ANTARCTICA EXPERIENCED THROUGH MUSIC

Capsule Comments on CDs about Antarctica

© Valmar Kurol (2011)

NOTE: This valuable resource is kindly provided by Valmar Kurol (Montreal Antarctic Society/Societe Antarctique de Montreal).

Valmar Kurol can be reached directly at mtl.ant.soc@sympatico.ca

Launched: 27 May 2004. Last Updated: 19 February 2006; 9 December 2006; 7 July 2007; 15 July 2007; 5 January 2008; 3 August 2008; 15 February 2009; 1 September 2009; 1 February 2010; 12 February 2010; 14 August 2010; 15 February 2011; 23 June 2011

There is no other music like the toneless music of millions of years of accumulated silence, through which come bars of unearthly colours. There is no need for ears to hear the fugues played on this ice organ. Here nature has set aside for man a domain of beauty and inspiration such as he cannot know elsewhere on this planet. - Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd (The National Geographic Magazine, Oct. 1947).

In his 1986 treatise, The Ice - A Journey to Antarctica, American author and history professor Stephen Pyne argues that “traditional fiction could not find enough material in the Antarctic experience or the Antarctic environment to construct typical novels. The range of potential experiences was much smaller than elsewhere, the opportunity for surprise much less. Modernist literature was more inclined to follow Joseph Conrad into the Heart of Darkness than to pursue Robert Scott into the Antarctic’s Heart of Whiteness. Instead the Antarctic has been largely a wasteland for imaginative literature.”

If one substitutes music for fiction/literature, the above comments may be just as appropriate. The visual and spiritual superlatives of Antarctica are now frequently expressed through photographs, movies and coffee table books but to a lesser extent through music. What kinds of tunes and rhythms does the seventh continent inspire? Is there an Antarctic sound? Whatever the answers to these questions, it seems that there is a scarcity of Antarctic-themed music for those with an appetite for it. The classical repertoire appears to be minimal and it is the pop artists who have been making more Antarctic musical noises, in some cases literally. While earlier songs may have focused on urging listeners to keep the continent pristine, much of the current crop seems to hold Antarctica as a mirror/metaphor for the coldness and isolation people feel in their day to day lives.

The following is a consumer’s guide to recorded music that I have found over the past fifteen years, now mainly through the Internet. There are very few themed discs devoted entirely to Antarctica, but there are now many CDs with individual songs entitled Antarctica or about The Ice. While this site is meant to be a listing and not a critical or sociological discussion of the music, there are occasional commentaries, which stand to be corrected or debated, as well as comments by some artists about their tracks. A few non-music CDs have been included for their Antarctic content (theatre, recitation, comedy routines) but CD audio books have been excluded, with one exception where the material was considered to be noteworthy.

The amount of music being made about Antarctica seems to be increasing in recent years due to:

1) the relative ease of visiting Antarctica, through tourist cruises, for direct inspiration;

2) the establishment of Artists and Writers programs by governments of countries with bases in Antarctica, which provide financial, logistical and promotional support;

3) the increasing focus on the continent (particularly now because of the widescale interest in global warming);

4) the ease of composing and recording music with consumer oriented software and digital instruments and 5) the increased possibilities of finding a worldwide audience and marketplace through the Internet with personal web sites or download/distribution sites with digital files, without the need of CDs.

Of course, none of this guarantees that interesting, popular or quality music will be made. To return to the questions at the beginning of this introduction, (What kinds of tunes and rhythms does the seventh continent inspire? Is there an Antarctic sound?), based on this discography, the answer is, it’s everything and anything people bring from their own varied backgrounds. The music listed herein includes the beautiful, inspirational, comical, harsh and discordant to the outright boring.

Finally, many thanks to all the composers and performers who have taken the time to provide comments about the reasons and inspirations for their Antarctic-themed music. This has greatly helped to animate the discography. Any additions and comments to the music listing are welcome. – Valmar Kurol, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (mtl.ant.soc@sympatico.ca)

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Classical Antarctica: Ralph Vaughan Williams

SINFONIA ANTARTICA (Seventh Symphony) by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Perhaps you have seen the vintage 1949 film Scott of the Antarctic. The background music, by one of Britain’s greatest 20^th century composers, was later arranged into his Seventh Symphony, which premiered in 1953 and is still considered to be the mother of all recorded Antarctic music. The scoring includes a wind machine and conveys the struggle and desolation of Robert Scott’s final journey. It is a dark, deep, dreary and depressing work, not to be played on a Walkman or iPod on an exercise bike. There are many recorded versions and listeners may find their individual tastes and preferences among the various issues.

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s recording of this work in 1998 with conductor Kees Bakels, on the budget-priced NAXOS label, is a real bargain at a third of the price of some of the more expensive ones. The booklet notes are informative but why, oh, why feature a cover photo of Greenlanders hunting in the ice, when this is supposed to be the South? Naxos 8.550737

The second release in 1998 of this classic Antarctic music, performed by the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli, is no spring penguin. The full symphony was premièred in January 1953 by Barbirolli and the present performance was recorded in June 1953. This reissue on CD is now the oldest of the eleven performances of the Symphony that were recorded and issued on disc.

The issued performances are:

1. Sir John Barbirolli, Hallé Orchestra (Manchester), recorded June 1953; 1998 EMI 7243 5 665434 2 7

2. Kees Bakels, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, recorded September 1996; 1998 NAXOS 8.550737

3. Andrew Davis, BBC Symphony Orchestra, recorded March 1996; 1997 TELDEC 0630-13139-2

4. André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra, recorded 1968; 1995 BMG/RCA Classics 74321 29248; also issued as 1985 RCA VICTOR Gold Seal BMG 60590-2-RG and as 1987 RCA VICTOR Gold Seal 6781-2-RG

5. Raymond Leppard, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, recorded March 1992; 1993 KOSS Classics KC - 2214

6. Leonard Slatkin, Philharmonia Orchestra, recorded June & November 1991, November 1992; 1993 BMG 09026-61195-2 (this release has been discontinued)

7. A) Adrian Boult, London Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded November 1969; 1991 EMI Classics CDM 7 64020 2

B) Boult’s original mono recording by the same orchestra in December 1953 was reissued in a collection of Vaughan Williams’ symphonies in 2002; Decca 4732412. Also issued in 1989 as Decca/London 425 157-2

