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.
Joga
Scala & Kolacny Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coincidence makes sense only with you
You don't have to speak I feel
Emotional landscapes
They puzzle me
Then the riddle gets solved and you push me up to this
How beautiful to be
State of emergency
Is where I want to be
All that no-one sees you see what's inside of me
Every nerve that hurts you heal deep inside of me
You don't have to speak I feel
Emotional landscapes
They puzzle me
Confuse
Then the riddle gets solved and you push me up to this
State of emergency
The lyrics of "Joga" by Scala & Kolacny Brothers are enigmatic and open to interpretation. At its essence, the song is about the power of human connection and how it can change our perspective on life. The first verse talks about how accidents and coincidences only make sense when we are with someone who understands us. The singer doesn't need words to communicate with this person, they can feel each other's emotions and thoughts. The emotional landscapes that puzzle the singer are a metaphor for the complex emotions that can arise when we are trying to understand ourselves and each other.
The second verse talks about the healing power of a deep emotional connection. The person the singer is with can see inside of them, heal their pain, and make them whole. The emotional landscapes that confuse the singer are still present, but now they are being transformed. The person they are with has solved the riddle of their emotions and pushed them into a state of emergency. This state of emergency is not a negative state, but rather a heightened state of awareness and emotion. It is a beautiful place to be because in this state, the singer feels seen, heard, and understood.
In summary, "Joga" by Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a song about the transformative power of human connection. It speaks to the way we can change and grow when we are with someone who truly understands us. The emotional landscapes that the singer is describing are both confusing and beautiful because they are the result of the deep emotions that come with being truly connected to another person.
Line by Line Meaning
All the accidents that happen follow the dot
Every event that occurs is not by chance, but part of a predestined path.
Coincidence makes sense only with you
Things only seem to happen by chance because of your presence in my life.
You don't have to speak I feel
Your words are not necessary, I can sense your emotions through your actions and expressions.
Emotional landscapes
The complex and ever-changing emotional state of being human.
They puzzle me
It is difficult to comprehend and understand all the complexities of human emotion.
Then the riddle gets solved and you push me up to this
When you share your emotions and inner thoughts with me, it helps me better understand the complexities of human emotion and pushes me towards a higher level of understanding.
State of emergency
A heightened emotional state, often caused by intense feelings or situations.
How beautiful to be
Despite the chaos and intensity of this emotional state, it can be beautiful and meaningful.
All that no-one sees you see what's inside of me
You can see into my soul and understand my innermost thoughts and feelings, even when others cannot.
Every nerve that hurts you heal deep inside of me
Your presence and compassion can heal the emotional pain that others may cause me.
Confuse
The paradoxical nature of human emotion, which can both puzzle and clarify emotions.
Contributed by Sadie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Stephen Dunne
I bought this album years ago. It still haunts me. I listen to this song walking along the dark streets of this old town at night.
rippinyarn
I've listened to about 20 songs from them today, but this one is something special even compared to the other covers.
JuanRaoúl de la Sierra Rodríguez
I keep coming back to this! just an absolutely ethereal redention to a great song from within
morvern66
@rippinyarn Yeah, as soon as I heard it, it struck a chord. Amazing.