The Living Air: Sounds from the Peruvian Rainforest. This is a binaural CD, made with a dummy head carried by recordist Peter Acker into Peru’s Upper Amazon Basin. A binaural recording is made with microphones stuck in the ears of a dummy head, and when listened to on headphones, it sounds pretty much like you are in the recording venue. This recording features some of the best natural sounds that I have heard in such a recording, and it made me look around more than once to be sure that that particular thing wasn’t in the room with me. There are birds that sound like they’re not even from this planet (the Olive-backed Oropendola), choruses of insects, pesky flies that seem to love your ears, water, Howler Monkeys, thunder, and a rainstorm that builds up unbelievable rapidly into an absolute deluge. But my favorite track is the little laughing frogs, who sound like they have you surrounded, think you’re pretty funny looking, and are about to rip the flesh off of your calves just for the hell of it. Highly recommended, whether or not you are a connoisseur of binaural recordings. If you’ve never heard one, and you own headphones, try this!
David Glackin – Enjoy The Music . com