The Birdsong Project by Randall Poster, a music supervisor whose soundtracks include movies by Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese, is a collection of a whopping 242 songs and spoken-word-performances recorded on a 20 LP boxset performed by hundreds of artists ranging from Nick Cave, Yoko Ono and Beck to Sean Penn, Tilda Swinton, Elvis Costello, Adam Green, Karen O and Laurie Anderson.
Also, it’s a marvel to look at, featuring artworks by no less than 27 illustrators and artists.
Their Youtube-Channel is full of beautiful little vignettes of sound art and music, all related to the winged flying birdies in the sky.
I first heard about that project a few weeks ago and i’m taken aback by the scope and brillance, and the attention to detail, not to speak of the underlying message of the whole giant endeavour, with all royalties going to The National Audubon Society, a nonprofit protecting birds and their habitats for more than hundred years now.
You can listen to all songs spread across the five volumes here, order your twenty vinyl box-set here, and read more about the project at The Guardian and the New York Times.
Did you know that birdsong boosts mental wellbeing for 90% of people? Protecting birds means protecting all of us.
Here’s a bunch of clips from the YT-channel featuring Beck, Woodkid, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis and Elvis Costello covering The Beatles And Your Bird Can Sing.
I’ll update this post with new videos from the project when they are released. You’ll find the latest ones at the top.