8. Vernon Handley, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded April 1990; 1991 EMI Eminence CDM 7 64034 2; the same performance is also available on a Classics for Pleasure compilation (2002) EMI 7243 5 75313 2 0

9. Bryden Thomson, London Symphony Orchestra, recorded June 1989; 1989 Chandos CHAN 8796

10. Bernard Haitink, London Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded 1985; 1986 EMI CDC 7 47516 2

SINFONIA ANTARTICA/SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC (2009)

This is a superb compilation CD of British music and vocal recordings related to the Golden Era of polar exploration, curated by James Nice. The main track is Ralph Vaughn Williams’ famed Sinfonia Antartica (7^th Symphony), which was completed in 1952 and was the reworking of his themes for the soundtrack of the 1949 film Scott of the Antarctic. The version here was recorded in 1953 by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Adrian Boult. Also on the CD are seven thematic extracts from the film, totalling 8½ minutes, with the titles Prologue, Pony March, Penguins, Climbing the Glacier, The Return, Blizzard and Final Music, most of which are recognizable in the full symphony movements. Most of the music composed for the film was never recorded or included in the film and only the shortened excerpts were used. It’s performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Ernest Irving and recorded in 1948. Fortunately for aficionados, the full original film score became available on a CD for the first time in 2002 on the Chandos label, with Rumon Gamba conducting the BBC Philharmonic. (See below in this section.)

The real gems on the disc are two versions of the song ‘Tis a Story That shall Live For Ever, recorded in 1913 by Stanley Kirkby and Robert Carr, two vocal artists of the era. According to the informative CD booklet liner notes, “‘Tis a Story That Shall Live For Ever was written by P. Pelham and L. Wright, and first released on 78 rpm disc on March 5, 1913 by Victory Records, sung by Robert Carr (B47, 1668). The song pays fulsome tribute to Scott’s ill-fated expedition of 1910-12, and press ads for the Victory disc promoting it as ‘In Memory of Captain Scott and his Heroic Comrades’. Two months later, on May 6, 1913, another edition of the Carr recording was issued by Diploma Records with a pictorial label, ‘in commemoration of the British Hero - a record that should be in everyone's repertoire’. It seems that Scott himself left no sound recordings to posterity. The Stanley Kirkby version of ‘Tis a Story That Shall Live For Ever, which opens this CD was released on a green label Zonophone 78 rpm disc in 1913. Billed as ‘English Descriptive’, with orchestral accompaniment, the other side of the 78 featured Kirkby’s version of Be British, a song based on the Titanic disaster. Kirkby was a popular and versatile baritone who made many hundreds of recordings. (Zonophone 1050, X-2-42486).”

In addition, the CD presents two recitations by Ernest Shackleton, one of which has appeared on commercially available historic recordings and the other has been invisible. According to the interesting liner notes, “Sir Ernest Shackleton made two different sound recordings following the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09, otherwise known as the Nimrod Expedition, the first of three expeditions to the Antarctic led by Shackleton. It was financed without institutional support and relied on private loans and contributions, including sponsorship from HMV, who also donated a gramophone and ‘a bright lot of records to cheer the weary months in the snow-bound regions’. The first Shackleton recording was made in New Zealand on June 23, 1909 and released as a 78 disc on HMV (D377) as A Description of the Dash for the South Pole. Even by the standards of the day the recording was crude, and although Shackleton claimed at this time that “I can talk much better than I can write”, this recording hardly does justice to his skills as an orator. At the same time Shackleton was under pressure to complete an account of his 1907-09 polar expedition, published as The Heart of the Antarctic in November 1909, and ghost-written by Edward Saunders. The reverse side of the HMV disc featured the recording The Discovery of the North Pole, made in 1910 by Commander Robert Peary, who commanded an American expedition said to have reached the North Pole in 1909, although today this claim is widely disputed. The Shackleton recording remained in the HMV catalogue as late as 1939. Less well known, the second Shackleton recording, titled My South Polar Expedition, was made in London on March 30, 1910 and released on Edison Blue Amberol cylinder (4M-473). An exceptionally rare sound recording, at the close Shackleton can be heard - just - asking the engineer whether his recording was successful.” CD41-024; www.ltmrecordings.com; (See also VOICES OF HISTORY 2 - Arts, Science & Exploration (2005), THE VERY BEST HISTORIC VOICES (2007), HISTORIC VOICES IX - The Voices Collection (2008) and ‘TIS A STORY THAT SHALL LIVE FOR EVER (1913) in the “Non-Classical, all or significantly Antarctic” section.)

FROM VAUGHAN WILLIAMS’ ATTIC – Ralph Vaughan William’s Personal Collection (2009)

This CD is a collection music transcribed from Vaughan Williams’ personal collection of 78 rpm recordings of various performances from 1925 to 1948. Vaughan Williams’ classic 1953 Sinfonia Antartica (7^th Symphony) was developed from the soundtrack music of the British Ealing Studio’s 1949 film Scott of the Antarctic. The seven short movie pieces (totalling eight minutes), played by The Philharmonia Orchestra in 1948, conducted by Ernest Irving, were first issued on a 78 rpm record and represent various key scenes from the movie and most of them are recognizable in the later full symphony movements. Track titles include Prologue, Pony March, Penguins, Climbing the Glacier, The Return, Blizzard and Final Music. Dutton CDBP 9790

THE FILM MUSIC OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Volume I (2002)

What may be Vaughan Williams’ best film score, the music for Scott of the Antarctic, released in 1949, is now presented as a whole for the first time on CD. In the film, less than half of the original score was used; many of the movements played on this CD were shortened for the film and have not been heard in full, others were not used at all. Vaughan Williams later reworked the film score into the Sinfonia Antartica (7^th Symphony), which still remains the standard for classical Antarctic symphonic music today.

