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.
Colorblind
Scala & Kolacny Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coffee black and egg white
Pull me out from inside
I am ready
I am ready
I am ready
I am
Stuttered shook and uptight
Pull me out from inside
I am ready
I am ready
I am ready
I am...fine
I am covered in skin
No one gets to come in
Pull me out from inside
I am folded, and unfolded, and unfolding
I am...colorblind
Coffee black and egg white
Pull me out from inside
I am ready
I am ready
I am ready
I am...fine
I am...fine
I am fine
The song Colorblind by Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a deep and introspective piece about the feeling of being disconnected from the world that surrounds you. The lyrics are a representation of the inner turmoil that many people experience every day, struggling to find their place in society, to connect with others, and to find meaning in their lives.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses the feelings of being stuck and unable to communicate, represented by the image of taffy stuck and a tongue tied. The feelings of being trapped are further reinforced through the repetition of the phrase "pull me out from inside" as a call for help, a plea to be understood and rescued from the chaos of life.
The lyrics are also an expression of vulnerability, represented by the lines "I am covered in skin/No one gets to come in". The reference to being "colorblind" is a metaphor for the feeling of being unable to see or perceive the beauty and meaning in the world, as if everything is washed out and faded. Despite all of this, the song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer declaring that they are "fine", as if reaching an inner resolution and finding a measure of peace within.
Line by Line Meaning
I am color...blind
I cannot see any colors
Coffee black and egg white
My life is simple and plain
Pull me out from inside
Help me break free from within
I am ready
I am prepared for what's to come
I am ready
I am prepared for what's to come
I am ready
I am prepared for what's to come
I am
I exist
Taffy stuck, tongue tied
I am nervous and unable to speak smoothly
Stuttered shook and uptight
My speech is broken and I am anxious
I am...fine
I am doing okay
I am covered in skin
I am a human with flesh
No one gets to come in
I am keeping my emotions and thoughts to myself
I am folded, and unfolded, and unfolding
I am complex and constantly changing
I am...colorblind
I see the world in a different way
I am...fine
I am doing okay
I am...fine
I am doing okay
I am fine
I am doing okay
Contributed by Alaina A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
janeywaney2504
"I am covered in skin, no one gets to come in"...always brings out the goosebumps.
chrissalyn81
This was a staple of a lot of my mixed CDs in the late 90s/early 2000s, thanks to Cruel Intentions. But these girls just showed the Counting Crows up. Beautiful.
sweeneysdominatrix
I couldn't help shedding a few tears. Just beautiful! A very emotional song for me anyway but it makes it seem ethereal.
marie21000
With the cello, the piano and the beautiful voices of thèse girls, this cover is even more emotional. ❤️😥
Michael Wright
One of the most graceful, elegant, and truly timeless pieces I have ever heard!
Flicker
I've just gotten goosebumps on my arms and a tingle down my spine......beautiful! <3
Светлана Попова
Великолепно! Лучшее исполнение.
Stella Isis Rothe
So perfectly beautiful ... I do prefer the original, but this is gorgeous.
Forrest Hiebert
I feel so lucky that my chorus is singing this beautiful song.
Alan Rorrison
I love the original and i have been a fan of scala for a while now and i am furious with myself that it took me this long to find this rendition. Wow... just wow. My hair is standing on end.