What’s wonderful about To the Best of Our Knowledge is its subtlety. It’s a place for reflection and new ideas intersecting with your own life philosophy. As a sound designer, that means there are layers to play with, both direct moments and pensive, open spaces.
In our last show, “Cult of the Self,” we talked about image, presentation and ego. To me, it brought up thoughts of mirrors and windows, a great metaphor for music making. We started with a modern genre, electronic grooves for our social media age. But I found myself adding glassy synths, reverbs and echoes throughout the program to remind us that the initial note, or perception, can be imitated and distorted.
With this week’s show, “To All The Dogs We’ve Loved,” it was about celebrating the times we’ve hugged and touched our furry friends, their paws, their breath, their presence and dependability. So the instruments were organic and tactile: Old stringed instruments and steel guitars. But death and doubt were always there. That’s when the e-bows came out, vibrating the rusty strings into something more ethereal and mystifying.
These are the sounds that, when placed correctly, you feel but don’t immediately notice. Musical touches that add colors and encourage further curiosity without asking. For the listener, I hope that translates to an engaging audio home in the moment, then sharing and relistening afterwards. It’s a privilege to work with sound that presents that challenge and, if I’m lucky, you can sense that joy in your ears.
– Joe