The 41-minute suite on this CD contains all the music composed for the film over eighteen separately titled themes, nearly as long as the full symphony. It is a treat to hear the never-before-heard themes and music, which has, dare we say it, been frozen and iced over for more than 50 years. The suite was played by the BBC Philharmonic under Rumon Gamba. Chandos Chan 10007

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - SYMPHONY NO. 6/ FILM MUSIC (2000)

Vaughan Williams’ classic 1953 Sinfonia Antartica (7^th Symphony) was developed from the soundtrack music of the British Ealing Studio’s 1949 film Scott of the Antarctic. The present CD of Vaughan Williams’ film music may be the first to present the original film music in disc format. The seven short pieces (totalling eight minutes), played by The Philharmonia Orchestra in 1948, conducted by Ernest Irving, were first issued on a 78 rpm record and represent various key scenes from the movie and most of them are recognizable in the later full symphony movements. Pearl GEM 0107 www.pavilionrecords.com; The same pieces were also released on another Pearl compilation, BRITISH FILM MUSIC Volume 1 (2000), which has a cover photo of a sun blaring over a typical Antarctic coastal scene of mountains and pack ice. Pearl GEM 0100.

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Other Classical Antarctica:

LE DERNIER CONTINENT (THE LAST CONTINENT) – Soundtrack by Simon Leclerc (2010) (Web site download only)

The Last Continent is a 2007 French Canadian documentary film made by Quebecois biologist and film-maker Jean Lemire about his 2005-06 voyage, lasting 430 days, to the Antarctic Peninsula aboard the sailing vessel Sedna IV. Lemire’s small crew of scientists and back-up specialists, including a doctor and a psychologist, planned to document the threat of global warming on the environment by allowing themselves to be icebound over the winter, which would have allowed them the opportunity to explore the surroundings. Ironically, there was no ice to freeze them in and they had to contend with winds that threatened the ship, lack of easy access to the shore and the thawing of their iced-in winter food caches. Their scripted filming plans went astray with the unexpected drastic changes in lack of ice that they encountered, evidence of the fast speed of warming in the Antarctic Peninsula area. Originally made in French, the English film version features narration by Donald Sutherland. The film’s mellow orchestral soundtrack, 18 tracks illustrating various facets of the Expedition, is a very melodic and subdued production. It was nominated as best original documentary music, for the 2009 Gémeaux Awards, which recognize French Canadian successes in Canadian television (equivalent to the English Canadian Gemini Awards). The composer, Simon Leclerc, is an award-winning conductor, composer and arranger from Montreal who has worked with many well known Quebec musicians, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He has also composed and directed the music for the IMAX film Lost Worlds and has directed the Paramount Pictures Orchestra for the TV series Star Trek. Available on iTunes.

PENGUIN DANCE – Music for String Quartett by Hans Peter Salentin (2010)

Hans Peter Salentin is a German jazz trumpeter and composer who has played with numerous world-class artists and has issued more than 17 CDs of various types of jazz music. He is a former professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Würzburg and currently works for a Dutch brass instrument firm. This CD has a lively cover of penguins jumping off an iceberg and contains polar-influenced tracks such as Penguin Dance, Endless Summer Nights, Splitting Iceberg, White and Grey and Whales, played by a Bulgarian string quartet. The melodic musical styles vary from contemplative minimalism to more boisterous playfulness. In 2010, Hans Peter explained his reason for the Antarctic theme to us: “Some years ago, I watched a movie about Antarctica on German TV, maybe National Geographic, strong colours, as you know, very impressive, so I composed some music, in my way, which shows the beauty of this nature, which might be gone in some years. I loved this idea to write this music for string quartet, because it shows to me, how fragile everything is.” Dewey Records 24579; www.hp-salentin.com; www.myspace.com/hanspetersalentin

SHIMMERING LIGHT – Film Music of Nigel Westlake (2009)

This is a compilation CD of many of Australian composer Westlake’s peaceful, majestic film scores. It includes music from commercially popular films, lesser well-known films as well as previously unreleased tracks and new arrangements of some older pieces. Included is the short track Threnody, with boy soprano and orchestra, which was originally included as an instrumental-only version on Westlake’s CD ANTARCTICA – The Film Music (1992). This was the soundtrack for the 1991 IMAX film Antarctica. Also on the CD is the track Beneath the Midnight Sun, recorded in 2009, which is a rearranged violin and harp duo version of Scott’s Theme, a haunting track on the ANTARCTICA soundtrack disc. It was originally included on the film music CD as two separate tracks, one scored for orchestra and the other for orchestra and boy soprano. Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC 476 3658

JASPER - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Florian Tessloff (2009)

Jasper, a penguin, is the leading character of a German television series of animated shorts by Toons ’n’ Tales, from the early 2000s. It was made into a feature-length film for the European market in 2008 as Jasper und das Limonadenkomplott, but the English version, titled Journey to the End of the World, has not yet been distributed in North America. According to the CD, “Between the backdrops of the icy South Pole and a colourful harbour city, unfolds the adventure of the penguin brothers Jasper and Junior, who, with the help of 9-year old Emma, rescue the eggs of the rare Kakapo bird from the evil hands of Dr. Block.” The dynamic orchestral score by Tessloff, performed by The Slovak National Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Allan Wilson, includes the short polar tracks More Icebergs… and South Pole Adventures. Moviescore Media MMS-09019; www.moviescoremedia.com

ICEBERG by Pascal Contet and Wu Wei (2009)

This a French disc of unusual music from a pair of instrumental virtuosos, French accordionist Pascal Contet and Chinese sheng (a giant-sized mouth organ originating around 3000 B.C.) artist Wu Wei, based in Germany. The CD is a showcase of avant-garde and improvised music, with track titles inspired by the names of different forms of icebergs. Title includes Blocky, Pinnacled 1, Amery Ice Shelf, Bergy Bit, A Song of Ice, Pinnacled 2, Wedellsee, Wedge, Icebreaker, Bergie Seltzer and Dome. The high pitched timbres and free-form soundscapes, like the ice they portray, may offer a slippery and challenging footing for listeners grounded on more traditional musical landscapes. According to the liner notes, “Iceberg is especially marked by a desire for sound transformation and introspection particular to the music of Pascal Contet and Wu Wei. A very pure approach, sweetly and sensitively moving, which reveals their association as far more transcendental and spiritual than experimental. Iceberg is a voyage, sliding massively, regularly like an ice-breaker come to crack a visible layer of immaculate pack-ice, provoking the instantaneous capturing of fugitive breaking before the ice reassumes its majestic immobility. In a deceptively calm environment, the music works as if in a process of irisation. Propelled by a shimmering ballet of two instruments answering each other,…even at times losing themselves in each other…And despite the apparent coldness of the decor, the whitish luminosity washed in the wake of this musical expedition, no feel of desolation, no dark thoughts. This Iceberg cruise is a symbol of hope. Hope generated by a will to surpass themselves acoustically, by a desire for sound cohesion of two musicians who have rid themselves for a long time now of all superfluous artifice and instrumental preconception.” Radio France SIG 11056; www.pascalcontet.com; www.wuweimusic.com

