美国国家公共电台 NPR--Arlo Parks' new album 'My Soft Machine' doesn't shy away from life's hard times

Arlo Parks' new album 'My Soft Machine' doesn't shy away from life's hard times

Transcript¹

"I just wish I was 7 and blameless."

At one point or another, we've all wished we could turn back the clock and be a kid again.

Growing up has its perks², but it also comes with the downfall of navigating³ a world that can be pretty cruel. The singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, 22, already recognizes how challenging and exhausting life can be. Her lived experiences make up the lyrics⁴ behind her sophomore⁵ album My Soft Machine, out last Friday.

In September 2022, Parks canceled tour dates in the U.S. because her mental health "deteriorated⁶ to a debilitating⁷ place," the artist shared in an Instagram post. She's in a better place now.

"I definitely feel like there's a sense of balance that's been established since then," Parks said in an interview with NPR's Leila Fadel for Morning Edition. "That was a moment where I really realized that you have to invest in your happiness kind of regularly and in small little doses rather than working through to the point of burnout, and then having a big chunk⁸ of time where you tried to get back to yourself."

Her newfound happiness is most notable in her song "Pegasus," featuring Phoebe Bridgers. The song feels like being embraced by someone special while they serenade you with a lullaby on a carousel⁹.

"It's very rare to feel completely seen by somebody and to feel that you can reveal all facets¹⁰ of your soul and your dreams and who you are," Parks said about the song "Pegasus."

Arlo Parks spoke¹¹ with NPR's Leila Fadel about the new album.

The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

I started working with CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) during the pandemic, in that period of time where everyone felt very isolated¹² and a lot of people were struggling. There was this sense of therapy still being quite inaccessible¹³, and me wanting to really use my voice and my experiences and my time and energy to contribute towards dismantling¹⁴ that sense of shame [surrounding therapy]. I've always felt that if I were to ever have a platform, then I would use that for good, so I just wanted to let people know they were worthy¹⁵ of help and that someone cared about them.

On how music helps her

Sometimes I feel like being able to distill¹⁶ a really difficult problem that feels really impossible to digest in one go is actually a lot easier to filter through a song. It's also almost putting that sense of pain, or being lost, to good use. It feels useful in a way. I think that's a big part of why I share the music that I make, why it's not just me in my bedroom doing it only for myself. It's that desire to provide relief for others.

On when she uses spoken word

The moments in my songs that are spoken word are the ones that I don't really want to distill or hone because, in the moments where I'm speaking, it makes more sense to have a stream of consciousness. There's too much detail to finesse¹⁷ and pack into a line or two. I just feel there's a real bulk of truth that I want to tell.

On which song describes her life right now

Probably "Puppy." That song in particular is very much about moving into adulthood¹⁸ – getting used to the fact that things don't go to plan, and the universe deals you blows that you would never expect and gives you beautiful moments that you would never expect. [It's] learning to see yourself as a whole; and learning to take care of yourself; and learning that you have to establish your place in the world. It surrounds the sense of feeling really safe with somebody, like safe enough to share when you're really struggling and safe enough to say when you're bursting with emotion and excitement. And where you never feel embarrassed about showing that open-hearted side of yourself.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 perks   

额外津贴，附带福利，外快( perk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perks offered by the firm include a car and free health insurance. 公司给予的额外待遇包括一辆汽车和免费健康保险。
• Are there any perks that go with your job? 你的工作有什么津贴吗？

3 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

6 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

7 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

8 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

9 carousel   

n.旋转式行李输送带

参考例句：

• Riding on a carousel makes you feel dizzy.乘旋转木马使你头晕。
• We looked like a bunch of awkward kids riding a slow-moving carousel.我们看起来就像一群骑在旋转木马上的笨拙的孩子。

10 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

13 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

14 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

15 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

16 distill   

vt.蒸馏，用蒸馏法提取，吸取，提炼

参考例句：

• This standard set determine the method of petroleum products distill.本标准规定了测定石油产品蒸馏的方法。
• Distill the crucial points of the book.从书中提炼出关键的几点。

17 finesse   

n.精密技巧，灵巧，手腕

参考例句：

• It was a disappointing performance which lacked finesse.那场演出缺乏技巧，令人失望。
• Lillian Hellman's plays are marked by insight and finesse.莉莲.赫尔曼的巨作以富有洞察力和写作技巧著称。

18 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。