culture || THE MONTH AHEAD Past Perfect Three new albums that hark back Havoc and Bright Lights, Alanis Morissette: The singer-songwriter who catchily muddled the concept of irony for an entire generation is back with her fi rst album in four years. It’s a gentler aff air this time, featuring the single “Guardian,” an anthemic ode to motherhood. AUG. 28 Hot Cakes, The Darkness: This throwback British metal band would be easily dismissed as a novelty act (the leather! the hairspray!) if they weren’t so good, merging AC/DC- grade horsepower with a Queenly theatricality. Their new release includes a Radiohead cover, and will be supported by a tour with Lady Gaga. AUG. 21 Time Lapse An epic fi lm’s long-awaited follow-up For nearly two decades, Baraka, the non- digital, there’s always something better narrative masterpiece shot in 25 countries within a year or two,” says Magidson. on 70mm film by Ron Fricke and Mark “Even though it’s diffi cult moving fi lm stock Magidson, has stood as perhaps the most over borders, fi lm allowed us to bring the visually arresting documentary ever made. images back in a format that is going to As fi lm critic Roger Ebert put it, “Baraka hold up over time.” by itself is sufficient reason to acquire a Five years in the making, Samsara Blu-ray player.” Its beautifully rendered weaves among 25 locations as disparate as portraits of humanity on a vast scale, Mecca’s Grand Mosque and New Orleans’ intimate glimpses of world cultures and Ninth Ward. In only one place were the stunning time-lapse photography rightly filmmakers denied access: North Korea. O’ Be Joyful, Shovels and Rope: earned the fi lm a dedicated following. “They have this mass performance that’s Shovels and Rope is a country-folk So when Fricke and Magidson set done in the summertime every year, duo from South Carolina playing about making their follow-up, Samsara— where they have tens of thousands of rousing and ragged music with which, like Baraka, is billed as a “nonverbal performers in the stadium,” Magidson says. old-timey overtones on acoustic guided meditation”—they went with what “We got close, but that was the big one guitars and junkyard drums. Keep worked for them the first time around, that got away.” Maybe they’ll have be er an ear out for the powerful single right down to the type of camera. “With luck in 2032. aug. 24 “Birmingham.” JULY 31 “Forget what you’ve how writers work is There’s more in about writing been taught about a myth.” your thoughts than but a lot about In Short Order writing. Most of you think.” how to hide There are a million or so words available it was hearsay, “Don’t let what you things—especially in the English language, and New York rumor and the want to say prevent “Anyone who’s responsibility— Times scribe Verlyn Klinkenborg has well-intentioned you from discover- impressed by long with words.” built a considerable reputation by choos- ing among them with elegant precision. plans of people ing things you didn’t sentences, jargon To mark the Aug. 7 release of his guide who can’t write. ... know you could say. and complex, “If writing feels like to the cra , Several Short Sentences Almost everything Discovery always formulaic phrases hard work, relax. About Writing, he shares with us a few you’ve heard about trumps intention. knows nothing It is.” characteristically succinct insights on how it’s done. 44 AUGUST 2012 • HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM p043-048_HEM0712_Culture.indd 44 03/07/2012 11:24.