WHALE WARRIORS by Brian Balmages (2009) (Web site download only)

Brian Balmages is an American composer, conductor, producer and performer for wind, brass and orchestral music and his commissioned works have been used by elementary schools and leading U.S. orchestras. He is currently Director of Instrumental Publications for The FJH Music Co., Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. One of his wind ensemble concert band pieces is the melodic 5½-minute Whale Warriors, for grades 2.5-3. It is described on the publisher’s web site as follows: “Experience the stunning true story of Captain Paul Watson and his crew as they set sail in the Antarctic in an attempt to sink whaling ships! Based on these “modern day pirates”, the music tells the story of their adventures as they use methods that include stink bombs, prop foulers, and even the dreaded “can opener!” The music paints a picture of their ship, the Farley Mowat, which is painted black with a Jolly Roger hoisted up. The energy rises as they engage other ships and risk their lives to save these beautiful defenseless creatures. Awe inspiring!” Brian told us in 2010 that the track was “inspired by the book of the same name by Peter Heller about Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd campaign. It was a very interesting book to read with a lot of thought-provoking material.” Download available for purchase from www.fjhmusic.com; www.brianbalmages.com

PIRATE FOR THE SEA - Original Motion Pictures Soundtrack by Aldo Shllaku (2009)

This is the soundtrack to the documentary/biographical film, by Rob Colby, about the life and career of Captain Paul Watson and his crews of volunteers. Watson was one of the co-founders the Greenpeace Foundation and since 1977 has been better known as the founder and principal activist of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS). The SSCS is a leading campaigner to protect marine wildlife around the globe, particularly seals on the Canadian east coast and whales, both in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. His entanglements with the Japanese Antarctic whaling fleet have been well publicized over the years and have been the subject of both films and TV programs. Pirate for the Sea debuted at the 2008 Telluride (Colorado, U.S.A.) Film Festival in 2008. The composer and conductor of the music, Aldo Shllaku is of Albanian origin, studied music in Montreal, Canada and is now based in Los Angeles, U.S.A., as a composer, director and arranger of a variety of music styles. The instrumental music on the soundtrack is played by a small orchestra in classical/New Age world music styles to fit the moods from the Arctic north through the equator all the way to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. This is an area surrounding Antarctica where the International Whaling Commission has banned all commercial whaling. It is in this area that Japan still carries on whaling under the guise of scientific research and against which the SSCS has taken its protesting actions. On the whole, the music on the disc is very melodic and generally serene but on its own, without the visuals, may not be reflective of the aggressive and unpleasant activities that have become the legendary public face of the SSCS’s voyages.

Included on the CD is Speeding into the Sanctuary, a 3-minute, 3-part musical portrayal of the area. Aldo told us that “The director/producer of the Pirate for the Sea, Ron Colby, saw another film that I had written the music for and contacted me to discuss. This is how I got involved. Once I saw the film and because of the subject matter, I immediately accepted. The Whale Sanctuary track was inspired simply by what this sanctuary is - an open, calm, safe ocean place for fish and ocean mammals...until the illegal hunting begins. I had a lot information for every scene because the director of the film was on board the ship with Paul Watson for the duration of the protection expedition.” Carpe Diem Music; aldoshllaku.com; www.seashepherd.org

SYMPHONY NO. 1 FOR STRINGS: ANTARCTICA by Surtsey (2009) (Web site download only)

Dave Court is a Bath, U.K.-based electronic artist who goes by the name of Surtsey (derived from the name of a volcanic island formed in the 1960s off the coast of Iceland). This 30-minute minimalist work consists of five movements, including A Song for Rainfall, A Song for Snow, A Song for Ice, A Song for Wind and Respite. The swaths of sorrowful synthesizer strings combine elements of electronic ambient music with the string orchestra styles of Pēteris Vasks and Arvo Pärt, in which each change in tone is a major musical event. The moods and sounds of Antarctica bring to mind the sadness and suffering in the music of these two East European Baltic artists, as well as in that of Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs), a surprise international hit in the 1990s for the Polish composer. While Antarctica may not offer the richness of sounds and variety found in the music of these world-class artists, it conveys a very strong melancholy and is about Robert Scott’s 1910-12 South Pole expedition.

We asked Surtsey about his music and he told us, “The piece was in part inspired by Robert Falcon Scott and the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition. It was originally written as a single 35-minute ambient work but was split into movements to emphasise the thematic changes. There was also originally a short reprise after the third track, tentatively entitled The Flag but I cut this from the release version as I was unsure about the way it interrupted the flow of the other pieces. The titles refer to the worsening weather conditions that the party encountered, with the exception of the final track, Respite, referring to the brave sacrifice of Captain Oates and the tragic death of the rest of the party over the next two weeks, being a release from the perceived burden of their obligations and inhospitality of the continent. That piece ends with a series of coherent major chords which are intended to draw a stark contrast to the consistently minor and atonal themes of the rest of the movements. The work overall was written to evoke emotions of emptiness, isolation and helplessness, except the last track, which, ironically, was written to convey a feeling of hope. A motif is introduced halfway through the first movement and recurs in the second, third and fourth, but not in the fifth, in an effort to reinforce this. The other motivation was that I’ve always harbored a fascination for the Antarctic, since I was a child. It seems to hold a powerful and menacing yet fragile beauty, which I find hard to explain.” Download available free of charge under a Creative Commons License at www.monocromatica.com/netlabel/release/tube171.htm; www.myspace.com/surtseymusic

THE EXPLORERS: A CENTURY OF DISCOVERY - Original Television Soundtrack - Composed and Conducted by Lee Holdridge (2008)

The Explorers was a 90-minute 1988 television special aired on American PBS to honor the centennial of the National Geographic Society, produced by Nicolas Noxon and narrated by E. G. Marshall. It featured two dozen scientists and explorers from Alexander Graham Bell, one the founding principals of the Society to prominent scientific explorers of the day. The soundtrack music, never previously released, was composed by Lee Holdridge, an American composer whose early collaborations with Neil Diamond recordings led to the soundtrack for the popular Jonathan Livingston Seagull movie. Holdridge has scored numerous other movies and television series, composed classical concert works and worked with many major recording artists. He has received six Emmys, including one for this documentary for Outstanding Achievement in a Craft in News and Documentary Programming - Music.

