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.
Under the bridge
Scala & Kolacny Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, the city of angel
Lonely as I am, together we cry
I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion
I walk through her hills 'cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy
Well, I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way, yeah, yeah, yeah
It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there
It's hard to believe that I'm all alone
At least I have her love, the city she loves me
Lonely as I am, together we cry
Well, I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
Well, I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way, yeah, yeah, yeah
oh no, no, no, yeah, yeah
love me, I say, yeah yeah
One time
(under the bridge downtown)
(is where I drew some blood)
is where I drew some blood
(under the bridge downtown)
(i could not get enough)
i could not get enough
(under the bridge downtown)
(forgot about my love)
forgot about my love
(under the bridge downtown)
(i gave my life away)
i gave my life away yeah, yeah yeah
(away)
no, no, no, yeah, yeah
(away)
no, no, i say, yeah, yeah
(away)
Here I stay
The first stanza of Scala & Kolacny Brothers’s song Under the Bridge reflects the loneliness and isolation of the singer who feels like he doesn't have a partner or friends. The only thing he finds solace in, is the mystical place he lives in - the city of Los Angeles, known as the 'City of Angels.' Even though he is lonely, he feels like the city is his companion with whom he shares his tears. The singer drives through her streets and walks through her hills, and he feels acknowledged by her because she recognizes his good deeds. The city gives him a sense of belonging, which he cherishes.
The following stanza of the song talks about the day the singer doesn't ever want to feel like. He assures himself that it would never occur again as long as his partner, the city, takes him to the place he loves. The stanza suggests that the city has a healing power that can make him forget about the harsh reality of his life. The singer realizes that there might be nobody out there, but the city's love is enough to sustain his life. They both cry together, but that becomes his source of comfort.
The bridge section of the song tells a different story, where the singer talks about the place where he had to draw some blood but couldn't get enough. He forgot about his love and gave his life away. It remains uncertain whether this stanza is about drug addiction or something else; however, it seems to reflect on some detrimental experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Occasionally, I sense that I lack a companion
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
From time to time, I feel as if my sole friend is myself
Is the city I live in, the city of angel
It is the metropolis in which I inhabit, known as the city of angels
Lonely as I am, together we cry
Despite feeling lonely, the city and I share emotional lamentation
I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion
I drive on the city's streets as it stands in lieu of a companion
I walk through her hills 'cause she knows who I am
I trek across the city's hills as it understands my identity well
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy
It recognizes my virtuous acts and rewards me with its caressing gusts of wind
I never worry, now that ain't a lie.
I don't fret over any concerns, and that is undeniably true
Well, I don't ever want to feel like I did that day
I never want to experience the emotions I underwent during that moment
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way
Guide me to the location I adore and take me there without hesitation
It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there
It's challenging for me to believe that there is no one out there
It's hard to believe that I'm all alone
It's challenging for me to accept that I'm all by myself
At least I have her love, the city she loves me
Nevertheless, I possess its love - the metropolis adores me
Here I stay
Here is where I remain
(under the bridge downtown)
Beneath the bridge in the downtown area:
(is where I drew some blood)
This location was where I once drew some blood
(i could not get enough)
I could not obtain an adequate amount
(forgot about my love)
I neglected my love for something else
(i gave my life away)
I recklessly surrendered my existence
away
Detached from society
no, no, no, yeah, yeah
I mildly oppose that notion but ultimately come around to agree
love me, I say, yeah yeah
I implore for affection, I announce, various times
One time
Only once
Contributed by Aaliyah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.