Melismatic

Carlos and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary this March 23rd.

There are countless reasons I love him. One of the Top Hundred is that he consistently gives me a challenge in my pop culture knowledge.

He sent me the below article, knowing that I love music - especially the analysis of it.

Bonus: I have found a new word – “melismatic” – that I will try to work into a conversation this week.

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Trilling Songbirds Clip Their Wings

AS symbolic shifts go, two recent events in pop music couldn’t have been more illuminating. On Nov. 24 “Burlesque,” a big-screen musical starring Christina Aguilera, opened and landed with a thud, both critically and at the box office. On Dec. 2 came the Grammy Award nominations. Among releases up for the album of the year award are those by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry; Ms. Aguilera, who also released an album, “Bionic,” in 2010, was ignored.


Such turnover is part of pop’s constant process of renewal: out with the old idols, in with the new. But the ground shifted under pop in an even bigger way. As seen and especially heard in “Burlesque,” Ms. Aguilera has been one of the foremost practitioners of the overpowering, Category 5 vocal style known as melisma. The female pop stars who have dominated the charts this year rarely opt for that approach. Their ascent makes it clear that melisma has retreated, while pop, which has just wrapped up one of its best years in at least a decade, has benefited from a return to less frilly, less bombastic vocal showcases.

Although there’s nothing simple about it, melisma in its simplest form is a vocal technique in which a series of notes is stretched into one syllable. Its roots can be tracked back to gospel, blues and even Gregorian chant; Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder used it sparingly early in their careers.

But beginning two decades ago, melisma overtook pop in a way it hadn’t before. Mariah Carey’s debut hit from 1990, “Vision of Love,” followed two years later by Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You,” set the bar insanely high for notes stretched louder, longer and knottier than most pop fans had ever heard. A subsequent generation of singers, including Ms. Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé, built their careers around melisma. (Men like Brian McKnight and Tyrese also indulged in it, but women tended to dominate the form.)

That melisma heyday is jarringly invoked on Ms. Carey’s current album, “Merry Christmas II You,” a collection of seasonal standards and originals. One of the tracks, a rendition of “O Holy Night” recorded in 2000, is a reminder of the days when Ms. Carey and her voice were in full melismatic overdrive.

Whether it’s because of public fatigue or the advancing ages of its mainstays, who can’t quite sandblast the high notes as they once did, those days appear to be over. Ms. Aguilera’s “Bionic,” along with recent releases by Ms. Carey (“Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel”) and Ms. Houston (“I Look to You”), have sold far below their usual multimillion levels. “American Idol,” whose contestants have long been clearly influenced by melisma, is in ratings and buzz decline.

Beyoncé and Pink, who embraced melisma early in their careers, have both left it behind. Pink’s new compilation, “Greatest Hits ... So Far!!!,” is dominated by her rock-leaning rasp, whether she’s taking a crack at a ballad (“Dear Mr. President”) or a party anthem (her current single, “Raise Your Glass”). Although she was fond of elongated syllables while a member of Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé gradually moved away from brassy displays. Her luminous recent hit “Halo” has only a suggestion of melisma. It’s telling that her most recent hit, the irresistible dance pop song “Telephone,” is a collaboration with Lady Gaga.

Starting with Lady Gaga and Ms. Perry the nonmelisma female performers who have taken over iPods and the radio couldn’t be more different vocally. On “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream,” her ubiquitous 2010 hits, Ms. Perry opts for short, breathy gulps in her singing. Her voice occasionally glides into an upper register, as on the bridge of “California Gurls,” but it mostly aims to convey likability and approachability, not prowess and imperiousness.

As heard on her current single “We R Who We R” from her new mini-album, “Cannibal,” Kesha has a thin, often computer-manipulated voice that recalls ’80s new-wave pop acts. It’s often hard to tell when her singing voice ends and the Vocoder processing kicks in.

The technically best singer of the bunch, Lady Gaga, has a deep, mildly nasal delivery that, on hits like “Alejandro,” evokes a more tuneful Madonna. Her version of melisma is more visual than aural: her Broadway-inspired stage shows, arresting videos, Warhol-redux costumes and exploding bras are over the top, as opposed to her singing.

What all those singers have in common is a delivery far less virtuosic than the melisma queens of old. (Some, like Taylor Swift, they may not be vocally capable of it either.) None is likely to inspire contestants who will stand before Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler on the next season of “American Idol.” Rather than wrestling the melodies to the ground, these singers adhere closely to them. The high notes Ms. Perry reaches for on “Teenage Dream” are the merest of vocal trills. One of the year’s most arresting hooks, Rihanna’s contribution to Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie,” conveys sadness and regret in a beautifully understated manner devoid of vibrato.