One of the tracks is Antarctic Summer / Byrd Flies Over the South Pole, which portrays the first flight over the South Pole. The National Geographic society was one of the sponsors of Richard Byrd’s United States Antarctic Expedition, in which Byrd, as navigator and Bernt Balchen, the pilot and two others flew the Ford trimotor Floyd Bennett from Little America on the Ross Ice Shelf to the Pole. Byrd became an American hero and led four later Antarctic Expeditions. According to the CD booklet notes, “Holdridge scores the segment with military-like snare drums and a musical “march” to reach the Pole”. In 2010, Lee told us: “The score for The Explorers was composed to the film. Each cue I wrote was scoring whatever the visual sequence on screen at that moment. Sometimes what I compose for a score might be in response to a request by the director.” In the booklet notes, he further explains that “I approach documentaries as if they are dramas, I’m helping convey the story and the emotions, pulling the viewer deeper into the story…You have to put your feelings into the film…You work with the narration as if that too is part of the score. In a way, the narration is the solo and you are the underscore around it.” Intrada ISE 1019

ON COURSE by Laurie Altman (2008)

Laurie Altman is an assistant professor of music at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. He has received many classical commissions for compositions and has performed as a jazz artist in numerous clubs and events worldwide. This CD is a compilation of his compositions dating from 1985 and contains the 13-minute, 3-part Suite, Three Antarctic Songs for Baritone and Piano, which includes the tracks On Course, Within Limitless Space and Does an Emperor Penguin Meditate. The baritone is Elem Eley, with Laurie Altman at the piano. The second piece is the 5½-minute On Course for Instrumental Octet, which includes flutes, clarinet, piano vibraphone, violin, maracas and conductor. Laurie told us that “the Antarctic pieces found their inspiration from a trip that my wife and I took to Antarctica in February of 2006. The CD contains two On Course Pieces: An instrumental Octet and a setting of three Antarctic poems of mine for Baritone and Piano. There were numerous other pieces that emerged as a result of that trip as well.”

According to the liner notes for Three Antarctic Songs, “I became haunted with trying to find a sound that would take me closer to the emptiness, the vastness, the color and pristine stillness of that place. (Wide spacings; few clusters; a joining of some – ancient and new). The two outer pieces of the set, On Course and Does an Emperor Penguin Meditate are short and relatively straightforward in their presentation. Within Limitless Space truly attempts to capture the emptiness and vastness to which I alluded earlier. The three falsetto insertions were almost like a voice, Shackleton’s perhaps, speaking (da lontano) from the sea, a faint ember, “seemingly to nowhere”. On Course, the instrumental octet, is the most overtly programmatic work on the CD. It is to be heard with the breeze in your face, fourteen knots of speed underfoot, all attended by weather, ship motion and the natural elements of light, birds, ice and seals all around. Structural content is almost song-like: AABCA with an intense and dramatic ostinato mantra carrying the piece and its players forward and On Course. It is for me a tone painting, a work of color and vibrancy, never wavering in both its intensity and relentlessness.” The cover photograph of misty blue-grey pancake sea ice was taken by Laurie’s wife, Jeannine Hummel, on this 2006 trip with National Geographic.

Lyrics for On Course, about being in the Drake Passage: “The thrust, the push forward,“Steady”, “Port Ten”, “Starboard Five”, pitch and roll, a wave, the hint of a breeze, “Midships”, getting there, vacuous space. Waiting, observing, fingers chilled, tears, the wind, frigid, unremitting, “Steady”, the sky, grey, painted on, sculpted, an Albatross alone in search of, diving, drifting, “Port Ten”, Seals floating, the thrust, the push breathless, surrounded all sides, water spraying, “Starboard Five”, everything moving, “Steady”, forward, getting there, fleeting, head wind, getting there, the thrust, the push, getting there, forward, forever, On Course. On Course.”

Lyrics for Within Limitless Space, about being in the Weddell Sea: “Within limitless space, an ice field blue, white and grey. Four a.m., a sky, textured, tufted with light shards. Pin pricks, crystals expanding, rolling, compressed, broken, blue, a Petrel in flight, seemingly, to nowhere. Within limitless space, The weight of an iceberg, below itself, rolling, calving breaking apart, the eye sees beginning, limitless space to be filled (a music score), the horizon. A Chinstrap Penguin, floating sideways, seemingly, to nowhere. In a turn a mountain broken off, something larger, before the sea, yielding to nothing but itself. A lone Weddell Seal, asleep, awakens to space, limitless (no less tomorrow than today). Warmed by the sun deep in a dive, seemingly, to nowhere.”

Lyrics for Does an Emperor Penguin Meditate?, on Booth Island: “Thirty five days, molting, tall upon snow and ice, frigid, a promontory, wind, fifty knots, barely, a quiver. Determined, elemental proof of something so unique, a way of being. Do you question As you wait. Do you Dear Penguin, ever Meditate?

Albany Records TROY1041; www.albanyrecords.com; www.lauriealtman.com

MUSIC FROM SEVEN CONTINENTS Vol. 3 by the Cincinnati Boychoir (2008)

Founded in 1965, the Cincinnati Boychoir, directed by Randall Wolfe, gives numerous local subscription concerts and has performed with the Vienna Boys Choir, symphony orchestras, and gives concerts for community organizations as well as touring internationally. Their latest CD includes four song tracks related to the seventh continent, Southward, The Maid’s Lament and The Ice King by Gerald S. Doorly and Humpback Whales by Wendy Mae Chambers. The Morning was the relief ship sent to resupply Robert Scott’s Discovery Expedition of 1901-04 and during its 1902 voyage to Antarctica, the third officer, Lieut. Gerald Doorly, a talented pianist and entertainer, and the chief engineer, J.D. Morrison, as lyricist, collaborated on a collection of songs that were performed during musical evenings on the ship’s piano, accompanied by riotous noisemaking. More in the vein of Victorian parlour songs than sea shanties, the songs were published in 1943, apparently in a very tame version of the originals. Wendy Mae Chambers is a New Jersey-based pianist and composer who travelled to the Antarctic Peninsula in 1999 and recorded a solo piano CD ANTARCTICA SUITE, which included Humpback Whales. Randall Wolfe told us that in concert “The boys make sounds of whales and dolphins (and can imitate the sounds remarkably well), while some boys pour water from one plastic pitcher into another and also back and forth between plastic glasses, while other boys make bubble sounds with their lips. We ask the audience to close their eyes and imagine travelling underwater to Antarctica. The boys love this music!” www.cincinnatiboychoir.org; (see also THE SONGS of the ‘MORNING’: a Musical Sketch by G. S. Doorly (2002) in this section below and also ANTARCTICA SUITE by Wendy Mae Chambers (1999) in the following “Non-Classical, all or significantly Antarctic” section.)

