My solo track “Higher Standards” reflected the desire to rise above challenges. It was truly wonderful to see how sharing the stems of this track with the Canadian artist Neal D. Retke a.k.a. {AN} EeL evolved into an entire album filled with beautiful ambient soundscapes inspired by Pauline Oliveros’ deep listening philosophy.

Interestingly, it also echoed Dawn Landes’ approach of turning Rachel Carson’s birdsong notation into music. Carson, a marine biologist and the author of “Silent Spring”, sparked massive changes in the US environmental laws after the book’s publication in 1962, which ultimately led to the ban of DDT. She had documented bird calls and transcribed a melody of birdsong on a piece of railway stationery from the now-defunct Portland Rose train line. Landes took that melody from Carson’s notes and turned it into music. The album cover of “Higher Standards”, photographed by Neal, complements the music on our collaborative album beautifully and draws yet another obvious parallel to Landes’ creative approach. You might wonder if birds have higher standards than humans. It seems possible – after all, they certainly know how to reach great heights.