This is so stupid, but I find it somehow hilarious. For about the past year, the YouTube channel PronunciationManual has been posting horribly mangled "pronunciation guides" for a number of brands, people and products. It's a riff on the PronunciationBook channel, which actually teaches you how to pronounce the words.
The pronunciations here end up sounding like a strange mix between the Sims language and someone with only a cursory knowledge of Western languages. Let's see how to say some of my favorite things:
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
New Music Tuesday - 05/08/2012
Damon Albarn - Dr Dee
In between a new single from the Gorillaz and comeback performances with Blur, Damon Albarn somehow found the time to create an opera about the 18th-century medical and scientific advisor to Elizabeth I, John Dee. The opera itself ran last summer in Manchester, England. Now, to give the world a taste of the production, the soundtrack is being released. While certain songs certainly do sound, well, operatic; there is still enough of a taste of Albarn's voice and style to feel connected to everything else that he has done in his prolific career!
"Apple Carts"
Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship
Here We Go Magic is one of those bands that exists at a crossroads between seemingly disparate genres, but do a generally masterful job of blending them together. They have a kraut-rock influence, but cross it with enough pop to make it fun and enough folk to make it accessible. They continue with their sound here, becoming even more comfortable on their third full-length album.
"How Do I Know"
Iggy Pop - Après
Maybe age is calming the punk legend. Iggy Pop is 65 years old and made a name for himself spearheading the punk movement and as a major fixture in glam rock. On this and his previous release, Préliminaires, he's made markedly more subdue music. Abandoning punk and glam for French jazz and pop, he's made a massive shift. Somehow, despite my love of The Idiot and Lust for Life, I don't hate this direction. His voice is strangely well-suited to the style.
Iggy Pop on "La Vie en rose"
S. Carey - Hoyas
Another folk drummer steps out (though, again, not for the first time) from behind the kit for a go at the solo thing! This time it's Bon Iver's drummer S. Carey, who released his debut album, All We Grow, about two years ago. He takes on a sound similar to his main act, with a tinge less falsetto. He is, I think, further proof, that drummers aren't only good for providing a beat!
"Two Angles"
In between a new single from the Gorillaz and comeback performances with Blur, Damon Albarn somehow found the time to create an opera about the 18th-century medical and scientific advisor to Elizabeth I, John Dee. The opera itself ran last summer in Manchester, England. Now, to give the world a taste of the production, the soundtrack is being released. While certain songs certainly do sound, well, operatic; there is still enough of a taste of Albarn's voice and style to feel connected to everything else that he has done in his prolific career!
"Apple Carts"
Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship
Here We Go Magic is one of those bands that exists at a crossroads between seemingly disparate genres, but do a generally masterful job of blending them together. They have a kraut-rock influence, but cross it with enough pop to make it fun and enough folk to make it accessible. They continue with their sound here, becoming even more comfortable on their third full-length album.
"How Do I Know"
Iggy Pop - Après
Maybe age is calming the punk legend. Iggy Pop is 65 years old and made a name for himself spearheading the punk movement and as a major fixture in glam rock. On this and his previous release, Préliminaires, he's made markedly more subdue music. Abandoning punk and glam for French jazz and pop, he's made a massive shift. Somehow, despite my love of The Idiot and Lust for Life, I don't hate this direction. His voice is strangely well-suited to the style.
Iggy Pop on "La Vie en rose"
S. Carey - Hoyas
Another folk drummer steps out (though, again, not for the first time) from behind the kit for a go at the solo thing! This time it's Bon Iver's drummer S. Carey, who released his debut album, All We Grow, about two years ago. He takes on a sound similar to his main act, with a tinge less falsetto. He is, I think, further proof, that drummers aren't only good for providing a beat!
"Two Angles"
Saturday, May 5, 2012
R.I.P. Adam Yauch
I feel like I've been writing too many of these posts lately. This one comes from the world of hip hop. Adam Yauch, aka MCA aka Nathanial Hörnblowér, passed away yesterday at the age of 47. He had been suffering from cancer of the parotid gland and lymph node for about three years, which is likely what took his life.
As one-third of the hugely influential Beastie Boys, Adam helped create a very unique sound that remains influential even now. Not only were they the best white boys to touch hip hop they also, having started out as a punk band, helped to make it popular to mix hip hop and rock. Adam also directed music videos under the name Nathanial Hörnblowér and movies under his given name. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his band just earlier this year.
