Humpback whales are something like the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of the animal kingdom: their sound is plaintive, mysterious, and timelessly beautiful, and people are always trying to hitch a wagon to their star (though unlike the late Pakistani singer, I don’t think a humpback whale has ever sullied its reputation by working with Eddie Vedder). I myself have owned two LP copies of Songs Of The Humpback Whale for extended periods of time. I eventually gave one copy up, but only because I realised I also had it on cassette and mp3. It’s a lovely sound, and one I’m sure I’ve worked into some half-baked four track experiment at some point. Who could resist?
It’s a tricky thing, though. While a fine complement to weird noise, applying humpback whale songs to more structured music can threaten to become silly or mawkish, if not downright hilarious: witness, for example, Paul Winter’s http://thequietus.com/articles/18555-various-artists-pod-tune-volume-ambient” data-width="550">