ELEPHANT by Stefano Ianne (2008)

Ianne is a Ravenna, Italy-based composer of modern symphonic music, at times reminiscent of minimalism and a more pastoral Philip Glass. With three CDs, Ianne’s music is rich with melodic strings and quiet arpeggios. This CD, largely themed about a boy and an elephant, was recorded live at the Dal Verme theatre in Milan by the theatre’s resident orchestra in 2007. It has the track Amundsen and we asked Stefano about it in 2009. He said: “Yes, the track Amundsen is related to the polar explorer Roald Amundsen. When I was young, I had intentions to be an explorer and I’ve studied Amundsen. His story is wonderful and his passing away, which happened in order to try to find Umberto Nobile in the North Pole, is truly mysterious.” Nobile was an Italian explorer whose dirigible-type airship crashed during the return flight from the North Pole in 1928. Many international search and rescue planes were used in the rescue operation. Polar hero Amundsen was on one of planes, which disappeared and was never found. Sconfinarte; www.ianne.org; www.myspace.com/stefanoianne

ANTARCTICA SAGA (AMUNDSEN TO THE SOUTH POLE by Mike Hannickel (c. 2007) (Web site download only)

Mike Hannickel is a composer and music director in California’s Rocklin Unified School District, specializing in elementary and junior high band and orchestras. He has also conducted his compositions in Hollywood-area studios and scored for independent movies, documentaries and other productions. Two of his school compositions for wind band include the 3-minute regal march Antarctica Saga (Amundsen to the South Pole) and the more playful 2-minute Penguin Promenade. While not issued on a commercial disc, the two pieces have been recorded as demos and are available for free download and/or listening at the Web sites mentioned in this listing. Mike told us in 2009: “Since my publications are mostly for school-aged musicians, I often try to incorporate some historical, scientific, or literary component so teachers will be able to use the music as a jumping off point for other lessons. Antarctica Saga was also an opportunity for young bands to sensibly use non-traditional instruments and sounds (water glasses, etc.).” www.curnowmusicpress.com; www.jwpepper.com

STRING THEORY and CINEMATIC WINGS by Jeffrey Gold (both 2007) (Web site download only)

Gold, based in Utah, is a multi-talented film producer, composer, playwright and university film/theatre educator. From an early start as a published physicist and mathematician, while still an undergraduate, his films, compositions and plays have premièred in both the U.S. and Britain and won many awards. His collection of instrumentals on String Theory includes the tracks Shackleton (Theme) and Shackleton (South Georgia Island). Cinematic Wings has Shackleton’s Return and Antarctica by Air. All of these are beautiful, lush, majestic pieces with rich symphonic strings. Jeffrey told us that “The motivation for the tracks is the inspiration that Antarctica alone generates. There are people drawn to Antarctica for reasons they do not understand; I am one of those people. I suppose it is the pristine serenity and Shackleton’s adventure is the best survival story in existence.” www.jeffreygold.com

THE PEOPLE THAT TME FORGOT - Film Score by John Scott (2006)

This is the full orchestral soundtrack for the 1977 U.K. movie of the same name, directed by Kevin Connor, as not all the tracks were used in the movie. It was a sequel to the 1975 film The Land That Time Forgot, in which a German U-boat sinks a British vessel during WWI, picks up the survivors and ends up in the south polar seas at the continent of Caprona, populated by terrifying dinosaurs and apemen. In this sequel, another expedition sets out in 1919 to rescue the colleagues who were previously lost and finds a tropical oasis in the middle of the Ice. Both movies are based on the 1918 Caspak trilogy by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The two brief Antarctic-related tracks on the CD are the dramatic Crossing the Ice Wall, and Return Across the Ice Wall, this time a far more relaxed musical passage.

John Scott is an internationally-known musician, composer and orchestra conductor whose first film soundtrack dates to 1965. As a musician, Scott played the flute solo in the iconic Beatles’ song You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (from the movie Help) and was principal saxophonist on the James Bond Goldfinger movie soundtrack. He has won three Emmy Awards and since 2006 has been the Artistic Director of the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra. Scott also wrote the soundtrack score for the William Kronick-produced, written and directed documentary film about The Transglobe Expedition, led by Ranulph Fiennes. This team circumnavigated the globe along its polar axis from North to South Poles, being the first to do so, finishing in 1982. JOS Records JSCD 132; www.josrecords.com. (See also TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - Original Soundtrack Recording - music composed and conducted by John Scott (1988) in this section.)

ICELIGHT by Michelle Ende’ (2006)

Michelle Ende’ is a Tampa, Florida-area resident and began her musical training at a young age with piano and organ and later continued with conservatory training in composition and orchestration. Her classical and choral works have been recorded by the Bay Area Philharmonic and the Bay Area Chamber Works, which specialize in local area composers. She is now a professor of International Economics. With over 20 CDs, her output has been prodigious, particularly in the last ten years. This CD is the last of three Planetary albums and consists of four long ambient tracks taking us into the mysterious fogs, ice and twilight of Antarctica. From the liner notes: Fog: “Within this landscape there exist vast caverns of fog, lifting images in and out of sight. The landscape varies in its shades of grey and white and fog moves over the ice in a creeping fashion revealing magnificent towers of ice, vast caverns and glacier valleys.” Icelight: “No sunlight or moonlight. Only icelight, a kind of half light in which all things appear grey; another shade of ice as it were. Small points of light drift through the overcast clouds, but it is only a halo; no real light or warmth.” Chiaroscuro: “From this darkness of clanking ice and strange noises, the signs of Spring come drifting in slowly. Icelight gives way to new light; sunlight, warm light, life light.” The most sprightly and melodic of the tracks is Penguins: “The only life here are the penguins atop the ice. Only they break up the general sameness of the icescape. Cold winds huddle them together; the only source of warmth.” Michelle told us in 2009 about her inspiration for the music: “I was exposed to Happy Feet (the movie), March of the Penguins (the movie) and had just finished watching a documentary on Scott and Shackleton and I was moved by the beauty of Antarctica.” www.annuitmusic.com

