Five Bullets 2.28.25

Microphones, Soundscapes, Symphonies & more.

© Scott Iulianelli.

Good morning and happy Friday friends.

This morning is sunny and mild here in New York City. Last week winter felt like it would never leave but now it seems spring might arrive early but I wonder if winter will give us one last parting shot of cold or snow.

I finished reading Alfred Lansing’s Endurance which marks the end (for now) of my study of Shackleton’s antarctic expedition and Mensun Bound’s The Ship Beneath the Ice chronicling the 2022 discovery of the long-lost ship. Lansing’s book is a quick but exhilarating read and an incredible accounting that puts you right there with the men in their fight to survive.

Here’s five bullets that captured my attention this week:

• Archaeology: The tomb of King Thutmose II was found by archaeologists this week. The tomb flooded shortly after the king’s death and the contents were moved to another location. Thutmose ruled for 13 years during Egypt’s 18th Dynasty which lasted from around 1550–1292 BCE. His wife Hatshepsut ruled as pharaoh and under his son’s rule, Thutmose III, the Egyptian empire flourished.

• Documentary: “A great silence is spreading over the natural world, even as the sound of man is becoming deafening.” The Last of the Nightingales chronicles soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause’s career recording the natural world. The soundscapes he’s recorded have largely gone silent. Wildlife accounts for four percent of the global biomass and one-quarter of all species face extinction in the coming decades. Krause’s recordings force us to listen to the natural world and to grapple with the profound impact we’ve had on the environment.

• History: On February 15, 1925 at a Columbia Phonograph Company studio, pianist and singer Art Gillham made the first musical recording with a microphone, on a song called You May Be Lonesome. Up until the microphone, singers had to project so they could be heard on wax discs recorded by a phonograph. The microphone changed music because singers could sing with more dynamics while listeners could hear them just as clearly.

• Music: Continuing in the tradition of their funk and jazz forefathers, Lettuce released their collaboration with the Colorado Symphony. The symphony backs the funk band on classic Lett tunes like The Force, Gang Ten as well as a few new tunes, adding a cinematic grandiosity which elevates this record into a whole new chapter for the band. Listen here.

• Science: A black seadevil anglerfish, usually found in the ocean depths, was spotted in shallow waters near the Canary Islands. Researchers aren’t sure what caused the anglerfish to rise though the fish died shortly after the video was taken. Anglerfish are adapted to the deep dark recesses of the ocean where they lie in wait for prey attracted by their bioluminescent lure.

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That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading. I really enjoy getting this newsletter out each Friday. It gives me reason to dive into my interests, learn more, and share it with you.

Have a great weekend,

Keith.