U2強勢推碟 打破常規的《天真之歌》

What better way to drop a new album than to release it to iTunes users for free while the whole world is tuned into the launch of a new Apple product?

在全世界都翹首企盼蘋果發佈新產品時，還有什麼比在iTunes免費發佈新專輯更能博得眼球？

That’s just how U2 released their new album, anyway. The legendary Irish rock band has returned in stunning fashion with their latest LP, Songs of Innocence, following their performance at the Apple event on Sept 9.

這正是U2樂隊新專輯的發佈方式。9月9日，這隻傳奇的愛爾蘭搖滾樂隊攜最新唱片《天真之歌》出現在蘋果發佈會上，驚豔全場。

With the click of a button during iPhone 6 and Apple Watch media event in Cupertino, California, U2’s 13th album and first in five years was automatically pushed to over 500 million iTunes accounts around the world.

在iPhone 6與Apple Watch在美國加州庫比蒂諾的發佈會上，U2的第13張專輯，也是近五年來的首張專輯，也通過“按一個神奇發送按鈕”，自動推送進全球超過5億iTunes用戶的賬戶中。

So there it is, in the books. “The largest album release of all time,” according to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

而這也是前所未有的，正如蘋果首席執行官提姆•庫克所言，“這是蘋果有史以來發行數量最多的專輯。”

For a band that’s been active for more than 30 years, you have to hand it to Bono and his crew for still being able to push the envelope at this stage in their career.

U2樂隊出道30年卻依然活躍，都要歸功於波諾和他的隊員們至今還能打破常規、不斷突破。

Though Songs of Innocence doesn’t cost a dime, should you bother clicking a few buttons on iTunes to get it? Well of course, but don’t expect the record to be as breathtaking as U2 at its best.

雖然《天真之歌》不需一分一角，但是它真的值得你在iTunes上點擊下載麼？當然值得，只是不要期待它能像U2鼎盛時期的歌曲那樣驚天動地。

Looking up

不斷向前

Named after the first of a two-volume William Blake poetry collection, the album is filled with openly autobiographical songs in which band members talk about their personal view of life, hope, loss, fear and newfound resolve.

這張專輯以威廉姆•布萊克兩卷詩集中的首卷名稱命名，歌中充滿了自傳式的描寫，表達了隊員們眼中的人生、希望、迷失、恐懼，還有重拾的決心。

The album may not provide that miracle moment or have instant ear-grabbers like greatest hits Beautiful Day and Vertigo, but it’s filled with typical Bono buzzwords, and the lyrics are as transcendent as ever.

這首專輯也許並不像《美好的一天》或是《眩暈》一樣立刻迷住你，也鮮有奇蹟般的段落，但波諾式的口號依舊隨處可見，歌詞也是一如既往的出類拔萃。

“You can’t return to where you’ve never left,” Bono sings in the hometown ode Cedarwood Road. “I’ve got your life inside of me,” Bono croons, internalizing a mother’s wisdom in Iris (Hold Me Close).

在《香柏路》中波諾用家鄉頌歌唱着，“你永遠無法回到你從未離開的地方”，而在《彩虹女神》中波諾則低吟着關於母親的回憶，“我心深處有你生命的存在。”

Lyrics like that — or Cedarwood Road’s “A heart that is broken is a heart that is open” — makes Songs of Innocence a perfect title for U2’s latest. Some might argue that those lines are simply naive, or the band should expand their themes, but this is the perspective of a cynic. Returning to that place of innocence is a conscious choice for U2, and it’s in this realm that the album finds its strength.

還有《香柏路》中的“敞開的心也是破碎的心”，這些歌詞都讓《天真之歌》成爲U2最完美的最新制作。有人也許會認爲這些歌詞過於簡單天真，樂隊應該拓展主題，但這不過是吹毛求疵者的一家之言。返璞歸真對U2而言纔是明智之選，正是在這一領域他們找到了自己的優勢所在。