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Listen Closely

Listen Closely

By AC

Half mood board, half audio journal. An arthouse audio vlog from the days and life of podcast producer Alec Cowan.

Headphones recommended.
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12.28.17 | Music in the Tunnels | Montreal Metro

Listen Closely Jun 16, 2018

00:00
07:30
03.23.24 | Feel It | Chicago, IL

03.23.24 | Feel It | Chicago, IL

A funeral.
Mar 28, 202421:02
01.15.2024 | W A L K I N G | Cape Flattery, WA

01.15.2024 | W A L K I N G | Cape Flattery, WA

A relaxing walk through the woods at Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States.

Mar 06, 202410:33
2022-2023 Year in Sound

2022-2023 Year in Sound

The sounds that filled the cracks of 2022 and 2023 (I'm late, I know).

Feb 10, 202434:40
08.27.2023 | Return to Roots | Grand Junction, CO

08.27.2023 | Return to Roots | Grand Junction, CO

A trip home sparks my memory of crickets. A walk and talk featuring beavers, skiing, and the clicks of grasshoppers.
Sep 29, 202310:43
7.30.2023 | To Make a Garden | Seattle, WA

7.30.2023 | To Make a Garden | Seattle, WA

Mary Oliver once wrote, "The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time."


Poems are by:

RikkyBoy399: https://freesound.org/people/RikkyBoy399/sounds/240389/


acclivity: https://freesound.org/people/acclivity/sounds/156550/


tim.kahn: https://freesound.org/people/tim.kahn/sounds/74891/

Aug 01, 202313:34
5.14.2023 | Sounds of Tokyo | Tokyo, Japan

5.14.2023 | Sounds of Tokyo | Tokyo, Japan

A quick podcast tour through Tokyo.
There were many more sounds I could have captured, but I've been a little burned out on audio lately. This is still a nice vignette of Tokyo's massive sonic fingerprint.

Locations are as follows:

1:24 -- Tokyo Station
4:59 -- On the street by the Imperial Palace
8:05 -- Hibiya Park
10:27 -- In the Metro
14:45 -- Kanda Matsuri, at Kanda Myojin Shrine
19:47 -- Shibuya
21:21 -- Kitanomarukoen
22:00 -- Senjo-ji at Asakusa
23:22-- Sumo Grand Tournament at Ryogoku


May 23, 202333:22
02.26.2023 | Birdsong (The Global Sunrise)

02.26.2023 | Birdsong (The Global Sunrise)

There's a cool concept called "The Global Sunrise." This is the idea that, as the dawn sun hits the earth, birds are waking up and singing their morning song. As daylight moves across the planet, there's a constant hum of new birdsong ringing out somewhere. 


So here's a little sonic experiment, where you can experience birdsong from all over the worth, progressively, as the day light might hit it.


All the bird sounds in this episode came from the following:


