“For Birds, Planes & Cello”

A new CD I’ve been waiting for, “For Birds, Planes & Cello,” came in the mail today. Composed by Miya Masaoka, it’s a 54-minute field recording of bird and airplane sounds layered with cello performed by Joan Jeanrenaud. The chirps, calls, twitters, squawks and warbles of birds recorded in a San Diego canyon mingle with the roars and hums of planes leaving and approaching the nearby airport. The cello, meanwhile, fades in and out of recognition, sometimes evoking bird sounds, other times droning and rumbling like the aircraft engines. It’s a strange, beautiful, surprisingly engrossing recording — certainly the most unique track on my iPod.

I should mention that I have a bit of a personal connection to the album; I designed the package for it. It’s my first commerical CD cover design, and I’m pretty happy with it. I got a little thrill holding the finished product in all its full-color, glossy, shrinkwrapped glory.

I did not hear the recording before I made the design, but I think my minimal approach — utilitarian, vaguely industrial typography and thin, white, flowing paths layered over snapshots of the sky (blogged previously) above Kyoto’s Kamo river— fits the material well. It was one of those rare projects in which felt I could take a personal approach — working within my own style — and have an appropriate result emerge. It also helped that the client gave me a lot of freedom.

For more information about the album, check Miya Masaoka’s website, which should be updated soon.
Note: I don’t benefit directly from sales of the CD.