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.
One-Winged Angel
Scala & Kolacny Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How come you picked me out?
Angel wit one wing.
Love me. Need me.
It´s almost insane
The way you infected my brain
And I can´t stop loving you
Angel with one wing.
How come to picked me out?
Angel with one wing.
Love me. Need me.
One shining day
You flew out and passed my way
And I can´t stop loving you
My One-winged Angel
Angel with one wing.
How come you to picked me out?
Angel with one wing.
Love me. Need my.
Loveme. Need me (4x)
The lyrics to Scala & Kolacny Brothers' song One-Winged Angel are intriguing as they describe an angel with only one wing who has chosen the singer out of everyone else. The singer is captivated by this angel and feels love and a strong connection towards them. The line "how come you picked me out?" implies a sense of wonder and confusion about why this angel has chosen the singer specifically. The repetition of the phrase "angel with one wing" further emphasizes the unique and special nature of this celestial being.
Furthermore, the lyrics suggest that the singer is almost insane with love for this angel, indicating a level of intensity and obsession towards the object of their affection. The line "you infected my brain" implies that this love has taken over the singer's thoughts and emotions completely. Despite their overwhelming feelings, the singer cannot stop loving the one-winged angel and is helpless in the face of their attraction. Overall, the song is a poignant, dreamlike exploration of an unconventional love that is both beautiful and incredibly powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
Angel with one wing
The person addressed has a singular flaw or quality, represented by their one wing.
How come you picked me out?
The singer is curious about why the one-winged angel has taken an interest in them.
Love me. Need me.
The singer feels desired by the one-winged angel and is asking to be loved and needed in return.
It's almost insane
The artist acknowledges that their emotions and attachment to the one-winged angel are intense and overwhelming.
The way you infected my brain
The feelings of the one-winged angel have affected the artist deeply and are difficult to shake.
And I can't stop loving you
The singer's love for the one-winged angel is all-consuming and unrelenting.
My One-winged Angel
The singer addresses the one-winged angel as if it is their own entity or possession.
One shining day
The moment of encountering the one-winged angel is remembered as a bright, shining memory.
You flew out and passed my way
The one-winged angel appeared to the artist as if it were passing by, a serendipitous meeting.
Loveme. Need me (4x)
The repeated plea for love and neediness represents the depth and desperation of the artist's emotions.
Contributed by Mackenzie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.