目前签约于Beggars厂牌下的美国乐队Bowery Electric主要由两位成员组成:Lawrence Chandler负责编程,吉他,键盘,人声;Martha Schwendener则在负责键盘,人声之外还不时以低沉的Bass声加入对整个音乐作品的建构;加上鼓的编排,乍一看这更象是一个Rock/Post Rock乐队的结构,而事实上这个乐队的音乐类型也确实是一直游离在Post Rock/Trip Hop/Shoegazing三者之间,很难直接用Trip Hop去定义他们的作品风格。更多的时候,Bowery Electric的唱片名字并不是被罗列在Trip Hop名单里,而是出现在Post Rock的大本营里。
Bowery Electric的作品中往往充满了令人晕眩和扭曲的吉他噪音墙,Chandler玩出的吉他技巧和水准绝对不逊色于Cocteau Twins或着My Bloody Valentine两支乐队的吉他手,以致于许多媒体都不约而同地把他们的吉他音色要和My Bloody Valentine相比较,当然这种比较显然是没意义的。
而他们的女声部分的Schwendener,显然早已经不再象一些乐队那样只是纯粹地甘于担任女主唱,而是把自己的嗓音做为一个辅助的乐器叠加在吉他,贝司,鼓,键盘等音色之上,所以你更多的时候将听到的是她模糊的低喃以及无调性的哼唱。此外她还拿起了Bass,以自己低沉诡异的Bass声和Chandler的扭曲吉他噪音交相辉映。
至于Michael Johngren或Wayne Magruder的鼓击声则类似Trip Hop那般缓慢阴暗的鼓机节拍,很好地衬托出他们音乐的清冷孤寂的特色。
听Bowery Electric的音乐总要让我想起国内最近几年涌现出来的一些类似风格的乐队:星期三的旅行,与非门。也是这般缓慢寥落的的鼓击声和充满忧伤又不失冷静的女声。
此外,Bowery Electric的还有一个大胆的举措就是他们的男女双声部,一高一底,但两人的和声都是那般的忧伤而冷静。
Manhattan-based drone-rock duo Bowery Electric comprised vocalist/guitarist Lawrence Chandler, a former protege of minimalist composer LaMonte Young, and vocalist/bassist Martha Schwendener. Originally a three-piece rounded out by a series of drummers, Bowery Electric bowed in 1994 with a double seven-inch on their self-owned Hi-Fidelity Recordings which helped land them on the indie label Kranky, which issued their self-titled debut LP in 1995. With 1996s Beat, the duos swirling, chaotic sound began to incorporate elements of the electronica movement; a subsequent series of 12-inch remixes by the likes of Disjecta, CHASM and Immersion further solidified their new affilation with electronic music, as did 1997s remix collection Vertigo. The long-awaited Lushlife finally appeared in early 2000.