来自英国的ED Harcourt ,才华横溢的英俊青年,有着令人羡煞的苍凉而醇美的嗓音,而这位歌者也正在谱写着一曲曲优美动听的歌曲,或朴实或华美,或沉郁或幽暗,但却都散发着令人沉醉的感性气息,每个音符都直指心灵深处。在这个几乎再也难以让人惊艳的无感年代,他跟那些总是以钢琴为底的自溺歌谣,还是撼动了很多面孔严肃或假装嘻笑的人类.简洁的配器,沉实的乐风,激情四溅却感性诚挚的演唱,在这日渐喧嚣浮夸的世界,分外显得不可多得。ED Harcourt其实已经创作积累了300余首作品,而灵感不断的ED Harcourt称不停的创作几乎成为了自己的嗜好。
(以下是有关他乐评文章,摘自:spiritmuzik网站)
暮春秋色-ED Harcourt《From Every Sphere》
这是一个无望的春天,危机四伏,人人自危,每个陌生人的眼神中都充满了戒备,春天因此失去旧日的妩媚,没人再会享受那傍晚令人陶醉的和煦春风。看着窗外被浪费的暮春秋色,还有那充满未知危险却清新芳郁的空气,独自一人在屋内有些落寞,还好这时ED Harcourt在两年后如约归来,依旧是饱含激情的声音,依旧挥洒不羁的音乐,《From Every Sphere》,延续着那枫林深处的心灵之约。
如果上苍可以赐予我一副完美嗓音,我愿放弃一切,只是不停地唱,如果可以,让歌声碰触着每颗良善的心灵,如果上帝存在,那便是上帝的给予。而ED Harcourt这位来自英国的Singer/Song-Writer,才华横溢的英俊青年,便有着一副令人羡煞的苍凉而醇美的嗓音,而这位歌者也正在谱写着一曲曲优美动听的歌曲,或朴实或华美,或沉郁或幽暗,但却都散发着令人沉醉的感性气息,每个音符都直指心灵深处。在2001年时ED Harcourt于Heavenly厂牌推出首张专辑《Here Be Monsters》,立刻引起英国独立音乐圈的广泛关注,唱片销量也颇为可观。在《Here Be Monsters》中,ED Harcourt的确展示了其不凡的音乐才华,从演唱到创作以及乐器演奏,全部独立包办,大显DIY作风,简洁的配器,沉实的乐风,激情四溅却感性诚挚的演唱,的确有些Tom Waits的影子,也会让人想起Nick Cave以及Tindersticks的Stuart Staples,甚至是曼城New Acoustic Movement领袖Badly Drawn Boy,而面对着这日渐喧嚣浮夸的世界,这诚挚感人的磁性歌声,便显得不可多得。
在2001年7月底推出处女专辑《Here Be Monsters》之前,ED Harcourt其实已经创作积累了300余首作品,而灵感不断的ED Harcourt称不停的创作几乎成为了自己的嗜好。先行的EP《MapleMood》与首张专辑的推出令ED Harcourt倍受关注,风头甚劲直追化身为Badly Drawn Boy的Damon Gough,也许同为独立唱作人,故存在一定可比性,更甚有人认为ED Harcourt是Damon Gough的跟风者,然而听过整张专辑后,并未有这种感觉,相对Damon Gough变化多端、极富心机的音乐来说,ED Harcourt来的要更加直白简洁,更何况ED Harcourt的音乐更富价值的是其优厚的嗓音,于此也觉得其作品也并非如媒体所说极似Tom Waits(笔者正是被媒体ED Harcourt音乐师承Tom Waits的说法所吸引,觉得自己上了英伦媒体一当,了不起的商业运作),但在某种音乐气质上的确有相似之处,毕竟ED Harcourt坦诚自己深受Tom Waits之影响,唱片中一曲“God protect your soul”幽暗沉重的气氛,的确神似Tom Waits的作品。但我仍觉得ED Harcourt的作品重点依然是那些温暖优美的感人作品,如“Something in my eye”、“She fell into my arms”和“Hanging with the wrong crowd”,流淌心间的钢琴和风琴,若隐若现的弦乐点缀,充满记忆的优美曲调,还有ED Harcourt浸透着感性略带沙哑的歌喉,是ED Harcourt音乐中最动人的元素;跳脱欢愉Jazz味道的“Apple of my eye”,在宁静的大提琴中苍白神伤的“Those crimson tears”和美丽意境的“Wind though the trees”都散发着温馨的南部田园气息,自然朴实,而“Beneath the heart of darkness”如歌曲名称一般,在幽悒的开端后ED Harcourt在高潮部分大玩一把甚是黑暗厚重的电子噪音试验,让人甚是意外。
