A fine field recordist has skills like those of a fine photographer. An everyday slice of life takes on the sense of a composed thing, a considered object, something constructed by hand from start to finish. The person holding that camera no more put that mountain next to that moon than the person holding that microphone put that bell next to that birdsong. And yet, by framing the material, they both present it as their own, lay claim to the natural world and the built environment. This “Small Roadside Shrine” on the SoundCloud account of London-based Mola Recordings frames a brief moment in time, when the rush of water or traffic, or both, and a dull bell — or perhaps a bucket — and the wisp of bird chatter combine into a sonic snapshot of a moment and a place. It is barely half a minute in length, but then again that framed photo over your desk is just six inches square. Both contain lifetimes.
Track originally posted at soundcloud.com/mola-recordings. More from Mola Recordings at mola-recordings.blogspot.com.