https://freesound.org/people/EduFigueres/sounds/266376/

https://freesound.org/people/Vortichez/sounds/432523/

https://freesound.org/people/Vortichez/sounds/432523/

https://freesound.org/people/robyn.levy323/sounds/519206/

https://freesound.org/people/taylordonj/sounds/521366/

https://freesound.org/people/rbnx/sounds/268080/

https://freesound.org/people/tbirch55/sounds/340091/

https://freesound.org/people/rbnx/sounds/268080/geotag/

https://freesound.org/people/straget/sounds/411849/

https://freesound.org/people/Franki-01234/sounds/214869/

https://freesound.org/people/DCPoke/sounds/387978/

https://freesound.org/people/hargissssound/sounds/345851/

https://freesound.org/people/1ratatosk1/sounds/392181/

https://freesound.org/people/ciccarelli/sounds/442844/

https://freesound.org/people/mmiinneerr/sounds/649218/

https://freesound.org/people/kyles/sounds/452411/

https://freesound.org/people/Martin.Sadoux/sounds/423908/

https://freesound.org/people/EpicWizard/sounds/394291/

https://freesound.org/people/burgersmoke/sounds/642005/

https://freesound.org/people/burgersmoke/sounds/640991/

https://freesound.org/people/Oxlaey/sounds/371881/

https://freesound.org/people/hendricbona/sounds/294467/

https://freesound.org/people/coalcon/sounds/636071/

https://freesound.org/people/Lydmakeren/sounds/510480/

https://freesound.org/people/royshavit/sounds/653915/geotag/

https://freesound.org/people/thegreatbelow/sounds/546794/geotag/

https://freesound.org/people/99021905683/sounds/571316/

https://freesound.org/people/99021905683/sounds/571316/geotag/

https://freesound.org/people/sphion/sounds/158527/

https://freesound.org/people/MartinDanta/sounds/511486/

https://freesound.org/people/baryy/sounds/409145/

https://freesound.org/people/jigmet/sounds/479324/

https://freesound.org/people/liseclavier/sounds/463530/

https://freesound.org/people/guanescape/sounds/640088/

https://freesound.org/people/universildo/sounds/151773/

https://freesound.org/people/cartoonrob/sounds/588465/

https://freesound.org/people/ollermarc/sounds/426276/

https://freesound.org/people/sama66/sounds/462136/

https://freesound.org/people/titi2/sounds/509937/

https://freesound.org/people/emmanuel.faivre/sounds/611615/

https://freesound.org/people/Tito%20Lahaye/sounds/332025/

https://freesound.org/people/Rajaraman/sounds/362211/

Feb 27, 202307:60
01.28.2023 | Fragments of an Infinite Memory | Seattle, WA

01.28.2023 | Fragments of an Infinite Memory | Seattle, WA

I turn on my phone, open TikTok, and the hours blur away. So much content, I had to make some more. Where were you when you made your first Facebook account? 

This is podcast #CoreCore. Sonic #NicheCore.

Jan 28, 202320:04
11.03.2022 | Haze | Orlando, FL

11.03.2022 | Haze | Orlando, FL

*This is a language warning* 

Be a host body.

Haze's linktree: https://linktr.ee/TheHippieTrippyFrog

You can find Haze's content on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/user/CaptainSheo 

You can listen to Witchcraft Banjo here: https://anchor.fm/hippiehobbity/episodes

Nov 04, 202231:20
9.29.2022 | Sounds of Paris | Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium

9.29.2022 | Sounds of Paris | Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium

Some thoughts on listening and some things to listen to. Enjoy on a walk and with good headphones. 


2:57 — Outside Newark Airport

4:10 — A bench in the Jardin des Plantes

5:54 — Walking the 5th Arrondissement

6:46 — A cafe outside Saint Chapelle cathedral

7:36 — Walking the 5th Arrondissement (contd.)

9:48 — The Paris Catacombs

12:33 — Paris Metro

16:24 — In and around Saint Sulpice, the second largest church in Paris

18:31 — The Jardin de Luxembourg, including a Sunday big band performance

22:50 — Walking the Louvre

25:08 — The window at our Air BnB, including someone practicing opera

27:29 — Gare du Nord

28:20 — At a bar in Brussels

29:54 — An accordion player in the Brussels backstreets

30:25 — A choir rehearsal at the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, Brussels

Oct 10, 202235:17
09.06.2022 | Motif 1 Test 1

09.06.2022 | Motif 1 Test 1

Combing frequencies, playing with pans, and a whole bunch of "WTF is this?"

Sep 08, 202202:23
06.25.2022 | What would you do | Washington, DC San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA

06.25.2022 | What would you do | Washington, DC San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA

I've always been bad at journaling. I've started four to five notebooks, but have only ever finished one (last year).

Lately, I've been thinking about alternate life plans, spent time, different timelines. I revisited some experiences in my journal to remind myself a bit about who I am, and where I've gone. I wanted to take you on that journey as well.

Jun 30, 202209:54
Freesound Exercise 3: Philosophies

Freesound Exercise 3: Philosophies

It goes like this: use a random word generator to source ten sounds from freesound.org. Then, combine them together to make an interesting sound.

May 22, 202208:38
1.10.2021 | Greg Hawkins, Acting in The Philippines

1.10.2021 | Greg Hawkins, Acting in The Philippines

A mission leads to a change, a change to an opportunity. What's life like when you find sudden fame? 

Mar 01, 202236:20
2.20.2022 | Poems in the Park

2.20.2022 | Poems in the Park

Join me for a sunny winter day in the park, along with some Mary Oliver poems.

Feb 26, 202213:34
11.6.2021 | Waiting for the bus

11.6.2021 | Waiting for the bus

Audio poem? Audio journal? An errant note on my phone turns into an experience.

Feb 07, 202204:04
Freesound Exercise 2: Ventriloquism

Freesound Exercise 2: Ventriloquism

It goes like this: use a random word generator to source ten sounds from freesound.org. Then, combine them together to make an interesting sound.

Jan 10, 202202:44
2021 Year in Sound

2021 Year in Sound

The sounds that filled the cracks of 2021. 

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Dec 31, 202131:12
Freesound Exercise 1: Almost a religion

Freesound Exercise 1: Almost a religion

It goes like this: use a random word generator to source ten sounds from freesound.org. Then, combine them together to make an interesting sound.

