搬运译Pitchfork评10年代最佳单曲第200名：Avicii: “Levels” (2011)

搬运自：微信公众号【评论搬一堆】（在原文基础上添加了英语原文与排版调整）

原文链接：https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-songs-of-the-2010s/

翻译：Ryan Xiang

校对：Whitney. L

推送：Lynn Liu

As sampled in Avicii’s “Levels,” Etta James’ relatively modest claim that “Oh, sometimes I get a good feeling” felt impossibly aspirational for a generation of entry-level millennials dumped into an indifferent economy. In 2011, good feelings were rare and expensive, but it was possible to get one for free via a sparkling EDM hook. “Levels,” with its monumental synths and jetstream whooshes, took that potential and conquered the world with it.

In hindsight, its sheer scale still feels staggering, but there’s a sinister undertone to it. Tim Bergling, who took his own life in 2018, at age 28, got his stage name from Avici, the hell-like realm in Buddhism where dead sinners are reborn. There is something punishing about “Levels,” which, like the office drone pushing a boulder up a mountain in its music video, seems to climb and climb without actually going anywhere, an illusion of transcendence that’s actually just plain old limbo. Electronic pop music of the early 2010s, from “Harlem Shake” to “Turn Down for What,” was punctuated by images of people in their boring jobs and dumpy apartments exploding into uncontrollable, spasmodic dancing—half joyful release, half exorcism. “Levels” is the sound of a generation hell-bent on having a good feeling, reality be damned. –Emily Yoshida

正如被采样于Avicii的“Levels（水平）”中的那样，Etta James那温柔的陈述——“哦，有时我会感觉很好”，让深陷残酷经济形势的新千禧一代感到难以企及的渴望。2011年，尽管好的感受常常难以企及，但通过这样激情四射的舞曲却可能实现。“Levels（水平）”以其不朽的合成音和喷射流的呼啸声，抓住了这一潜力并用它征服了世界。

如今看来，尽管这首歌有阴暗的隐喻，但它的影响仍让人叹为观止。Tim Berling于2018年自杀，享年28岁，他的艺名来自Avici，是佛教中地狱般的国度，在这里死去的罪人获得重生。“Levels（水平）”带着一丝惩罚意味，就像MV中无人机推着一块巨石上山那样——它一直在长途跋涉，却从未到达任何远方，仅仅是老套的却令人身陷幻境。20世纪10年代初的电子流行音乐，从“Harlem Shake（哈林摇）” 到“Turn Down for What（为什么拒绝）”，不时会出现人们在枯燥的工作和逼仄的公寓里爆发出情不自禁而又时断时续的舞蹈，这一部分是快乐的释放，一部分是驱赶内心的邪恶。“Levels（水平）”是一代人追求美好、诅咒现实的宣言。