WORDS -- by Radiolab

NEW EPISODE -- "WORDS"

It’s almost impossible to imagine a world without words. But in this hour of Radiolab, we try to do just that. We speak to a woman who taught a 27-year-old man the first words of his life, and we hear a firsthand account of what it feels like to have the language center of your brain wiped out by a stroke. Plus: a group of children invent an entirely new language in Nicaragua in the 1970s.

http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2010/08/09/words/

So I've been listening to this great radio show/podcast for about six months now and I've obsessively listened to their whole back catalogue of shows now. Now I have to be content listening to the new episodes as they come out, which is more slowly than I'd like. It is that good. Anyway, everyone should check the show out (http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/), or download the podcast on iTunes... To the point: the newest episode is called "WORDS" and it really blew my mind. Many of their episodes are appropriate for this forum. The show essentially takes a seemingly very simple question, concept, or idea, and tries to explore it in depth in a number of ways (through the sciences, math, philosophy, art, etc.). It hasn't failed to fascinate me yet. So go check out the latest episode and then I think you'll be hooked.

Lyrics with infinite meaning (Hopelandic)

In 2002, the band Sigur Ros, with their highly anticipated album "( )" - yes, the album title is *parentheses* - was released. Upon release, all tracks on the album were untitled, though the band later published song names on their website. All of the lyrics on ( ) are sung in Vonlenska, also known as Hopelandic, a constructed language of nonsense syllables which resembles the phonology of the Icelandic language. It has also been said that the listener is supposed to interpret their own meanings of the lyrics, which can then be written in the blank pages in the album booklet.

Here, the line between voice and instrument is blurred almost completely. Listen to the "lyrics" in the song below.

Song 1 from the album.
Untitled: