2005年NPR美国国家公共电台四月-Ben Lee: 'Awake is the New Asleep'

Australian pop singer Ben Lee is a true prodigy¹. When the rap group "The Beastie Boys" discovered him a decade ago, he was 14 years old. So now he is all of 24 and he has just released his fifth solo album. Critic Sarah Bardeen says this singer is growing up and growing out into new musical directions.

Ben Lee is like the cool kid who suddenly decided² not to play it cool. This album might be called "Awake is the New Sleep", but it could just as easily be called "Sincerity³ is the New Irony⁴". And that's not an insult. Lee bucks⁵ his generation's obsession⁶ with cynicism, wearing his heart on his sleeve and inviting⁷ everybody else to do the same. The opening track called "Whatever it is" sets the tone, exhorting⁸ fans to be themselves at all costs.
"Be changing, be changing, be changing.
To know it, To feel it, To know it.
But you are waiting, why are you waiting, why are you waiting.
Just do it, whatever it is,
There are secrets, there are secrets, there are secrets.
There are places, there are places, you can go to.
They might tell you, yeah,they'll tell you that you shouldn't,
But do it whatever it is."

Not every pop song writer can marry a message with the pop hook, but Lee does.
"Gamble everything for love, gamble everything.
put it in a place you keep what you gain"
The song "Gamble Everything for Love" is a perfect example. The delivery is urgent and the song is instantly memorable⁹.
"Tell me how you gettin' hurt, is it worth it?,
tell me are the people strange , do they change,
tell me are you letting go, do you know,
I'll tell you the truth if you tell me the truth,
if you gamble everything for love,
if you gamble everything for love,"

Ben Lee is not just a pop tunesmith. He is wonderful in his quieter moments, at his best at his most pensive¹⁰. The gentle "I'm Willing" may move slower than molasses, but you are right there with him the whole time, hanging on to every syllable¹¹."
I took a breath of fresh air.
I took in the view at the top.
I took a walk of her golden hair."

The song is just delicious. This might be the most mature song on the album, if only because it seems so settled with itself.
"If living is giving.
I'm ready, I'm willing."

I'm not always a big fan of the album. A few songs reuse cliched lyrics¹² and at times his optimism feels a bit contrived¹³. But Lee ususally redeems¹⁴ those moments with songs like "The Dark Insistent¹⁵ Get Gotten."
"I got songs to give, I got songs to prove,
Songs are used when I wanna seduce¹⁶ and I wanna seduce you,
Why won't you let me, I wanna get you, so get gotten,
Once stopped till I get to the bottom, I wanna get you, so get gotten."

It's not a love song, it's more of a lust¹⁷ song,throbbing with restrained passion and frustration¹⁸. Then there is the track "Catch My Disease". Whereas it got a regretable chorus, nobody should catch anyone's disease as they can help it. The song really expresses the heart of Lee's message. He comes across as an optimist¹⁹, as someone who thinks people should loosen up, connect with each other a bit more and do what they want to do. Sounds like a recipe for happiness to me.

"My head is a box filled with nothing,
And that's the way I like it.
My garden's a secret compartment²⁰ and that's the way I like it.
and that's the way I like it

The CD is "Awake is the New sleep" from singer Ben Lee. Our reviewer Sarah Bardeen lives in San Francisco.

1 prodigy   

n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆

参考例句：

• She was a child prodigy on the violin.她是神童小提琴手。
• He was always a Negro prodigy who played barbarously and wonderfully.他始终是一个黑人的奇才，这种奇才弹奏起来粗野而惊人。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

4 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

5 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

7 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

8 exhorting   

v.劝告，劝说( exhort的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Joe Pationi's stocky figure was moving constantly, instructing and exhorting. 乔·佩特罗尼结实的身影不断地来回走动，又发指示，又替他们打气。 来自辞典例句
• He is always exhorting us to work harder for a lower salary. （（讽刺））他总是劝我们为了再低的薪水也得更卖力地工作。 来自辞典例句

9 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

10 pensive   

a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的

参考例句：

• He looked suddenly sombre,pensive.他突然看起来很阴郁，一副忧虑的样子。
• He became so pensive that she didn't like to break into his thought.他陷入沉思之中,她不想打断他的思路。

11 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

12 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

13 contrived   

adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的

参考例句：

• There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
• The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

14 redeems   

补偿( redeem的第三人称单数 )； 实践； 解救； 使…免受责难

参考例句：

• The acting barely redeems the play. 该剧的演出未能补救剧本的缺点。
• There is a certain insane charm about Sellers; the very vastness of his schemes redeems them. 塞勒斯有一种迹近疯狂的魔力，正因为他的计划过于庞大，它们才能使人相信。

15 insistent   

adj.迫切的，坚持的

参考例句：

• There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
• He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

16 seduce   

vt.勾引，诱奸，诱惑，引诱

参考例句：

• She has set out to seduce Stephen.她已经开始勾引斯蒂芬了。
• Clever advertising would seduce more people into smoking.巧妙策划的广告会引诱更多的人吸烟。

17 lust   

n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望

参考例句：

• He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
• Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念，就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。

18 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

19 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

20 compartment   

n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间

参考例句：

• We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴，整个客车隔间由我们独享。
• The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。