For this New Sounds, hear a hypnotic work of vocal layers from the electronic duo Matmos, “Just Waves,” from their Ganzfeld EP, a concept record based on their own telepathic experiments.  Throughout the progression of the work, these ebbing and flowing voices -Matmos (M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel) together with three other singers: Dan Deacon, Angel Deradoorian (Dirty Projectors), and Clodagh Simonds (Fovea Hex)-  speak-sing the transcripts of the psychic session material in pitched clusters, until the sensations described in the experiment are shaped back into one single phrase about the “triangle at the top.”

Then listen to Nico Muhly's "Mothertongue," a four part piece, featuring layers of singer Abigail Fisher's voice and electronic treatments.  There's also music from Paul Lansky's "More Than Idle Chatter," where spoken English is the basis for the work.  Plus, hear music from Joan LaBarbara and Meredith Monk, who both use the sounds of German words in works, and none of the words matter.

PROGRAM #3397, When Words Don’t Matter   (First aired on 11/15/2012)