The album of recordings of bird voices was in the top 3 of the leading Australian music chart ARIA, bypassing Drake, Taylor Swift, and Billy Isle.
Songs of Disappearance contains 53 short tracks with the most endangered Australian birds. Researchers had to hide for hours in the bushes to record some voices. In particular, the album contains recordings of David Stewart, who devoted 30 years to recording the singing of rare species of birds.
The Wikipedia page about Songs of Disappearance has a list of tracks with hyperlinks to the page of the related bird species.
The money from the album’s sale, which can now be purchased digitally or subscribed to the disc, goes to BirdLife Australia’s conservation projects. The ARIA chart reflects the sales results of albums and singles.
Currently, every sixth bird species in Australia is endangered – 216 out of 1299. In 2019-2020, large-scale forest fires raged on the mainland. According to BirdLife Australia, this has led to a 25% increase in the proportion of endangered species.
***
Using music as a catalyst for change is nothing new. Social justice has long been associated with hip-hop in terms of US culture and counterculture. Is heavy metal the new sound of the environmental movement? You can find the answers here.