"A religion, almost a religion, any religion, a quintal in religion, a relying and a surface and a service in indecision and a creature and a question and a syllable in answer and more counting and no quarrel and a single scientific statement and no darkness and no question and an earned administration and a single set of sisters and an outline and no blisters and the section seeing yellow and the centre having spelling and no solitude and no quaintness and yet solid quite so solid and the single surface centred and the question in the placard and the singularity, is there a singularity, and the singularity, why is there a question and the singularity why is the surface outrageous, why is it beautiful why is it not when there is no doubt, why is anything vacant, why is not disturbing a centre no virtue, why is it when it is and why is it when it is and there is no doubt, there is no doubt that the singularity shows."

Excerpts from the poem Tender Buttons, part 3, "Rooms" by Gertrude Stein. Reading by Ariane Stolfi, in preparation to be performed at the Web Audio Conference in Berlin (19-21 September 2018).

Words for this exercise included:

Iron

Bake

Social

Conservative

Microphone

Demonstrator

Item

Quaint

Dec 29, 202101:28
8.17.2021 | Send a postcard | New York, NY

8.17.2021 | Send a postcard | New York, NY

Hello from the street, the tunnels, and a basement full of jazz.

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.


Nov 13, 202110:53
4.27.2021 | Leaving California | San Jose, CA and Seattle, WA

4.27.2021 | Leaving California | San Jose, CA and Seattle, WA

A chance for something new, and a chance to do something over. I ask the question: how do you leave a place properly?

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Sep 30, 202123:14
The pacifistic origins of anime

The pacifistic origins of anime

In the 1940s, Osamu Tezuka was drawing manga panels in his spare time when he realized something: due to government censorship, nobody was willing to talk about the problems that led to WWII. And so, with a pen in hand, he set to change that -- and what he created ended up changing the world.

-- Read the full story here: https://aleccowan12.medium.com/how-anime-took-off-in-the-u-s-8d6354557867

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Aug 09, 202116:13
Spoken Through: Overstory

Spoken Through: Overstory

This project seeks to answer questions about my Pentecostal experience, as told through my experience and the journeys of other ex-Pentecostals. There is one Overstory episode, which includes my personal experience and the composite stories of a handful of ex-Pens.


Listen to the full series, including interviews with a spiritual abuse therapist and other ex-Pentecostals, on the Spoken Through podcast. It can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

Apr 06, 202101:01:50
3.21.2021 | Audio Playground, Assignment #18: Roll of the Dice | San Jose, CA

3.21.2021 | Audio Playground, Assignment #18: Roll of the Dice | San Jose, CA

Roll a pair of dice. Make a 1-minute doodle inspired by that number. Guest prompt from Rob Rosenthal and Gwen.

Audio Playground is masterfully put together by Sarah Geis, "a radio and podcast maker, editor, and teacher working in Chicago and beyond." Find more information at https://www.audioplayground.xyz/hello

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Mar 21, 202101:22
Trailer: Spoken Through

Trailer: Spoken Through

What do you know about Pentecostalism? Growing to 200 million people in the last 100 years, it's a spirited and feisty sect. But it's famous for more than its growth -- its fervent prayer, isolationism, and belief in the "gifts of the spirit" make it one of the most controversial -- and cultic -- Christian faiths. In this upcoming short-run documentary, I explore my upbringing in the Pentecostal church and speak with other ex-Pentecostals about why they left. And why they believe it's a cult. 

Look for Spoken Through in your feeds this April.


Mar 08, 202101:51
1.1.2021 | The Same Ocean Twice | Crescent City, CA

1.1.2021 | The Same Ocean Twice | Crescent City, CA

"No man ever steps in the same [ocean] twice, for it's not the same [ocean] and he's not the same man." A routine post-vacation phone call diverges into that tricky exercise of remembering. And as Rachel Carson reminds us, can anything remember more than the ocean?

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com. 

Jan 15, 202123:49
2020 Year in Sound

2020 Year in Sound

A compilation of the sounds that defined the tempestuous and exhilarating year, 2020. 

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Jan 03, 202101:28:36
2.8.2018 | The Train Retrospect | Eugene, OR

2.8.2018 | The Train Retrospect | Eugene, OR

I find a trove of tape for a project that never materialized. This is audio behind the scenes, before the cuts, in their context and without it. Choo choo.

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Dec 13, 202023:41
12.6.2020 | Movin' Out (Michael's Song) | New York, NY

12.6.2020 | Movin' Out (Michael's Song) | New York, NY

Moving in the middle of a pandemic is freeing, but it ain't easy. 

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Dec 06, 202012:21
11.2.2020 | New Friends | Cape Town, South Africa

11.2.2020 | New Friends | Cape Town, South Africa

With some inspiration and help from YouTube Filmmaker Dan Mace, I reach out to a South African Musician in a shared Facebook group. 

-- How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9 

-- Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part?  Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Dec 03, 202013:10
10.30.2020 | Circadian | San Jose, CA

10.30.2020 | Circadian | San Jose, CA

7 months into a pandemic, and home is starting to spin.

