时隔三年，由 Jonathan Zeitlin 与 Pauline Zeitlin 组成的双人组 Alpine Decline 近期发布了他们的最新专辑《Underground Hits from the Far Out Distant Future》并开启了久违的中国巡演。在这张与不同录音室、乐手合作的四篇章专辑中，他们维持了一贯属于 Alpine Decline 的梦幻气质和在舒适感之下潜伏的危险气息，成为今年度稳当又不乏惊喜的，值得收听的作品之一。赶在巡演途中，UPEE 有幸邀请了 Alpine Decline 两位成员进行一期采访，分享这张专辑与这段时间的创作和思考。
[Review] Underground Hits from the Far Out Distant Future (2024)
UPEE：时隔多年再次发新作品，你们觉得从《For the Betterment of Well People》到《Underground Hits from the Far Out Distant Future: Volumes I-IV》之间，Alpine Decline 有发生哪些变化吗？
To record “For the Betterment of Well People” we formed a big six piece band of California musicians to create a kind of shimmering, sunny sound that fit the psychedelic metaphor of the record, and was a unique chance to work with Yang Haisong in a classic LA studio. It’s really like a photograph of a single moment in time. But “Underground Hits from the Far Out Distant Future” was a really long complex project over 4 years with many musicians and producers to journey through many different themes. Like everyone, we changed a lot through COVID and the years that followed, and this album reflects that fragmentation. We really think it will take a few listens for each volume of the album to open up to the listener, but as always we think there is something clearly identifiable as Alpine Decline through the whole thing.
Alpine Decline：这些歌曲就像是我们的孩子，很难选出最喜欢的，但《Stranded on a Primitive Planet》《If It Could Be That Way》《You’ve Got that Light in Your Eyes》和《Onion Valley》这些歌曲，都有着某种特别的魔力。
These songs are our babies and it’s hard to choose favorites, but songs like “Stranded on a Primitive Planet”, “If It Could Be That Way”, “You’ve Got that Light in Your Eyes”, and “Onion Valley”, caught some kind of special magic.
Alpine Decline：每一个都独具特色！我闭上眼睛就能回想起与之前制作了《For the Betterment of Well People》的六人乐队再一起现场录制第一卷的情景，那种现场录音到磁带的感觉至今仍让我记忆犹新。或者在传奇的DIY场地 Non Plus Ultra，与 Spooky 一起抛开杂念，为第二卷叠加那些狂野的合成音效，那也是一个难忘的时刻。还有，当我们的老朋友 Luke Pacquin (Hot Hot Heat, Tashaki Miyaki) 穿着内裤和拖鞋从房间里走出来，为第三卷录制独奏时，我们大家都忍不住笑了出来，那个场景实在太过搞笑又温馨。说实话，当你在一张专辑上投入了这么多年的时间和精力，就会积累下无数的回忆，真的很难只挑选出几个来讲述！
Alpine Decline：也许从事音乐最美好的事情就是能遇到最非凡的人。虽然我们始终明白Alpine Decline的核心是我们两个人，但我们总是希望能与制作人建立深厚的合作关系。他们不仅仅是录制我们的音乐，更是与我们一同踏上旅程。Dan Horne 曾与我们一同在之前的乐队演奏，在我二十出头、我们在洛杉矶的音乐场景闯荡的那段时间里，他还是我的室友。我们成长了很多，也改变了很多，尤其是当我们搬到中国后。但当我们再次相聚时，仍然就像兄弟一样默契无间。由于 COVID，我们很遗憾没能在新专辑中与杨海崧合作，所以能在这次巡演中与他同台演出，感觉非常特别。
Maybe the best thing about making a life in music is meeting the most extraordinary people, and while we will always understand the core of Alpine Decline is the two of us, we ALWAYS want to form a deep partnership with our producers. They aren’t just recording us — they are joining us on a journey. Dan Horne played with us in a previous band, and he was my roommate in my early twenties when we were young and wild in the LA scene. We’ve grown and changed so much, especially when we moved to China, but you always fit right back together like with a brother. It was sad we could’t work with Yang Haisong on the new album due to COVID, so it’s special to play with him on this tour.
UPEE：因为笔者本人是年轻一代的听众，在听到 Alpine Decline 时会对你们创作里一些不那么“华语”印象的意识感到惊喜——作为一支即将成为成军15年的乐队，你们有什么想对才刚开始收听你们的年轻乐迷说的吗？
Alpine Decline：我们毫无压力！我们对音乐是认真的，但总的来说，与人们在这个世界上生活所面临的真正压力相比，艺术只是一种游戏。受到周围音乐人的影响是很自然的，但我认为，最重要的是做自己：用你真实的声音去歌唱，写下你真正想说的，即使它不符合你周围所谓的潮流或时尚；尽可能地深入生活，这样你或许就能感受到某种强烈的情感，这种情感会不由自主地体现在你的音乐中。我所追求的始终是确保音乐真实地反映我们自己，以至于世界上没有其他人能创作出这样的音乐。Alpine Decline 是独一无二的，因为在这个世界上，只有一个 Jonathan 和一个 Pauline。
We feel no pressure! We’re serious about our music, but in general art is kind of just a game compared to the real pressure people face living in this world. It’s natural to be influenced by musicians around you, but I think the absolute most important thing is to be yourself: sing in your real voice, write the words you really want to say even if it doesn’t fit what’s cool or happening around you, live as deeply as you can so you might feel something so strongly it can’t help but come out in your music. All I ever want is to be sure that the music is so true to ourselves that no one else in the world could make it. There is only one Alpine Decline because there is only one Jonathan and one Pauline in this world.
Alpine Decline：所有这些不同的录音室、乐手和风格，就像是我们可以穿戴的服装，就像剧院里的演员一样。有趣之处在于，当我们用所有这些变量进行演奏时，音乐中始终保持一致的是什么——无论那是什么，你都可以指出来说，那就是Alpine Decline的灵魂。
All these different studios and musicians and styles are just like costumes we can put on, like actors in the theater. The interesting part is what remains consistent through the music when we play with all these variables — whatever that is, that’s the thing you can point to and say that’s the soul of Alpine Decline.
Alpine Decline：目前，我们仍然深陷于《Underground Hits from the Far Out Distant Future》的世界中，但你可以肯定的是，不久之后，我和Pauline就会开始酝酿新的想法。这无法逃避——下一件事很快就会找到我们。
For now we are still neck deep in the worlds of “Underground Hits from the Far Out Distant Future”, but you can be sure soon Pauline and I will start spinning up new ideas. We can’t escape it — the next thing will find us soon enough.
11-21周四 北京 黄昏黎明俱乐部 DDC w/ paki paki
11-22周五 杭州 loopy Live w/鸡毛大
11-23周六 上海 育音堂 Specters 俱乐部 w/固体李逵
11-24周日 南京 1701 Live House(下午场)
11-26周二 武汉 野声社区 w/狗矢运
11-27周三 广州 声音共和·昨日世界酒馆 w/鼠鼠鼠
11-28周四 重庆 坚果 NUTS LIVEHOUSE（改为无嘉宾）
11-29周五 成都 24D Space w/返校日
11-30周六 西安 西演 SPACE 福星现场 w/属梨
12-01周日 北京 Museum w/空加太
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整理 / 编辑：石田吉藏 | 图片：Lil Cany, 小孙狗仔队, 海岳