Music lost a great pioneer today and he was taken far too young.
Goodbye, Adam!
"Time to Get Ill" from Licensed to Ill
"Intergalactic" from Hello Nasty
"Make Some Noise" from Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2
As one-third of the hugely influential Beastie Boys, Adam helped create a very unique sound that remains influential even now. Not only were they the best white boys to touch hip hop they also, having started out as a punk band, helped to make it popular to mix hip hop and rock. Adam also directed music videos under the name Nathanial Hörnblowér and movies under his given name. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his band just earlier this year.
Music lost a great pioneer today and he was taken far too young.
Goodbye, Adam!
"Time to Get Ill" from Licensed to Ill
"Intergalactic" from Hello Nasty
"Make Some Noise" from Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2
Friday, May 4, 2012
On Repeat: "Feathers"
Despite some initial trepidation due the change of their sound, I've come to really love Fanfarlo's new album, Rooms Filled with Light. "Feathers" is not so easily my favorite track on the album (there are a lot of gems). Once again, I'm a sucker for this chorus!
Simian Mobile Disco - "Put Your Hands Together"
I call this one "Variations on a Box"
There were a lot of pretty cool music videos out this week, but this one was probably the best. Most rely so much on telling a story, which is also great, but sometimes it's good to just have something that simply looks good without any oratorical context.
SMD releases a new album, Unpatterns, on May 29th!
There were a lot of pretty cool music videos out this week, but this one was probably the best. Most rely so much on telling a story, which is also great, but sometimes it's good to just have something that simply looks good without any oratorical context.
SMD releases a new album, Unpatterns, on May 29th!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Bully
This past weekend, I went to see Bully, a documentary about the issue of bullying in American schools.
The movie focused on a number of bullying cases, some current, others in the aftermath. A lot of time was spent with Alex, a socially awkward 11-year-old routinely tortured on the school bus, even showing much of that treatment happening. The film countered depictions of Alex with those of kids and families dealing with the aftermath of bullying, ranging from relatively positive to the worst result you can think of.
On the better end of the scale was Kelby, a lesbian in a rural Oklahoma town who was victimized even by teachers. She had attempted suicide several times, but had support from family and friends; eventually, she had to make the choice to leave her school. Next was Je'Maya, an athletic girl who decided to try to intimidate her bullies with a gun, landing her in juvenile detention. A great deal of attention was paid to her mother, who had to deal with a child that had been driven to the brink.
Sadly, not everyone can get out, as was shown with the suicides of two boys named Tyler. Tyler Long had dealt with bullying most of his adolescent life and hanged himself in his closet at 17. Ty Smalley was only 11-years-old when he took his life. The parents of both Tylers seemed to be towards the fore-front of trying to enact change to school policy and overall attitudes towards bullying.
The film also showed snippets of bullying behavior and interviews with other bullied children. All cases were heartbreaking, made worse by the seeming disconcern exhibited by teachers and administrators shown in the film.
The movie was certainly emotional and at times made me angry; certainly at the bullies shown, but also at the school administrators, the people charged with protecting kids when they're not at home.
Probably the moment that most made me want to run up to the theater screen and punch a hole through it was when a vice principal at Alex's school sat down with him to talk about his treatment on the school bus. She was inquiring as to why he hadn't reported the bullying. When he told her that he had, it was revealed that, after an incident in which a boy had sat on Alex's head, she told the boy not to sit on Alex's head again. Guess what? He stopped sitting on Alex's head, sure enough, but continued to torture the boy in other ways. He didn't continue to report the incidents because, in his mind, nothing happened as a result. That seemed to be a common story; little or nothing was done until either the student snapped or took his or her life.
I don't know if suicides as a result of bullying have increased in the past few years or is just getting reported more. But it doesn't matter if it's one kid or 20, it shouldn't happen...ever.
OK, I'll get off the soapbox now. It's a good documentary; I think that it could have been better balanced in terms of how much time it spent on each case, but certainly made me want to do something.
The movie focused on a number of bullying cases, some current, others in the aftermath. A lot of time was spent with Alex, a socially awkward 11-year-old routinely tortured on the school bus, even showing much of that treatment happening. The film countered depictions of Alex with those of kids and families dealing with the aftermath of bullying, ranging from relatively positive to the worst result you can think of.
