V/A :: Birds of a Feather (Flaming Pines)

Hatami says he has always been fascinated by the black woodpecker and its unique dining habits. Living in Sanandaj, Kurdistan, at the foot of a great mountain, his piece is more epic. Hatami climbs upward, bells shivering and wind soughing through the treetops. As he ascends, the throaty, then sweet, call of the birds and the hollow hammering of their bills is all around him.

V/A ‘Birds of a Feather’

[Release page] As the rumble of Rivers Home, a series of ten mini-CDs following ten watercourses from around the world, dies down, Flaming Pines turns its ears to the skies and embarks on a new, nature-themed series of “at least twelve” three-inch discs dedicated to the original ambient soundscapers, the birdies. Birds of a Feather will celebrate their gifts of song, their feats of flight and the fragile balance between us and them needed to maintain their existence.

First out are Iran’s Porya Hatami and Canada’s Michael Trommer. Like anyone who has ever heard it—it has been lent soothsaying and even world-creating powers in many First Nations mythologies—Trommer was immediately entranced by the call of the great Northern loon, He sampled one at Georgian Bay on Lake Huron and envelopes it in a misty ambience that glides as quietly as a canoe over still evening waters. Every now and then, the loon’s unmistakable, haunting tremolo sends a pleasant ripple up the spine. A gorgeous piece.

Hatami says he has always been fascinated by the black woodpecker and its unique dining habits. Living in Sanandaj, Kurdistan, at the foot of a great mountain, his piece is more epic. Hatami climbs upward, bells shivering and wind soughing through the treetops. As he ascends, the throaty, then sweet, call of the birds and the hollow hammering of their bills is all around him.

Impeccable miniatures. I look forward to collecting the entire aviary.

Birds of a Feather is available on Flaming Pines. [Release page]