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A Clandestine Recording of My Parents at New Year's

From: Laura Kwerel
Length: 03:03

A secret recording of a late night celebration Read the full description.

Timesball_small I was alone in my room on New Year's when my parents and a lot of my neighbors came over to celebrate. They started making these unbelievable sounds on their noisemakers, like some kind of strange, sad geese, and I knew I had to record it.

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Piece Description

I was alone in my room on New Year's when my parents and a lot of my neighbors came over to celebrate. They started making these unbelievable sounds on their noisemakers, like some kind of strange, sad geese, and I knew I had to record it.

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Review of A Clandestine Recording of My Parents at New Year's

Yes! A great piece to add to a New Year's special. Being that it's family, and it's a secret recording, and you've heard a taste of what the sound will be like, the suspense ends up being absolutely intense. I love it. You're just dying to hear the sad geese sound and then you get it and it lives up to the suspense. I do enjoy this piece.

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Review of A Clandestine Recording of My Parents at New Year's

A typical new year's ball drop from an unsual perspective. I was going to describe the tone as "surprising," but that is only if you have previously experienced the reserved and unenthuastic nature of her parents. So how come they sound like a flock of geese on one night out of the year?

However shocking they may sound, the most mysterious part of the recording is the recordist herself, who greets the new year in silence.

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Review of A Clandestine Recording of My Parents at New Year's

There's something fun about clandestine recordings especially of family members. Huddled quietly, trying not to draw attention while getting odd sounds you don't know if you'll ever be able to use for anything. Such is the case with Laura Kwerel's serendipitous sounds of her parents and neighbors on New Year's Eve. The sounds are funny and weird and the countdown to midnight has a quirky suspense to it. I could hear turning this from raw tape to a piece with some narration and description in personal essay form. It could be a nice drop-in for next New Year's....

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