2012 has started at the same amazing pace as 2011 for Scala & Kolacny Brothers, with a tour of Northern Spain, dates in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Ireland, an upcoming trip to Korea as well as TV appearances at ITV's Dancing On Ice (UK) and at the famous San Remo Festival... But 2011 was the breakout year for Scala & Kolacny Brothers as they conquered the United States and Canada with a major tour, in support of their first North American CD release, including headlining stages at SXSW and Coachella. This success was immediately followed by a first record release in the U.K., a sold out show at London's Union Chapel in June and a triumphant “special guest” performance at the Latitude Festival, where they played the prestigious Sunday noon slot. In June the group headlined at the Heineken Dia De La Musica in Madrid, in November the album ‘Scala & Kolacny Brothers’ was released in Italy, where it immediately hit the top 10 (!) and in December the group returned to 4 sold out shows in Berlin, as well as a Radio Eins very special-alternative-Christmas-songs special. 2011 has brought Scala & Kolacny Brothers the status of international phenomenon and it all seemed to start with a simple email.
When the email arrived in May 2010, the Kolacny brothers thought it was some kind of joke. “Yeah”, the brothers thought, “right.” But the request was genuine. And the film turned out to be The Social Network. It transpired that the director, David Fincher, is a huge fan.
The song in question is a hauntingly beautiful acoustic reworking of Radiohead¹s Creep. In July 2010, two months after the brothers received the email, the Social Network trailer was released. The powerful music was center stage, heightening a growing sense of unease like a chorus of fallen angels.
Like the film itself, the trailer has been a huge global hit more than 250m people have seen in the Cinema, on TV or online. Thanks in part to the subsequent buzz on social media, traffic to the brothers’ website went through the roof: their interpretation of Creep is an internet phenomenon, watched in various forms well over 25m times.
A record-label bidding war erupted in America but the brothers chose to sign with Atco, a subsidiary of Warner, with whom they had been negotiating. They released an eponymous album in in the US in March in the US and in the UK and most of the rest of Europe - 6 June 2011 (on Wall Of Sound). Italy followed in November of this year and the album was re-released in December in the UK, with two additional titles. In 2011 Scala & Kolacny Brothers also released 2 acclaimed video clips, for their versions of Use Somebody (directed by Inti Calfat) and Everlong (directed by Mark Woollen, who also directed the The Social Network trailer).
In September Scala & Kolacny Brother’s version of U2’s With Or Without You, was featured in the trailer for Season 2 of the British hit drama series Downton Abbey (broadcast in the USA on PBS where Scala & Kolacny Brothers also have their new special ‘Live From Bruges’ airing from December). And in December Scala’s version of Last Christmas was used in the trailer for the Downton Abbey Christmas special, while the group performed at Downton Abbey’s VIP Christmas special launch party in London.
But even with numerous TV shows (including 'the Simpsons'!) using Scala & Kolacny Brother’s music in 2011, it was the Social Network trailer which shone a spotlight on the unique musical project that is Scala & Kolacny Brothers an indie-rock choir, comprising of the two Kolacny brothers, Steven and Stijn, and Scala, their all-girl choir. Steven plays the piano, Stijn conducts the choir. The brothers usually work with 20-30 singers, aged 16-26, at a time, but these days have more than 200 girls on their books, ensuring plenty of cover for their increasingly busy schedule.
Scala & Kolacny Brothers take rock and indie songs and reinvent them as elegiac hymns to breathtaking effect with the piano often the sole accompaniment to the voices. On occasion they also use drum machines, sequencers and synthesizers, and also often perform with a full rock band.
The new album includes versions of Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana), Champagne Supernova (Oasis), With or Without You (U2), Use Somebody (Kings of Leon), Everlong (Foo Fighters) and more. Creep also features, as do three original compositions Seashell, Masquerade and Our Last Fight.
Rock and indie music works best because “the beating heart of the songs is often very black and very emotional, and the female voices of the choir add a certain melancholic touch”, says Stijn. “Sometimes they bring out whole new dimensions in the songs our version of Nothing Else Matters could be
classical music; its sound is nothing to do with Metallica anymore.” Other influences range from Sigur Ros to Nirvana and include the dark electro-pop of Goldfrapp and Depeche Mode, and the brooding mini-symphonies of Massive Attack.