Enable the "Listen Closely" Alexa skill today to stay up to date on the latest log.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries. Want to take part? Reach out at podcastalec [at] gmail [dot] com.

Oct 31, 202006:06
10.2.2020 | On the Road | Route 66 at Kingman, AZ

10.2.2020 | On the Road | Route 66 at Kingman, AZ

What makes a Great American Roadtrip? A look at the life on the road now and back then.

Enable the "Listen Closely" Alexa skill today to stay up to date on the latest log.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Oct 08, 202016:07
8.15.2020 | The Pandemic Mantra | Marin Headlands, CA

8.15.2020 | The Pandemic Mantra | Marin Headlands, CA

"It doesn't matter how so slow you go so long as you do not stop." 

Enable the "Listen Closely" Alexa skill today to stay up to date on the latest log.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Aug 23, 202009:14
8.7.2020 | An Intricate Context of Things

8.7.2020 | An Intricate Context of Things

An Intricate Context of Things is my new lo-fi hip-hop album based on the things getting me through quarantine. 

Find the full album with instrumental tracks here: https://soundcloud.com/alec-cowan/sets/an-intricate-context-of-things

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Aug 07, 202029:18
6.28-30.2020 | Mountain Sunset | Trinity Alps, CA

6.28-30.2020 | Mountain Sunset | Trinity Alps, CA

Painting legend Bob Ross walks us through a painting come to life: the Trinity Alps in northern California, where hijinks and sore muscles are to be found.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Jul 13, 202005:43
7.4.2020 | July 4th: Fire | San Jose, CA

7.4.2020 | July 4th: Fire | San Jose, CA

Don't buy fireworks, people.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Jul 05, 202002:45
6.7.2020 | This place called San Jose | San Jose, CA

6.7.2020 | This place called San Jose | San Jose, CA

A trumpet ensemble, drive-in COVID test, and annoying midnight bird walk into a bar. 

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Jun 17, 202006:42
2.24.19 - 5.27.20 | This was Home | Seattle, WA

2.24.19 - 5.27.20 | This was Home | Seattle, WA

To be heard is a blessing and some days a miracle. I'm so thankful for my name and voice to have been weaved into the sound of this city, to be played over radios and heard through ears.

To Seattle, the Emerald City and my welcome home for the past year. Goodbye. Thank you for listening.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Jun 04, 202006:50
5.31.20 | Summer '93, on tape | Grand Junction, CO and Mesquite, NV

5.31.20 | Summer '93, on tape | Grand Junction, CO and Mesquite, NV

The summer of '93 was a busy one. Fun times were to be had at the pool and on the golf course. 

Videocameras grab everything you see, but today the goal is to grab everything you can hear. 

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Jun 03, 202006:28
5.22.20 | No One But the Wind | Olympic National Park

5.22.20 | No One But the Wind | Olympic National Park

Over the ferry, through the woods, to foamy shore and crystal lake we go. Recorded in Olympic National Park in Washington.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

May 24, 202005:25
12.18.19 | Moments of sound, moments of silence | Maui, HI

12.18.19 | Moments of sound, moments of silence | Maui, HI

In order of appearance: 

- Wailuku

- The Iao Valley

- Kihei

- Haleakala National Park

- Wailuku

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

May 24, 202002:58
11.10.19 | The old piano | The Mission, San Francisco

11.10.19 | The old piano | The Mission, San Francisco

Memories of old saloon times over a cafe coffee and caprese. Just off Mission St. in San Francisco's Mission District.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

May 24, 202003:15
11.27.18 | A Vital Organ | Bells of Berlin

11.27.18 | A Vital Organ | Bells of Berlin

This combines two pieces of tape from two very different places in Berlin: the bells of a glass tower next to the Kaiser Wilhelm church in West Berlin, which was never reconstructed after WWII; and an organ from a church by Alexanderplatz, a main plaza in the former Soviet East Berlin. These two sounds mingle, compete, and twist -- they are two sounds of a cohesive but divided Berlin. Nevertheless, they are the musical undercurrent of the city.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Dec 13, 201803:57
5.18.18 | Voices in the Waves | Cape Coast Castle

5.18.18 | Voices in the Waves | Cape Coast Castle

Cape Coast Castle was the seat of power for the British slave trade in Ghana. This story is a tour through the stone fortress and an attempt to translate what it means to walk the same steps that masters and slaves did only 400 years ago.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Sep 22, 201815:46
12.28.17 | Music in the Tunnels | Montreal Metro

12.28.17 | Music in the Tunnels | Montreal Metro

Sounds from street performers throughout the Montreal Metro.

How did this episode make you feel? If you have a moment, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/SUcphdvFDRkN4eNa9

Your responses will not be used for anything without additional contact and will help shape the future sound of diary entries.

Jun 16, 201807:30