Vocals Fry on Lexicon Valley

Lexicon Valley is an entertaining podcast on language from Slate.com.  The main host, Mike Vuolo, is currently on paternity leave, but when he returns, I'll listen in again, no doubt. While mostly enjoying their linguistic dissections of everyday speech, the Lexicon Valley guys--Vuolo and "color man" Bob Garfield--have imbedded in me two brainworms that I just can't seem to shake.

First is the use of the "historical present", a storytelling tendency you've surely noticed which Vuolo & Garfield covered in Ep. #15: "Then Is Now, Now and Then". Now, every time Jon Stewart interviews an author plugging a new non-fiction doorstop, I listen for the historical present. Recently, Doris Kearns Goodwin used it so heavily that had she not been so charming, I may have assumed she had actually hung out with her subjects, Roosevelt and Taft, maybe getting together to lift weights or pastries, depending.  To paraphrase, the author waxed in the present tense, "Roosevelt grows up a feeble boy, so as president he cares deeply about his physical stature and reinvents himself." The constant assumption is that the Kearns Goodwin interview (from about 2:10 onward) is prefaced by an implied "At the time..." because her subject is a historic figure.  Even if the subject matter dictates the verb tense, the conversation is about people and events from 100+ years ago.  The author does mention that she has to "live with these guys" due to the intensity of her research which might explain both her prowess in the genre and her reliance on the historical present.  Nevertheless, in the media and in daily interactions, you'll notice the historical present and you'll probably hear it more often than it's needed.  The L.V. episode eventually approves the use of the historical present to add impact to yarn spinning, but the hosts also admit that its overuse is distracting. I hear it all the time and can't ignore it. If it works within a story, fine, but when it doesn't, it is obnoxious and pretentious.

In Ep. #24: "Do You Creak?" Vuolo also explained another linguistic nuance aptly named "vocal fry". Once you hear it, you'll never stop noticing it.  Also referred to as "creaky voice", the affectation is incessant and annoying.  The hosts and guests discuss the creaky voice in relation to certain young women, adding it to long list of Valley Girl-inspired airs.

Vocal fry waveform in a related article on Speech Talk

Most often the creaky sizzle in the final syllable(s) of a word emphasizes the speaker's authority on the subject or otherwise adds an atmosphere of credibility.  Listen to any talking head on the news--e.g. the guy from IHS Global Insight who Robert Segal inevitably calls every time he needs an NPR soundbite on Yemeni politics in relation to desalination plants. As the gentleman trails off, you can note a lengthening of the last word and a staccato pattern of vocal chord vibrations, like a rusty morning utterance or the sound of an elderly grandparent's voice. Inadvertent vocal fry--just the sound of someone's speech--is completely fine with me, but add the smallest degree of exaggeration and the purposeful creaky voice could just reveal a poser or a flake.

Highly recommended listening: Lexicon Valley addresses countless linguistic phenomena, subtle curiosities about how we say what we say and why.  As modes of communication morph and multiply, old-fashioned speaking and writing continue to be fascinating subjects.  Give an episode a go:

"Lord Grantham, Don Draper's on Hold" -- historically inaccurate vocab. on the boobtube
"Malapropisms: the Pineapple of Linguistic Errors" -- common (sometimes comedic) slips of the tongue
"Undocumented Illegals" --  problematic labels, public relations implications, and dignity issues

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

1918 - 2013

Nelson Mandela: An Audio History
or  here

Speech at Trial 1964

Service

Living in 'The Spectacular Now'

For an indie with a limited budget, The Spectacular Now received wider than expected exposure due to solid writing and some fine acting, especially from relative newcomer Shailene Woodley.  A glowing reception at Sundance surely helped.  Overall, it's an entertaining film with a hazy patina of teenage angst rife with nebulous ambitions. The protagonists' respective futures are further blurred by questionable coping strategies and a requisite lack of role models. Honestly, there are no definitive happy endings here but neither is it a complete downer.

Although coming-of-age stories are overplayed today (and this one has a bit too much nonchalant underage drinking), the plot here takes a novel route through familiar themes: finding identity in a confusing world, relating to one another when we can, and admitting that our parents' lives are not necessarily ours to repeat.  