BAD
Scala & Kolacny Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you tear yourself in two again,
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would let it go.
Surrender, dislocate.
If I could throw this lifeless life-line to the wind,
Leave this heart of clay, see you walk, walk away
Into the half light and through the flame.
If I could, through myself, set your spirit free
I'd lead your heart away, see you break, break away
Into the light and to the day.
To let it go and so to fade away.
To let it go and so fade away.
I'm wide awake.
I'm wide awake, wide awake.
I'm not sleeping.
If you should ask, then maybe
They'd tell you what I would say
True colours fly in blue and black
Bruised silken sky and burning flak.
Colours crash, collide in blood-shot eyes.
If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would let it go.
This desperation, dislocation
Separation, condemnation
Revelation, in temptation
Isolation, desolation
Let it go and so to fade away
To let it go and so to fade away
To let it go and so to fade away
I'm wide awake, I'm wide awake, wide awake,
I'm not sleeping
Oh no, no, no.
The song "Bad" is a cover of U2's original track, but with a more somber and haunting feel created by the ethereal voices of the all-female Belgian choir Scala & Kolacny Brothers. The lyrics speak of a desire to let go of something, surrendering and dislocating oneself. The repetition of the phrase "if I could, I would let it go" emphasizes this sense of desperation and wanting to move on.
The imagery of the song is haunting, with lines like "bruised silken sky and burning flak" and "colours crash, collide in blood-shot eyes" creating a sense of pain and loss. The second verse shifts the focus to the singer's desire to set someone else's spirit free and lead them towards the light. However, the repeated refrain of "let it go and so to fade away" continues to emphasize the theme of relinquishing something and moving on.
One interpretation of the song is that it speaks to the universal human experience of pain and loss, and the desire to be free of those burdens. The repetition of the phrase "if I could, I would let it go" reflects the common sentiment of wanting to move on from difficult circumstances or emotions. The haunting melody and ethereal voices of the choir add to the sense of otherworldliness and transcendence, as if the song is speaking to something beyond our everyday existence.
Line by Line Meaning
If you twist and turn away,
If you try to avoid a situation by changing your perspective,
If you tear yourself in two again,
If you feel conflicted or torn between two options,
If I could, yes I would
If I had the power, I would take action,
If I could, I would let it go.
If possible, I would release the burden I am holding onto,
Surrender, dislocate.
Give up and separate from the current situation,
If I could throw this lifeless life-line to the wind,
If I could let go of my attachment to this meaningless existence,
Leave this heart of clay, see you walk, walk away
Abandon this fragile and vulnerable persona and watch you leave,
Into the night, and through the rain
Venture into the unknown and overcome obstacles,
Into the half light and through the flame.
Navigate through the darkness and chaos to find the light,
If I could, through myself, set your spirit free
If I had control over myself, I would release your soul from captivity,
I'd lead your heart away, see you break, break away
I would guide you towards liberation and watch you break free,
Into the light and to the day.
Towards enlightenment and a brighter future,
To let it go and so to fade away.
Release the past and fade into the background,
I'm wide awake.
I am alert and present in the moment,
I'm wide awake, wide awake.
I am fully conscious and aware,
I'm not sleeping.
I am not ignoring reality or avoiding the situation,
If you should ask, then maybe
If you were to inquire, there is a possibility,
They'd tell you what I would say
Others would speak on my behalf,
True colours fly in blue and black
Honesty is revealed in sadness and darkness,
Bruised silken sky and burning flak.
The beautiful yet damaged sky with fiery explosions,
Colours crash, collide in blood-shot eyes.
Emotions clash and collide in tired and teary eyes,
This desperation, dislocation
This feeling of losing hope and being out of place,
Separation, condemnation
The act of dividing and judging,
Revelation, in temptation
Finding clarity in moments of weakness,
Isolation, desolation
Feeling alone and abandoned, complete emptiness,
Let it go and so to fade away
Release yourself and disappear,
Oh no, no, no.
Expressing negative emotions related to the current state of being,
Contributed by Jayden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.