On the better end of the scale was Kelby, a lesbian in a rural Oklahoma town who was victimized even by teachers. She had attempted suicide several times, but had support from family and friends; eventually, she had to make the choice to leave her school. Next was Je'Maya, an athletic girl who decided to try to intimidate her bullies with a gun, landing her in juvenile detention. A great deal of attention was paid to her mother, who had to deal with a child that had been driven to the brink.
Sadly, not everyone can get out, as was shown with the suicides of two boys named Tyler. Tyler Long had dealt with bullying most of his adolescent life and hanged himself in his closet at 17. Ty Smalley was only 11-years-old when he took his life. The parents of both Tylers seemed to be towards the fore-front of trying to enact change to school policy and overall attitudes towards bullying.
The film also showed snippets of bullying behavior and interviews with other bullied children. All cases were heartbreaking, made worse by the seeming disconcern exhibited by teachers and administrators shown in the film.
The movie was certainly emotional and at times made me angry; certainly at the bullies shown, but also at the school administrators, the people charged with protecting kids when they're not at home.
Probably the moment that most made me want to run up to the theater screen and punch a hole through it was when a vice principal at Alex's school sat down with him to talk about his treatment on the school bus. She was inquiring as to why he hadn't reported the bullying. When he told her that he had, it was revealed that, after an incident in which a boy had sat on Alex's head, she told the boy not to sit on Alex's head again. Guess what? He stopped sitting on Alex's head, sure enough, but continued to torture the boy in other ways. He didn't continue to report the incidents because, in his mind, nothing happened as a result. That seemed to be a common story; little or nothing was done until either the student snapped or took his or her life.
I don't know if suicides as a result of bullying have increased in the past few years or is just getting reported more. But it doesn't matter if it's one kid or 20, it shouldn't happen...ever.
OK, I'll get off the soapbox now. It's a good documentary; I think that it could have been better balanced in terms of how much time it spent on each case, but certainly made me want to do something.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Sharon van Etten at Mayday
The Rundown
I guess it's pretty obvious by now that Sharon van Etten is one of my absolute favorite artists. I went to see her with a friend this past weekend at Mayday bar in Northside and it wasn't the first time I had seem her perform live. I first saw her last year at the MusicNow festival and then a couple of months ago in Columbus. She puts on such a great show that it's always a pleasure to see her live. I'm also starting to get a sense of how she is growing as a musician, which is a reward in itself.
Her opening act Friday night was a band names Flock of Dimes, who I didn't think I had heard of. While performing, I mentioned to my friend that the band sounded a bit like Wye Oak with club beats. Little did I know...that's essentially what they were! Flock of Dimes is Wye Oak lead singer's Jenn Wasner's solo project. Hers is easily one of my favorite voices in indie rock, it works great in this project as well!
Pictures!
Mini setlist:
Flock of Dimes - "Prison Bride"
Flock of Dimes - "Icy"
Sharon van Etten - "Leonard"
Sharon van Etten - "A Life of His Own"
I guess it's pretty obvious by now that Sharon van Etten is one of my absolute favorite artists. I went to see her with a friend this past weekend at Mayday bar in Northside and it wasn't the first time I had seem her perform live. I first saw her last year at the MusicNow festival and then a couple of months ago in Columbus. She puts on such a great show that it's always a pleasure to see her live. I'm also starting to get a sense of how she is growing as a musician, which is a reward in itself.
Her opening act Friday night was a band names Flock of Dimes, who I didn't think I had heard of. While performing, I mentioned to my friend that the band sounded a bit like Wye Oak with club beats. Little did I know...that's essentially what they were! Flock of Dimes is Wye Oak lead singer's Jenn Wasner's solo project. Hers is easily one of my favorite voices in indie rock, it works great in this project as well!
Pictures!
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| Re-use-a-palooza, as seen on the way to the venue...I'm intrigued! |
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| Instruments sitting around waiting for the band. |
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| Hipster disco party! |
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| You know you're going to get something interesting when one band member plays the computer! |
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| Hair band! |
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| Sharon with her omnichord! |
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| Another interesting instrument...the harmonium! |
Mini setlist:
Flock of Dimes - "Prison Bride"
Flock of Dimes - "Icy"
Sharon van Etten - "Leonard"
Sharon van Etten - "A Life of His Own"
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