SHADOW DANCES - GUITAR MUSIC BY NIGEL WESTLAKE - Played by Slava Grigoryan (2006)

Australian Grigoryan (a native of Kazakhstan) recorded this performance of fellow Australian Nigel Westlake’s Antarctica – Suite for Guitar and Orchestra in 2004 with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The guitar concerto was completed in 1992 and had its origin from his soundtrack to the IMAX film of the same name. The four movements, totalling 23 minutes on this CD, rework musical ideas from the film, as well as developing others not included in it. The four tracks are The Last Place on Earth, Wooden Ships, Penguin Ballet and The Ice Core – Finale. ABC Classics 476 5744; www.rimshot.com.au (Nigel Westlake’s web site)

PLANET EARTH - Music from the BBC TV Series – music composed and conducted by George Fenton (2006)

BBC’s massive 11-part television documentary about the earth’s various and extreme habitats goes from pole to pole and oceans to mountains. The ICE WORLDS instalment includes the following lavish symphonic themes performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra: Discovering Antarctica, The Humpbacks’ Bubblenet, Everything Leaves but the Emperors, The disappearing Sea Ice, Lost in the Storm. EMI 0946 381891 2 1; www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/planetearth

DREAMINGS by Gondwana Voices (2006)

Gondwana Voices is Australia’s national children’s choir, for ages 10 to 16, established in 1997 by artistic director/conductor Lyn Williams to perform new and traditional music, which showcases the country and its peoples. It has traveled internationally and is committed to commissioning works from Australian composers. On this disc is also Principal Guest Conductor Mark O’Leary, who is the founder and director of another Australian children’s choir, Young Voices of Melbourne. The CD contains an Antarctic-related piece, Australian Daniel Walker’s ode to the Southern Ocean’s wandering albatross, The Wanderer. According to the liner notes, the composer writes, “The Wanderer is about living your dreams. The inspiration of this piece was the albatross, a lone traveler soaring on the Antarctic winds, his destination wherever the currents may take him. I have always been in awe of these magnificent birds, and the text I have written in some way pays homage to their grace and determination.” The lyrics are: “Let me go where the wind will go, let it take me over southern shores. I will ride on the ocean air, I will travel across ice and foam, far from home. And where no road will take you, where few have gone before, it’s far beyond the ice-floe far below where my spirit calls. Antarctic land! land of unearthly light, where pale horizon escapes eternal night. Wumara, warawara.” Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC 476 9093; www.gondwanavoices.com.au; (See also BIRRALEE 10^th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT LIVE (2005), referenced in this section.)

ELEMENTAL: IMPRESSIONS OF THE NATURAL WORLD by Mary Doumany (2005)

Mary Doumany is a Victoria, Australia-based composer, harpist and singer who has performed with the Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland Symphony Orchestras as well as internationally. With a repertoire covering music for opera, ballet, orchestra and jazz, she also has a great interest in improvised music. Her harp playing was included in the soundtracks for the movies Shine and The Truman Story. Elemental was her first CD of original solo harp compositions and was written for a 36-string lever harp. One of the tracks is Ice. According to Mary’s CD liner notes, “The harp has a timeless quality to its sound. It is one of the oldest instruments and some have said that the first harp was created out of sinews across a turtle shell. For me, the act of playing (striking strings made from animal gut, with my bare hands) has a rawness and immediacy that belies the ethereal sound I create. Much like ice: It looks magical, and yet it can wreak havoc, as it has done in the Northern Hemisphere this past winter. I believe that the harp invokes the sounds of the natural world most effectively.” Mary told us in 2011 about the track: “It’s based on Ice in a geographical setting, so yes, both Antarctica and the Arctic. I certainly wasn’t thinking about ice cubes from the refrigerator!” This track had its Antarctic performance première in February 2011, being played by another renowned Australian harp soloist, Alice Giles, who travelled to Antarctica in early 2011 on an Australian Antarctic Division Arts Fellowship. She is head of the Harp Area at the Australian National University, and according to her University Web pages, went on the Australian ship Aurora Australis to the Australian bases, Mawson and Davis Stations, to perform and record music especially written for the journey, as well as music that was heard in the Antarctic 100 years ago. Alice is the granddaughter of Dr. Cecil Madigan, who was a member of the 1911-14 First Australasian Antarctic Expedition. Alice was the first Australian professional musician to perform in Antarctica and her musical presentations were arranged to celebrate the Centenary of the First Australasian Antarctic Expedition. www.aliceinantarctica.wordpess.com; www.music.anu.edu.au/aliceinantarctica

SHOULD THIS BE FOUND: SIX SONGS ON SCOTT’S LAST EXPEDITION by Perry Goldstein (2005) (Web site download only)

Perry Goldstein is Undergraduate Studies Director in the Department of Music and Director of the College of Arts, Culture and Humanities at State University of New York at Stony Brook. As a composer, his music has been heard in many countries and he specializes in saxophone and other wind instrument works. This 34-minute opus consists of six vocal pieces about the phases of Scott’s tragic Terra Nova South Pole Expedition of 1910-12, including The Voyage Out, Land at Last, Penguins, Impressions on the March, In Winter Quarters and Summit, the Pole and Beyond, performed by the United States Military Academy Band of West Point, New York, directed by Col. Thomas Rotondi. Jr. The soprano is Sergeant First Class MaryKay Messenger. The song texts were compiled by the American novelist Richard Powers from Scott’s own eloquent words, written in his classic expedition journal. While a melodic, operatic treatment of the history of the Expedition may not be quite the expected vehicle to portray the physical hardships encountered in Antarctica, it continues in the trend of contemporary historic opera and is a worthy addition to the Antarctic repertoire. It would be interesting to imagine a stage performance or multi-media presentation of this work. Perry told us in 2009 that “I encountered the Scott story by chance while watching American Public Television one day many years ago. The documentary was especially moving when it described the letters Scott wrote about his men and to his wife when it was clear that he wasn’t going to survive. I thought at the time that it would make a very moving set of songs, and years later I had the chance to try my hand at it when I was commissioned by the West Point Band to write a set of songs. The text was compiled from Scott’s diaries by Richard Powers, a friend and acclaimed novelist.” The performance, including text and program notes, is available for free download at www.usma.edu/band/recordings/found.htm

