Ocean Mind

The title of my post is the title of a podcast I listened to today, from CBC Radio's Ideas show. It was all about the society of whales and dolphins, and how their culture is the oldest on Earth - which of course makes me, and possibly a good deal of human beings - consider what a culture is. I know my first thought of culture is an anthropocentric one; we are the most advanced beings on the planet, and we created the idea of culture as it exists today. But oh, humans, we are not as intrepid as we think. We're not the first, just... the fanciest.

What's this have to do with music? I don't know, who's asking? I am? Hm. I suppose I should answer me, before I stop speaking to me because I ignored my question.

Ahem.

My favourite thing about whales and dolphins - might as well call them cetaceans, since that's what they are and it sounds so much more academic - is their song. Clicks and groans and whistles, given a somehow mythical and haunting quality when found echoing through the reaches of the ocean. And musicians of a peoplier variety have done what they can to emulate or use whalesong - two come to mind immediately. Incubus' The Warmth has some cool guitar work as bookends, and at just about 11:20 into Pink Floyd's Echoes - with a comfortable 12:00 still to go, of course - David Gilmour's take is surreal. He is one of my favourite guitarists for a reason, and that reason is how atmospheric he can get with his sound. I'm not often a fan of 23:00 songs - if you can't say what you have to say, all that's left to say is, "Cut" - but I can get into the chill stuff from time to time.

So, if you haven't given a lot of thought to the beauty of nature's own music, you should definitely check out "Ocean Mind", parts 1 and 2. They're available through CBC Radio's podcasting site, from "Best of Ideas". While you're there, peruse. Look around. Dig, people. You might find something you like.

That's also Canadian.

Oh yes.