I related to the Southeastern setting, Athens, GA to be exact, a midsize town like any other, somewhat depressed with kudzu-covered outskirts. Behind my pup Tallulah is the character Aimee's house from the film, just around the corner from our spot in leafy Normaltown.  For me, even better than the humble low-slung rental itself is the real life neighbors' nifty micro-clearinghouse for miscellanea.

I've picked up many a cool little item from The Awesome Table (and re-gifted as directed): flowerpots, posters, antiques bottles, all manner of useful detritus--useful to someone, at least.  The Spectacular Now has its utility, too, while taking itself just seriously enough for the viewer to follow suit.

Watch the trailer.
More on the director, James Ponsoldt, an Athens, GA native.

Levon Helm

This post started last year as a remembrance of the late Levon Helm (1940-2012).  After this long, though, I'll let the music talk. With fall settling on the South, this tune venerates the farmer and connects us to his/her plight, still.

A sense of Helms' legacy here

Last year's obit. here

¿ Sí ? NO

Mad Men revealed the sexy side of advertising amidst the swinging cultural/consumerist evolution of the early-to-mid-60's. With more historical focus, NO illuminates the significant social impact of a marketing campaign when political momentum needs shifting.

Set in Santiago and the California-like coast of Chile, NO portrays the life of creatives--led by Gael Garcia Bernal as real life ad-man René Saavedra--with a steady throughline to the BS that is PR and buzzbuilding. Angles converge at the forefront of a change movement to bring back true democracy in a country paralyzed by the oppression and fear-mongering of General Augusto Pinochet's authoritarian regime. In moviemaking terms, the era is the star; director Pablo Larraín deploys every tacky 80's t-shirt and tennis shoe, every pastel storefront, every classic Toyota and VW to achieve a convincing feel.

Chilenos celebrating referendum results in 1988 

Photo: ripley.za.net

The Southern Cone is, today, one massive legacy of liberty and perseverance triumphing over a minority of powerdrunk agents of corruption and violence; many South American societies have the vibrant economies and growing middle classes to prove it, yet a healthy skepticism for elected officials prevails. No doubt Chileans will be offended by my oversimplification of the remarkable phase of socio-political change represented in NO (At least I studied Latin American life under military dictatorships in college). You should probably just find an outlet to watch this one, with all its lo-fi videotaped scenes seamlessly spliced into archived amateur footage, fine casting, and straightforward screenwriting; the result is solidly entertaining and informative.

Still not convinced? ~ NY Times "One Prism on the Undoing of Pinochet"

Closer to home, public policy guru Robert Reich is hoping Americans will join him in a campaign to address the scourge that is economic inequality in the US.  Who will be his Rene Saavedra?
Reich's film to spearhead the movement ~ Inequality for All

Twilight Americana Fest 2013

A couple songs recorded at...

Twilight Americana Festival

More Amazigh Kateb

Like that?  Here's more.

Taxco Downhill 2012

There are some gasp-worthy moments here.

The Odd Trio: Birth of the Minotaur Review

The Odd Trio stirs up familiar but still exhilarating stew with their self-produced second release, The Birth of The Minotaur (2012). With a penchant for playfully thoughtful, woven expressions on saxophone, guitar, and drums, the Odd Trio concoct a decidedly well-penned, avantjazz menu. What started out as a joyful exploration on their debut Lo-Fi Hi-Jump (reviewed here) has had its flavors deepened into a cerebral yet tuneful dish in this most recent effort.

To open, the trio head far south of their native Athens, GA to the brackish Gulfside font of American music with "Raucous Bacchus". Atop a rump-swinging rhythm from percussionist Todd Mueller, reed king Marc Gilley and loop-laying guitarist Brian Smith trade syncopated riffs beside funky blues-tinged bayous. The lead-off shuffle and Nocentelli-like guitar licks issue the calls of Mardi Gras indian chiefs with a tipsy feel; including throaty baritone sax punctuation, the track is an intoxicating pleasure referencing the Greek god it aptly venerates.