What makes singles like “Telephone” and “Alejandro,” “California Gurls” and Kesha’s “Tik Tok” and “Your Love Is My Drug” stand out aren’t the voices at their core. It’s the combination of vocal personality, arrangement, hook and songcraft — the eternal, enduring ingredients of classic pop. Even their voices are turned into hooks: one of the most memorable parts of “Telephone” is the moment Lady Gaga’s voice imitates a busy signal.

Those songs were also central to this year’s invigorating resurgence of pop. From the teen-bop star Justin Bieber to the casts of “Glee” and the boy-band TV series “Big Time Rush,” dance-infused pop singles made a triumphant comeback in 2010. Beats and melodies once again became the stars — a welcome reprieve from the melisma era, when emphasis shifted from songwriting to Olympic-style displays of lung power. To test the damaging influence of melisma, one need only try to hum one of Ms. Carey’s vaporous hits all the way through; it’s virtually impossible.

Melisma may have also run its cultural course. Ms. Carey, Ms. Houston and Ms. Aguilera, to name its three main champions, are most associated with the period from the late ’80s through the late ’90s: an era now largely associated with money, ostentation and American power, especially during the latter half of the ’90s. Their brawny vocal approach and lush, widescreen records reflected their times as much as the Clinton-era Wall Street boom.

Pop’s new divas may not be able to ascend to vocal heights the way Ms. Aguilera still can in “Burlesque.” But in many ways they’re better suited for the post-crash economy. Every so often even pop music has to downsize.

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Here are some videos to go with this post.

Theme Dinners - Season 2

At the beginning of November 2010, we ended Season 1 (as I have come to call it) of our Wednesday Night Dinners - breaking for the holidays until January.

Before I describe the Dinners from Season 2 that we have had, let's recap the themes from Season 1.
Episode 1 - Cold Food
Episode 2 - Vegetarian
Episode 3 - A Dish That Rhymes with the Name of a New Orleans Saints Player
Episode 4 - Idioms
Episode 5 - A Dish That Reminds You of Your Fantasy Place To Live
Episode 6 - Three Themes Together: An Appetizer, That Rhymes With The Name of a Celebrity, On A Stick

Here's my slide show with Season 1's pictures:


We awarded first, second, and third place - based on votes - but I didn't keep track of the winners. I will this Season.

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Our Dinners resumed on Wednesday, January 12 with the theme Healthy Food. (After the gluttony of the holidays, we thought that was fitting.) Here are the top dishes so far this Season:

Episode 1 - Healthy Food
First Place: Curt's French Onion Soup
Second Place: Angela's St. Charles Avenue 12-Hour Egg Salad
Third Place: Marshall's Chicken, Feta, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach Wraps

Episode 2 - Dish That Reminds You of The Name of a Favorite Movie
First Place: Jason S.'s Potatoes au Grey Gardens (Movie: Grey Gardens)
Second Place: Julie's Moon Pie Banana Stars (Movie: Moon)
Third Place: Debbie and Bart's Wine Sampling (Movie: Sideways)

Come Up Next (on February 9): Episode 3 - In Honor of Valentine's Day, The Dish You Love The Most

Until then, Bon Appétit!

Car Issues

Last Saturday, I had my traditional every four month screwing at Speedy Oil Change. ("You see how dirty your air filter is? You really should have that replaced." "For a car with your mileage, you really should get the high mileage oil change - for an additional $20.")

They also said that I had a crack in my radiator. I trust Speedy to change my windshield wiper blades, but not to diagnose major issues. I have noticed that steam (steam, not smoke) has been coming out from under my hood for the past six weeks. As with most car issues, I figured that if I ignored it, it would go away.

This morning, I brought my car to The Radiator Shop on Jefferson Hwy, telling them only that "I think there's something wrong with my radiator". Sure enough, I have a crack across the top of my radiator. Todd, the owner, told me that it would be about five hours - and then offered me a ride home. Assuming the actual repair works out, I highly recommend The Radiator Shop. (I am also going to review them on my Poynt iPhone app.)

Ryan Kwanten: GQ Australia's Man of the Year

Ryan Kwanten is GQ Australia's Man of the Year.


Thanks to Carlos, I read the US version of GQ. Maybe I should start picking up the Australian version.





Here is my favorite picture of him.


For those who don't know who he is, here's his IMDB page.

Life

To Consider...

The Final Countdown

see more Funny Graphs

Glam Rock (or Katy Perry Revisited)

or The Last Mix III (I am adding Katy Perry's Hot N Cold to my Last Mix compilation.)

