Peter Cusack — Sounds From Dangerous Places
Before we get onto the two discs, we must discuss the rather splendid book that comes with the two CD’s. It’s a hardback full colour 90 page book that features lengthy yet highly interesting write-ups about Cusack various visits to the dangerous sites across the world. The book also features details/ descriptions of each of the 76 tracks that feature across the two discs. This is all topped-off with full colour pictures of all of the sites where the recordings took place, and their surrounding environments.
Disc one is entitled “Chernobyl; ghost towns, radiometers, wildlife, people song”, and takes in 37 tracks in all, with a playing time of 74.18. The tracks go from the expected often bleak recordings of radiation levels, power cable crackle and metal structure creaking. Onto the pleasing sounds of various animals & birds that live & thrive in the area, through to the sounds & songs of the small human population that still live & work in the area. The track length’s on this first disc run between under thirty seconds to just over eight minutes, but a lot of the tracks hit around the one to two minute mark, meaning Cusack never over milks one field recording & you really do feel like your going on a journey from the bleak & abounded sounds Pripyat( the city that was evacuated shortly after the reactor blew), onto the wildlife, and finally to the sounds & songs of the villages & workers in the area.
Disc two is entitled “Caspian Oil and UK sites: nuclear, military, greenhouse gases”, and takes in 39 tracks with a play time of 76.24. This disc is really broken up into sonic chapter- the first nine tracks go under the sub-title of Caspian Oil, Bibi Heybat, Azerbaijan; and these tracks cover all manner of mainly machine based recordings taking in the oil boring process. Tracks 10 through to 14 take go under the sub-title of Icheri Sheher, Baku, Azerbaijan; and these take in more people & their environment type recordings- such as prayer recordings, city sounds, children & dogs,etc . Tracks 15 through to 39 go under the subtitle of Uk Sites, and these tracks take in recordings from an airbase, Snowdonia( one of the uk areas effected by Chernobyl fall-out), domestic Green House gasser, Landfill Gasses, and sounds from three Nuclear Power stations across the Uk. Once again this disc is quite varied in its sound selection/ scope, and the most surprising thing is the hints of humanity & animal kind in these often dangerous sites.
Each of the two discs also feature a selection of a 100 or pictures, and these take in some of the pictures featured in the book; but also feature a good selection of new pictures too. And these of course add another extra layer to this great & highly interesting release.
With out a doubt “Sounds From Dangerous Places” is one of the most rewarding, well-put together & interesting field recording release I can think of in recent years. Cusack really has a great ear for selecting & recording captivating field recording matter, and the way he’s sequenced both CD’s is highly listenable & very rewarding. Add to this the wonderful thought-out & produced book, and you have one of the highlights of this year.