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Rock ‘n’ roll is a music genre many people thought was dying. But four young rockers from Las Vegas, US — better known as Imagine Dragons — are changing the landscape of rock music with a breath of fresh air.
很多人都认为摇滚这种音乐形式正在走向萎靡。而来自美国拉斯维加斯的四人男子摇滚乐队——“梦龙”乐队却为摇滚界带来了一股清新空气，令摇滚乐界为之一振。
Since exploding onto the music scene with their debut album Night Visions in September 2012, Imagine Dragons have quickly become one of the biggest breakout bands of 2013. Their impact on the music industry has been radioactive, just as the title of their hit song suggests.
自2012年9月发行首张专辑《Night Visions》后，“梦龙”乐队迅速成为2013年全美乐队“当红炸子鸡”之一。正如其热门单曲《放射物》一样，“梦龙”在全球乐坛的影响力可圈可点。
And they’re still going strong. After taking over music charts, holding sold-out concerts and performing at important award shows, Imagine Dragons just won five major prizes at this year’s Billboard Music Awards on May 18, including Top Rock Artist and Top Rock Album.
这支四人乐队正在不断成长、壮大。除了横扫各大音乐排行榜，演唱会场场爆满，献唱重量级颁奖典礼以外，今年5月18日，“梦龙”乐队还一举斩获了2014年美国公告牌音乐奖的五项大奖，其中包括年度最佳摇滚艺人以及年度最佳摇滚专辑。
Four years ago, Imagine Dragons were just an indie band playing at Las Vegas casinos to pay the rent for their shared apartment. Sometimes they even had to pay to play because they couldn’t sell enough tickets.
四年前，“梦龙”还是拉斯维加斯的一支独立乐队，他们靠在赌场里表演来支付房租。有时因为门票销售不理想，他们甚至要自掏腰包去演出。
“Bands have asked me, ‘What do you attribute your success to?’ The two things I always say are, one, we never said ‘no’ to anything,” frontman Dan Reynolds told Billboard magazine in its cover story in July. “We’d play birthday parties, weddings, casinos. We wanted to perform and create as much as possible.”
去年7月，“梦龙”乐队登上《公告牌》杂志的封面故事，乐队主唱丹•雷诺尔兹在接受采访时表示：“许多乐团曾来讨教我们乐队的成功秘诀，我通常会告诉他们两点。一是我们从不说‘不’，不管是生日派对、婚礼、还是赌场，我们都来者不拒。我们想尽量争取表演与创作的机会。”
The other thing, according to Reynolds, is luck. After independently releasing three EPs, Imagine Dragons were signed by Interscope Records, one of the major labels in the US that has many popular artists including Lady Gaga and Eminem.
雷诺尔兹口中的另一点就是运气了，在乐队独立发行三张EP之后，他们就顺利签约美国知名唱片公司环球唱片，该公司旗下拥有大批当红艺人，包括Lady Gaga、说唱歌手埃米纳姆等。
However, you will understand that the band’s success isn’t all thanks to sheer luck when you hear their music. Besides typical elements of rock music, such as the heavy sound of guitar and drums and self-empowering lyrics, Imagine Dragons have successfully incorporated their folk influences from their indie music roots into their mainstream songs.
然而，当你聆听他们的音乐时，你就会明白他们的成功绝非幸运使然。“梦龙”的音乐融入了摇滚乐的经典元素，除了吉他与鼓的重金属合音、励志歌词等摇滚乐标志性元素外，他们还成功将独立乐队时的民谣元素植根于现下的大众音乐作品中。
Described by Rolling Stone magazine as “a mixture of Mumford & Sons and Coldplay”, the usage of instruments in their songs is strongly influenced by folk music, and the themes they explore range from anxiety and depression to love, survival and philosophy.
《滚石》杂志称他们的音乐是“蒙福之子乐队与酷玩乐队的融合体”，其歌曲中器乐的运用深受民谣音乐的影响，作品主题既有焦虑彷徨、也有温暖真情，从生存到人生哲学，均有涉猎。
If you aren’t familiar with Imagine Dragons’ music, you had better get on it fast, because Reynolds has promised a follow-up album for some time later this year. And then, the world of music will very likely be shaken once again by their rocking spirit.
如果你对“梦龙”乐队的音乐尚不了解，那就最好赶紧补上这一课，因为雷诺尔兹已许诺他们要在今年晚些时候推出新专辑。届时，他们的摇滚精神势必再次震撼整个乐坛。
