freeze, Virus). 接下来的歌是Virus，它将我们带回专辑前半的氛围。这首并不像前面几首那麽强而有力 ，大部分时候都相当平板，但满满地充斥着高音。 “Calling You” is another mid tempo song you will have to let grow on you, as it lacks the dramatic melodies and force of the first half of the album. Around this point in “Fiction And Fact” is where I think a really B2ST up-tempo song would have sat well among the many mopy low/mid tracks. This album isn’t as hectic as I had imagined, which is great, but at least one over the top song could have definitely worked here (Calling You). Calling You是另外一首中节奏、需要情绪慢慢渲染的歌曲，因为它缺少了前半段几首歌 的那种戏剧性的旋律和力量。 整张Fiction and Fact听到这一刻，差不多是我觉得一首完全Beast风格的快节奏歌曲该 在这些抑郁的低沉歌曲中出现的时候。这张专辑不如我先前想像般高昂兴奋，这点很好， 但至少一首热闹的歌放在这里肯定会很不错。 Lastly, there’s “On Raining Days“, the one song that cements B2ST as one of the most vocally talented idol pop bands in Korea. This song takes everything that B2ST weren’t two years ago and displays exactly how far they ’ve come. 最後，On Raining Days，这首歌奠定了Beast为韩国最有歌唱实力的偶像团体其中之一。 这首歌需要Beast两年前所没有的一切，而这也显示了他们确实有了长远的进步。 There’s a certain quality in every member’s voice that ties really well with the other, and “On Raining Days” has done an amazing job of taking those loose ends and weaving them together perfectly. It seems well suited for their vocalswhile keeping a good space between lines where each member can throw in any kind of melismas to decorate their lines but not take away from the overall feel of the song. 这首歌当中每位成员的声音都有一定的水准，而且相互紧密连结。而On Raining Days令 人惊艳的是将每一句松散的末尾完美地编织在一起。他们的vocals似乎很适合在歌词和歌 词之间保留空间，让每位成员的自由发挥各种melismas(注：单音节装饰句)为属於自己的 歌词增色，但却又不带走整首歌的感觉。 It really brings this album to a comfortable close, as it draws from those swaying melodies we hear at the beginning. 这首歌确实将这张专辑带向一个舒适的尾声，就像它从专辑一开始那些摇摆不定的旋律中 跳脱出来一般。 B2ST is like the little boy band that could. Beast像是一个不显眼但全能的男子团体。 They went from relying on their image as a means to sell their music to stripping away the over-processed treatments that plague the Korean pop music industry and revealing that they’re more than just hot studs in flashy outfits. This album is very much pop, but also raw in that the focus is directly aimed at B2ST’s vocal competency. Every member gets the opportunity to shine; even the rapper, whose raps make more sense now than ever before. 从只能用外表和形象来推销自己的音乐开始，一直到完全褪去K-pop产业中泛滥的那些过 度加工的处理方式，他们证明自己并不只是穿着闪亮打歌服的装饰品。这张专辑的定位 的确完全是流行音乐，但它同时也原原本本的专注於发掘Beast的歌唱实力。每一位成员 都拥有机会发光，甚至连rapper，念的rap内容都比以前的任何时候来得有意义。 Not only are they each getting decent lines, but they’re singing them with all the conviction they can gather, and you hear it. These songs aren’t explosive noise-wise, but they are still full of energy from B2ST’s emotion, strength, and delivery. And as B2ST are growing individually, they’re developing a very strong chemistry as a unit, as well. These guys know who they are and understand the kind of music they are sent out to perform. 而这不只是每个成员都能得到体面的歌词来唱而已，重点是你听得出来他们用尽自己的所 有信念在唱。即使这些歌本身并不是爆炸性的杰作，但当中依旧充满了来自Beast情感、 实力和个人风格的能量。而当Beast的每个成员正在各自成长着的同时，团体内也正在产 生强烈的化学变化。这些成员清楚自己有多大能耐，他们也完全明了现在即将上台表演的 ，是怎样的音乐。 “Fiction And Fact” is cohesive, sophisticated, and may have single-handedly pushed all other boy band’s releases to the left and claimed the top spot as the best male idol album of the first half of 2011. “Fiction And Fact”前後连贯、洗链成熟，并很可能在轻易地让其他男团的作品站到一 边去的同时，被视为2011年上半年站在top spot的最佳男子偶像专辑。 Overall Rating: 4.8/5 原文:http://www.allkpop.com/2011/05/review-fiction-and-fact-by-b2st 翻译:lennanpois@Taiwan-ptt BEAST板 --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 115.70.39.247 ※ 编辑: MamieCH 来自: 115.70.39.247 (05/25 22:48)