在懒散闲适的晚春傍晚,在奔跑暂停的时刻,企图让心灵可以有一个简短的休憩时,ED Harcourt的音乐应该是一个不错的选择。很喜欢《Here Be Monsters》,所以2003年专辑《From Every Sphere》亦来到了我的春天,而且令我欣慰地延续了上张专辑的优美感人,比起前作,新作来得更加丰富多彩,更加Laid-Back/Mellow 化,ED Harcourt的声音也显得更加挥洒自如,不需要什么突破,我也不希望有什么累赘的突破性实验,只要ED Harcourt还在用他感人的歌声感动我们,还有美丽依旧的曲调抚平我们已不堪重负的心灵,正如唱片中奔放流畅的作品“The birds will sing for us”所唱一般。“Bittersweetheart”和“All of your days will be bless”依旧悠扬,让人不禁随之轻轻晃动身体,只是显得更加懒洋洋的放纵;到是更似Tom Waits作品的“Ghostwriter”和“Undertaker strut”又是个意外,Vocoder处理过的人声和着诡异晦涩的配器,让人发现ED Harcourt也有狂放的时刻。不过清凉动人的柔美钢琴Ballad“Sister Renee”和“Bleed a riverdeep”所带出的依旧是触及心灵深处的杀伤力,“Jetsetter”中悠扬的口琴,“Watching the sun come up”荡气回肠的配器和飘飞的歌声(甚至有些部分让我想起了David Bowie的名曲“Heroes”),“Fireflies task flight”中摇曳的钢琴和叮咚作响的八音盒音色,这一切依旧会将我们融化在温暖的夕阳中,让一切灵魂深处的伤痛消散在ED Harcourt的轻吟浅唱中,在梦幻迷离而气势磅礴的长篇结束曲“From every sphere”中。
在这个世界还继续苟活的我们,在生存面前变得越来越坚忍,而却使我们每每会遗忘了心间已慢慢流失的一份温情。也许我们真的需要如同来自ED Harcourt音乐的那份脆弱而温暖的感动,也许我可以理解ED Harcourt偶尔流露出的那份死亡情结,也许我们不应面对死亡时才发现我们因忽视而已消失的某些珍贵情感。
England's Ed Harcourt, a former chef and member of the defunct indie-rock outfit Snug, progressed from bass guitar to a number of instruments (including piano/keyboards, guitar, banjo, drums, and the kitchen sink) during his prolific, genre-hopping solo career. A fan of Tom Waits and Jeff Buckley (as well as such disparate artists as Chet Baker, incendiary blues showman Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Perry Farrell, the Beasties, and At the Drive-In), Harcourt launched his diverse career at the age of 23. His marriage of his dreamland Americana and England's South Coast quickly attracted a devout fanbase, and Harcourt spent the better part of the 2000s on EMI's roster, releasing unique albums whose tracks veered between orchestrated anthems, minimalist ballads, and Britpop nuggets.
Maplewood, the singer/songwriter's solo debut, sounds like a work in progress. Indeed, Heavenly Records released the four-track recording in its original state, despite Harcourt's original plan to use those atmospheric songs (which were recorded in the rural setting of his grandma's Sussex house) as demo material. 2002's Here Be Monsters was recorded in a proper studio, featuring thickened and enriched versions of some of Harcourt's earlier work. The following year saw the release of From Every Sphere, a stripped-down sophomore effort, and Harcourt toured with Wilco and R.E.M. before releasing his third studio album, Strangers, in 2004. Beautiful Lie and the compilation Until Tomorrow Then: The Best of Ed Harcourt followed in 2006 and 2007, respectively.