The Good News, #6
The Good News, #6
Hello True Believers!
Welcome back to The Good News! Don't miss our next show at the Black Buzzard on 1/10 with Gila Teen and Reposer!
Something fun to get lost in this week:
While I’d heard recently that when translating from one language to another, you always end up with more words in the translation than the original text, and it works the same way in the other direction. I cannot find anything to corroborate this (thus no link to anything), but while looking into it, I did find the Explicitation hypothesis: the idea that translations tend to make implicit information in the source explicit in the target, often resulting in additional wording. Now, the authors of the article admit that their scope was fairly limited, but it makes a compelling argument to me.
A nice thing to listen to this week:
Harrisons - No Fighting in the War Room
This was yet another late 2000's indie rock gem that I didn't know about until about a year ago. All the contemporary reviews of it all said the same thing: sounds like everything else right now except it's not unique enough to shout about. Well, as I've said many times now, I'm always in the market for more music that sounds like the bands I like, but is new to me. And that's exactly what we've got here. A little bit Pete and the Pirates, a little bit Clap Your Hands, its a perfectly serviceable indie rock album that you probably missed, and should enjoy on this, the chilliest day of the year so far (not counting the beginning of the year haha). Also, I can't not recommend reading all about their history here. Don't miss the comments!
Terrific thing to watch:
Stranger Things, Season 1
Y'all. I know I know, but, y'all. In anticipation of the last season of a show that doesn't need anyone else promoting, my wife and I started back at the beginning, and I can firmly say there was a reason this show got as big as it did. It's not the neon-drenched demonic-nightmare fuel that the show becomes (which I'm not complaining about), and it still manages to hold up against all the highs (and "11-in-the-city" lows) that the show eventually achieves. It's sort of a quiet, simple story, when viewed with fresh eyes and fresh/mostly-forgotten-lore mind. I know, it's like the biggest show ever made, but I cannot in good faith recommend anything else right now, because it's taken over our household again, and I just gotta own up to it haha.
A good read:
Superman Smashes the Klan - Gene Luen Yang
It sorta is just what it says on the tin: Superman smashes the KKK, who have taken root in Metropolis. Yang expertly adapts a few older Superman stories, updating the tone for a modern young adult audience, while maintaining the core messaging surrounding the nefarious plight of bigotry that is still present in our every days lives. It doesn't dumb things down though; when the racists are being racist, while they don't use slurs, they don't shy back from explaining exactly how they feel about the young Chinese-American family that has just arrived to Metropolis. Writing a good Superman story is exceptionally difficult; most Superman stories are rotten, and that's coming from a huge Superman fan. This one rises to the occasion.
And finally, our weekly pic of the pup, Apollo:
Be nice to each other, and we'll see you next week!
Best,
Luke