Antiphony Of The Trees - Laura Cannell (2022)

If the phrase “playing the recorder” triggers trauma of having to listen to your kids murder Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had A Little Lamb on the plastic recorders that you bought them, this will be a welcome antidote.

In the hands of an accomplished musician like Cannell, the recorder sounds… well, it sounds better than your kids could play it, though still not a real pleasant tone to my ears.

The music is inspired by birdsong and, I gather, put together from overdubbing her recorder multiple times. It’s an interesting sound that isn’t straight environmental music. Most of it holds up very well, and there are enough different textures and tones that it never sounds boring.