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Carlos and I were talking about Katy Perry recently after her appearance on the Victoria Secret 2010 Fashion Show. (He religiously watches it; I don't understand the reason for the show but watch it for the music - while reading EW.)

I remarked to him that her song Night N Day sounded like Glam Rock. He didn't know about Glam Rock so I, of course, had to make him a mixed CD - with Katy Perry in the midst of it all.

For those who aren't familiar with Glam Rock, here is my favorite Glam Band - Sweet...


And here's a classic David Bowie track: Starman.


About David Bowie, like with Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen, I can see how others see his artistry, but I just have never been a fan.

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After narrowing down my list from over 80 songs, here is the Glam Rock Plus Mix that I made:
Young Americans - David Bowie
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
Heroes - David Bowie
Rebel, Rebel - David Bowie
Starman - David Bowie
Suffragette City - David Bowie
Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
The Ballroom Blitz - Sweet
Little Willy- Sweet
Blockbuster- Sweet
Teenage Rampage- Sweet
Fox on the Run- Sweet
Action- Sweet
All The Young Dudes - Mott The Hoople
I Only Want To Be With You - Bay City Rollers
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
By The Light of a Magical Moon - Marc Bolan & T Rex
Bang A Gong (Get It On) - Marc Bolan & T Rex
Raw Ramp - Marc Bolan & T Rex
20th Century Boy - Marc Bolan & T Rex
Cosmic Dancer - Marc Bolan & T Rex

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If you have any suggestions, pass them on!

My Sister's Christmas Party

Most years, my sister and her girlfriend have an epic Christmas party. There are 100 people in their house at the peak of the party, with probably 150+ people attending overall.

I am always in awe of the numbers. I can muster 10 or 15 people for a party at my house. Christine and Karlie pull from both their jobs, the New Orleans Lesbian Tennis League (not the actual name, but it might as well be), all our extended family - and their kids, all my friends, and on and on.

There was a special Kids Central set up where the 20+ kids hung out.

Christine and Karlie are the same couple that have twice now rented a 50 foot water slide for their back yard. When it comes to parties, they don't fool around.

This year, Christine (my sister) called me a few days ahead of the party, freaking out that "no one" was coming to her party. She reminded me of a Halloween party that we apparently held when she was 6 and I was 7 - and NO ONE came. Yes, NO ONE. We invited all the kids from school and from our neighborhood. We set out all the treats. We decorated our house. And NO ONE came.

I have no recollection of this event. But Christine is famous in our family for remembering everything. I'll have to verify this with my parents.

Their Christmas party was, of course, a great success. Wine flowed. Lesbians talked with doctors. Young kids talked with 92 year old women. And on and on.

Carlos's work party was the same night so he came by at 9 pm. Here is the email exchange after the party:

Carlos: Christine and Karlie,

Before things get even crazier with the holidays, I wanted to thank you for throwing your annual Christmas party. I had a blast. Look, when I get boozy enough to introduce myself to total strangers on their way out your front door, then you know I've had a great time!

I even remember Donna Moore! Furthermore, one of your guests and her children came caroling at my door at 9pm Sunday night! The party continues!

Thanks again, and please, please, please have it again next year.

Carlos

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Claudia (my younger sister): Carlos, you're funny:) Sorry we missed the fun!

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Angela (my mom): Wait, wait, wait: I missed Carlos introducing himself to total strangers???!!!

...And don't you love your new neighborhood, Carlos, where people come caroling during the holidays? We need to join them next year.

This was really funny.

Thanks, Christine and Karlie also for a wonderful party.

It was fun to see everyone, Angela and Russ

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Gotta love the holidays!

Sign

Reposted from the always interesting STFU Conservatives...

Blog: Margaret and Helen

Thanks to Google Reader, I stop by almost 100 blogs regularly. One of my favorites is Margaret and Helen - "Best Friends For Sixty Years and Counting".

Here is an excerpt from one of Helen's recent posts:

For everyone who is currently considering removing their Obama sticker from the back of their car… for every Democrat who made the effort to get out the vote and today is feeling a little down… for every progressive American who is thinking about moving to Canada…. I say this:

Christine O’Donnell might not have been a witch, but Sarah Palin is definitely a bitch. Three steps forward. One step back.

We’re still two steps ahead of the game with a Senate and a White House. Washington will be grid-locked for the next two years, but the ground war just came to the States. Democrats need to stop looking for middle ground and start looking for higher ground. And for goodness sakes, grow a pair and quit apologizing for it.

As I see it, the Democrats have one job between now and the next election - figuring out how to get those who stayed home mad enough to get off their asses. Democracy isn’t a spectator sport. I mean it. Really.

She's 84 years old and still fighting the good fight!