down-wound directive

English translation: more low-key, less frenetic intention

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:down-wound directive
Selected answer:more low-key, less frenetic intention
Entered by: Charles Davis

19:45 Apr 7, 2013
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Music
English term or phrase: down-wound directive
Once inside, the listener was pummeled by songs that were slower, shorter, simpler, and, adjusting for the down-wound directive, rendered bold through boomy and frequency-rich production—production that cost over $1 million and nine months of the band’s life through two studios in two different countries
Marta28
Local time: 05:36
more low-key, less frenetic intention
Explanation:
Like your other recent questions, this presumably refers to Metallica, and must be describing the band's eponymous fifth album, which marked a deliberate change of direction and style from very fast, aggressive thrash metal of their earlier work. As this passage says, the songs are shorter, slower and simpler.

I presume "down-wound" means "wound-down", which is the opposite of "wound-up"; whereas "wound-up" conveys the image of a tightly coiled spring, and means tense, frenetic, highly energetic, "wound-down", or "down-wound" as here, is the opposite. The songs on the "Metallica" album are hardly relaxed, but they are relatively less tense, less "wound-up", than what went before.

It's difficult to pin down what the writer means by "directive". A directive is an order or instruction. Perhaps it means that the band had, as it were, ordered itself to adopt a new style. Perhaps (and I suspect this is the case) the word is being misused, and what the writer really means is "direction", in the sense of tendency or style. At any rate, it evidently refers to a deliberate intention to give the album this character.

If the songs are more laid back than before, it seems strange to say the the listener is "pummeled" by them. Evidently a distinction is being drawn by the reduced tension of the songs themselves and the intensity given to to them by the style of production.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica_(album)
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 05:36
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +2more low-key, less frenetic intention
Charles Davis


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
more low-key, less frenetic intention


Explanation:
Like your other recent questions, this presumably refers to Metallica, and must be describing the band's eponymous fifth album, which marked a deliberate change of direction and style from very fast, aggressive thrash metal of their earlier work. As this passage says, the songs are shorter, slower and simpler.

I presume "down-wound" means "wound-down", which is the opposite of "wound-up"; whereas "wound-up" conveys the image of a tightly coiled spring, and means tense, frenetic, highly energetic, "wound-down", or "down-wound" as here, is the opposite. The songs on the "Metallica" album are hardly relaxed, but they are relatively less tense, less "wound-up", than what went before.

It's difficult to pin down what the writer means by "directive". A directive is an order or instruction. Perhaps it means that the band had, as it were, ordered itself to adopt a new style. Perhaps (and I suspect this is the case) the word is being misused, and what the writer really means is "direction", in the sense of tendency or style. At any rate, it evidently refers to a deliberate intention to give the album this character.

If the songs are more laid back than before, it seems strange to say the the listener is "pummeled" by them. Evidently a distinction is being drawn by the reduced tension of the songs themselves and the intensity given to to them by the style of production.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica_(album)

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 05:36
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jo Macdonald
9 hrs
  -> Thanks, Jo :)

neutral  Sheila Wilson: down-wound + directive for wound-down + direction? I think you're probably right, but if the source text is really this bad then it's all down to guesswork really (hence the "neutral")
9 hrs
  -> Thanks, Sheila. Well, there is an element of guesswork here, I admit, but I think it fits. I'm pretty confident about "down-wound"; less so about "directive", but I think it's got to be something like this.

agree  Michael Lyman: I'd like to say down-tuned guitars, but that's wishful thinking. It does seem to convey 'laid back' or 'no frills'.
31 days
  -> I know what you mean, but I don't think it's the tuning! Yes, laid back. Many thanks, Michael :)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search