While the tongue-in-cheek "Whiskey" is experimental good fun with a discorock vibe and shredded guitar (an impossible combo?), "Sunday Morning Improvisation" closely approximates some of the Odd Trio's more subdued live musings as a free-flowing, improvised route through nebulous, sandy territory.  At live shows, the resourceful Mueller, Gilley, & Smith let this kind of track pool and flow in numerous directions at once while the crowd finds a handhold for a novel journey.  On record, layered themes wash over the listener in the same manner that the best orchestral music builds in waves of melodic interplay.

"Ricio de Mare" stands out as the set's most complete cut.  A solid rocking introduction leads into shifting time signatures--a go-to Odd Trio technique that keeps the listener teetering edgewise.  The effect is equally theatrical and bombastic, like the questionable safety of a wooden roller coaster: risky but thrilling nonetheless. Gilley's soprano soars, casting shadows around the cymbal-flecked landscape, while Smith and his guitar build drama with searing crunch.  Just before a clever circling back to the start, themes in unison lend some stability to what is, at times, a fairly gnarly ride; it's packed to the gunwales with inventiveness from this classically trained cohort.

The Odd Trio seems to draw from volumes of discipline, creativity, and overall gusto with Birth of the Minotaur.  Expect future explorations to continue confounding and invigorating with their by now well-established taste for challenging, original material at the forefront of instrumental jazz.

The Birth of the Minotaur - the full release via BandCamp
or B o.t. M - via CDBaby

"Pasiphae's Wild Ride" - Enjoy a side of visuals, at no extra charge

The Odd Trio @ Facebook
or T.O.T. @ SoundCloud

Academy Awards Contest ~ Take 4

Alright folks, here we go again.  Oscar is back and he (it?) is looking for a cozy mantle.  This time around, there're 14 picks on the ballot, at least for the sake of this here lil' contest. Having added in various television awards just seems like stepping on Emmy's toes, so I'm not going there, y'hear?  Just the motion pictures, the talkies, the silver screen.

You remember the routine.  Copy the entire ballot into your comment; then leave only the category and your picks from the following nominees:

Best Picture, Drama:

“Argo”
“Django Unchained”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Zero Dark Thirty”

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy:

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
“Les Misérables”
“Moonrise Kindgom”
“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
“Silver Linings Playbook”

Best Director:

Ben Affleck, “Argo”
Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Ang Lee, “Life of Pi”
Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”
Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”

Best Actress, Drama:

Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marion Cotillard, “Rust and Bone”
Helen Mirren, “Hitchcock”
Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”
Rachel Weisz, “The Deep Blue Sea”

Best Actor, Drama:

Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Richard Gere, “Arbitrage”
John Hawkes, “The Sessions”
Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”
Denzel Washington, “Flight”

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy:

Jack Black, “Bernie”
Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Hugh Jackman, “Les Misérables ”
Ewan MCGregor, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
Bill Murray, “Hyde Park on Hudson”

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy:

Emily Blunt, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
Judi Dench, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Maggie Smith, “Quartet”
Meryl Streep, “Hope Springs”

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams, “The Master”
Sally Field, “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables”
Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”
Nicole Kidman, “The Paperboy”

Best Supporting Actor:

Alan Arkin, “Argo”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Django Unchained”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”

Best Screenplay:

Mark Boal, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Tony Kushner, “Lincoln”
David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”
Chris Terrio, “Argo”

Best Original Score:

Dario Marianelli, “Anna Karenina”
Alexandre Desplat, “Argo”
Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimet & Reinhold Heil, “Cloud Atlas”
Michael Danna, “Life of Pi”
John Williams, “Lincoln”

Best Original Song:

“For You” from “Act of Valor”
“Not Running Anymore” from “Stand Up Guys”
“Safe and Sound” from “The Hunger Games”
“Suddenly” from “Les Misérables”
“Skyfall” from “Skyfall”

Best Foreign Language Film:

“Amour”
“A Royal Affair”
“The Intouchables”
“Kon-Tiki”
“Rust and Bone”

Best Animated Feature:

“Rise of the Guardians”
“Brave”
“Frankenweenie”
“Hotel Transylvania”
“Wreck-It Ralph”