Indigo

由默契十足的Amy Ray以及Emily Sailers所組成的Indigo Girls，在國小就讀期間兩人就認識，因為彼此對音樂的愛好，讓她們上了高中仍一起玩音樂，甚至組織起B-Band以及Sailers and Ray樂團。升上大學后兩人紛紛到外地求學，卻在思鄉情切下，Amy及Emily又回到家鄉念同一所大學，兩人當下自1985年正式以Indigo Girls之名四處走唱。1987年發行首張獨立廠牌專輯『Strange Fire』，以清新女生民謠二人組打動無數歌迷的心，同時期迅速竄起Suzanne Vega、Tracy Chapman等創作派新女聲，引起Epic對Indigo Girls的興趣，順勢簽入旗下并推出首張主流廠同名專輯『Indigo Girls』，奪下全美流行專輯Top22，至今累積銷售突破兩百萬張紀錄，獲得葛萊美「最佳新人」入圍以及抱走「最佳當代民謠錄音」獎項。整個90年代是Indigo Girls發光發熱的巔峰期，雖然沒有極為亮眼的排行佳績撐腰，但是她們實實在在的有料音樂內涵，持續贏得各界贊揚。Amy及Emily也各自展開個人音樂計畫，Amy創立Daemon Records音樂廠牌并簽下多組優秀藝人，發行兩張個人專輯，Emily則不斷創作準備發行個人作品。轉換新東家至Hollywood Records的Indigo Girls帶出全新創作輯『Despite Our Differences』，請到Suzanne Vega前夫Mitchell Froom(Paul McCartney、Sheryl Crow、Bonnie Raitt)擔任制作，發行首周空降全美流行專輯榜Top44。附著絕對輕快流行搖滾調性的”Pendulum Swinger”以及”Lay My Head Down”，譜入吉他為基調融和出人聲與樂器合鳴的絕佳示范；嗓音全放的”Rock And Roll Heaven’s Gate”，在Amy及Emily默契十足的相互交唱下，更邀來流行搖滾界派對女王紅粉佳人/Pink助陣，令人血脈噴張的讓聆聽著情緒逐步高漲，是首極為推薦的絕佳對唱曲；帶著淡淡鄉村民謠的”Last Tears”，則請到頗受矚目的新生代創作才女Brandi Carlile助唱。成軍超過20個年頭的Indigo Girls，毫無畏懼后起新秀的威脅或是取代，以二人組合彈著清新吉他、哼著動人旋律，至今仍然在唱片公司全力支持下，不斷有新作問世著。 While they came into prominence as part of the late-80s folky singer/songwriter revival, the Indigo Girls had staying power where other artists from the same era quickly faded. Their two-women-with-guitars formula may not seem very revolutionary on paper, but the combination of two distinct personalities and songwriting styles provided tension and an interesting balance. Emily Saliers, hailing from the more traditional Joni Mitchell school, had a gentler sound, was more complex musically, and leaned toward the abstract and spiritual. Meanwhile, Amy Ray drew heavily from the singer/songwriter aspects of punk rock, citing influences such as the Jam, the Pretenders, and Hüsker Dü for her more abrasive and direct approach. In a decade-plus of recording, they managed to garner respectable mainstream success and keep their rabid core following. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers first took the name Indigo Girls while living in Atlanta in 1985, although they had been performing together since the early 80s, at times under the name the B-Band. In 1986, they recorded an independent self-titled EP and followed in 1987 with the full-length Strange Fire — only 7,000 copies were pressed and very little interest was generated. Things changed quickly in 1988 when, in the wake of the success of Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman, and 10,000 Maniacs, they seemed to fit nicely into the next big thing. Epic Records was quick to sign them. Indigo Girls, released in 1989, was an excellent national debut. A guest vocal by R.E.M.s Michael Stipe (Kid Fears) gave them initial college radio credibility and the single Closer to Fine was a hit — the album eventually broke the Top 30 and earned a Grammy for Best Folk Recording that year. By the end of 1991, it achieved platinum sales. Strange Fire was reissued in the fall with a cover of Get Together, replacing one of the original tracks. The follow-up, 1990s Nomads Indians Saints, didnt fare quite as well. It was nominated for a Grammy and eventually reached gold status, but the material wasnt nearly as strong. A live EP, Back on the Bus, YAll, was released in 1991 while they regrouped. It was also certified gold and was nominated for a Grammy. In spring of 1992, they made a comeback with Rites of Passage, which debuted at number 22 and went platinum by the years end. The album showed an increasing diversity and some of their strongest songs to date. Almost exactly two years later, Swamp Ophelia was released and entered the charts at number nine; it went gold by the end of the year. A double live album, 1200 Curfews, was released in 1995 and the much awaited follow-up to Swamp Ophelia, Shaming of the Sun, followed in 1997. The duos next effort, Come on Now Social, appeared two years later. 2002s Become You was stripped down in comparison to the orchestration of the Girls more recent work, and 2004s All That We Let In was generally regarded as their strongest album in years. A rarities set appeared the following year, marking Saliers and Rays two decades together as Indigo Girls, and their last for Epic. Shortly thereafter, Saliers and Ray signed a five-album deal with Hollywood. The Mitchell Froom-produced Despite Our Differences followed in September 2006.