7" of Separation

The following soundwalk occurred on the dreary, rain-soaked afternoon of September 12, 2009 in East Williamsbrug, Brooklyn.

Exiting my house and heading toward a busy street, the hum of traffic instantly set the mood for my walk. Because of heavy rain earlier in the afternoon, a wet splosh would accompany the echo of each passing car. This sound would appear intermittently for the remainder of the walk. This mechanical backdrop, so standard, is not easily ignored.

Turning down a sidestreet, I pointed the microphone toward the ground and was startled by the depth of experience listening to my own footsteps provided. Each step was so distinct, underpinned by the soft rubber sole of my shoes. Birds also chip overhead.

As I round the corner back onto a busy street, the sound of passing traffic resumes, but is less heavy, more sporadic, than before. A group of women stand on the corner. They seem to be in the midst of an intense gossip, yet they speak Italian, so I can’t be sure. Continuing down the street, a passing car, with windows rolled up, thumps a rap beat. Bass. Then, an ambulance sitting idle consumes the headphones. Rumble. As I continue past quiet shops, a couple passes deep in discussion, walking hurriedly. As I approach a busy intersection, cars idle at a red light, one blasts Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” from its stereo. The light turns green, and heavy feet lead to screeching tires as the cars accelerate away. Splashing.

I turn the corner and a man recycles a huge plastic bag of empty glass beer bottles. It’s musical.

Four young women chat, sneeze!, as they wait for a friend.

I turn the corner and encounter two Asian car mechanics, talking about the bumper of a taxi. They speak what might be Korean.

I turn again, down another quiet side street. This time, I focus on the chirping birds overhead. Isolated in my headphones as they are, it sounds as if there is a party in the trees. Then, a motorcycle ignites and speeds away.

Turning back onto the busy street, I oppose two women, whose boots distinctly smack on the sidewalk. Then, a dog barks, again, again, once more. He’s inside. Listening, I startle a man on the corner, who pushes a laundry cart. Then, a man yells loudly as he laments climbing stairs, while a second man directs him to his destination.

I turn the corner onto my street. The hipsters in the corner apartment are holding band practice. They are slow, plodding along as they learn their parts.

And then. I’m home.

I’m liking this song by Portland’s YACHT. You might too:

I do find the dude behind YACHT to be pretty pretentious, though. But, most indie-beat-pop artists are.

I’m working on a sound project for my first project in a documentary production course, and I went for a little sound walk around my neighborhood this afternoon. Unfortunately, it’s not super exciting, due to some pretty damp weather.

But, the whole process was interesting, as it forces you to really listen to what’s around. Below, you can hear what it sounds like to walk into my building, check the mail and go upstairs. Pretty exciting, eh?

On her new Taken by Trees album, East of Eaden, Victoria Bergsman takes on the Animal Collective’s “My Girls,” slightly transforming the song into the bouncy, Euro-pop “My Boys.” Bergsman used to front the Concretes, who had some stellar songs a few years back.

Check out the unofficial video below, and then ignore the lackluster visuals and let the song make you smile:

Guess who’s back? Carter’s back. And attending hipster concerts on the Brooklyn waterfront, to boot.

I’m glad Jay-Z’s back, though. Blueprint 3 leaked, and it’s killer, packed with smart, rapid-fire pop-culture references. It’s also full of Jay’s apparent disrespect for all songs Auto-Tuned, despite featuring Kanye’s heavy production work and guest raps.

And while Jay may be down on the ol’ A-Tune, he’s more than happy to take to the trend of having Rihanna sing the hook.

Also, I’m rather taken by The xx, and their new album, xx. These Londoner, 20-somethings play deliriously hook-based slow-pop.

I’ve listened to the new Antlers album, Hospice, about 100 times in the last three weeks. The Brooklyn-based band fills the same appetite that calls for Arcade Fire, but they mix in a little bit of OK Computer and Low to craft some beautiful slow-core.