WORKS by Brian Bennett (2005)

This is a 4-CD box set of four of Brian Bennett’s film scores, which includes the soundtrack of GREAT NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD, a 2002 Christmas/New Year BBC Natural History film produced by Peter Crawford and narrated by the ubiquitous Sir David Attenborough. One of the tracks in this visit to various landscapes of the earth is South to Antarctica, a sweeping orchestral theme portraying the icy mysteries of the continent. Brian Bennett, in addition to having won many awards for his film and TV compositions, arrangements and productions, was awarded the OBE from the Queen of England in 2004 for his services to music. Brian is also a drummer and member of Britain’s iconic rock group, the Shadows, which began as the backing band for Cliff Richard in 1959. They became one of the most successful acts in Britain in the 1960s and went on to great acclaim as an independent instrumental group with countless records. www.brianbennettmusic.co.uk

JOURNEYS by Young Voices of Melbourne (2005)

Young Voices of Melbourne is an Australian choir, founded in 1990, by its director, Mark O’Leary. With 130 singers between 6 and 18 years of age, it has traveled internationally and is committed to the performance of new Australian music. One of the tracks on this disc is the 6½ minute Shackleton, for 3-part voices and piano, by the Sydney, Australia composer and performer Paul Jarman. The piece is from his song cycle Turn on the Open Sea, which pays tribute to the adventurers of the sea. It was commissioned for the Sydney Children’s Choir in 2001. According to the liner notes, “The triumphant story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition to the Antarctic in 1914 has become one of the popular tales of modern exploration. Against all odds, Shackleton and his men survived a two-year ordeal, trapped without a ship, during a freezing winter in the most remote and unexplored region of the globe. Thanks to intuitive leadership and incredible persistence, Shackleton not only returned to Europe, but did so without losing a single crew member. The impossible boat journey across the great Southern Ocean in the 20-foot ‘James Caird’, and the successful navigation of South Georgia remains the greatest quest in the annals of the sea. On returning to England, several of the crew enlisted to fight on the red fields of Flanders, and within weeks, two men perished in battle.” The song is a very beautiful hymn to the irony of their return – simple, elegant and one of our favourite Antarctic melodies. Lyrics are:

“Old man, looking out to the sea, This time he’s leaving, Windswept hair and strong old bones, Now gently fading no longer sailing.

Oh many years ago, can you remember? The haunting cry of a ship that drowned, Beneath the ice floe of the Weddell Sea.

Times were hard, but we made it over, Made it over, they wonder why, Through the cold, but we made it over, Made it over, they’ll never know.

Two years trapped in the southern sea, Far from our homeland, Roaring waves and wailing winds, May well defeat us, but hopes were high. Oh please tell me why, we’re most forgotten, Far away from a world at war, Who needs a hero, Who needs to know?

Times were hard, but we made it over, Made it over, they wonder why, Through the cold, but we made it over, Made it over, they’ll never know. Why, why, did we have to come home to war? Why, why, why? Try, try, tell me what are we fighting for? Try, try, try.

Then, on the red fields of Flanders, All men were fallen, A bloody war, fought on every shore, Brought pain and sorrow to a sailing man.

But I still hear the steam whistle blowing, ‘Twas the day of wonders, Frozen tears and heartfelt cheers, Never forgotten, We made it over.

Times were hard, but we made it over, Made it over, they wonder why, Through the cold, but we made it over, Made it over, they’ll never know.

Why, why, did we have to come home to war? Why, why, why? Try, try, tell me what are we fighting for? Try, try, try.

Why, why, did we have to come home to war? Why, why why? Try, try tell me what are we fighting for? Try, try, try.

We made it over! We made it over!” YVMCD006; www.yvm.com.au (See also NEW LIGHT NEW HOPE by Gondwana Voices (2003) and BIRRALEE 10^th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT LIVE (2005), referenced in this section.)

BIRRALEE 10^th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT LIVE (2005)

Brisbane, Australia’s Birralee Voices is a community-based organization of nine choral ensembles, largely for children and includes ages 5 to 25. It was formed in 1995 and is directed by Julie Christiansen. It has travelled internationally, won awards and promotes a variety of cultures, while promoting Australian composers. Their anniversary CD includes Paul Jarman’s Shackleton, which is reported to be one of the most widely performed choral works in Australia. According to the booklet notes, “It doesn’t seem to matter how many times Shackleton is performed around this country and overseas, young people love to sing it and audience members love to hear it.” A second Antarctic-related piece on the CD is Australian Daniel Walker’s ode to the albatross, The Wanderer. According to the composer, “The Wanderer is about living your dreams. The inspiration of this piece was the albatross, a lone traveler soaring on the Antarctic winds, his destination wherever the currents may take him. I have always been in awe of these magnificent birds, and the text I have written in some way pays homage to their grace and determination.” The lyrics are: “Let me go where the wind will go, let it take me over southern shores. I will ride on the ocean air, I will travel across ice and foam, far from home. And where no road will take you, where few have gone before, it’s far beyond the ice-floe far below where my spirit calls. Antarctic land! land of unearthly light, where pale horizon escapes eternal night. Wumara, warawara.” www.birralee.com (See also NEW LIGHT NEW HOPE by Gondwana Voices (2003), JOURNEYS by Young Voices of Melbourne (2005) and DREAMINGS by Gondwana Voices (2006), referenced in this section.)

ANTARCTICA by Elizabeth Brown (2005)

Elizabeth Brown, a New York (Brooklyn)-based composer and flautist, is a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and has composed for various commissions. One of her pieces is Antarctica, a 7-minute alto flute solo with prerecorded sound accompaniment. While it has not been released on CD, Elizabeth provided a recorded copy of her performance of it. The flute seems an ideal instrument to convey ethereal Antarctic impressions and the background instruments, windscapes, breathing and vocalizations provide some great atmospherics. In 2008 Elizabeth provided us with her program notes for her composition: “During the winter of 2004-05, Sara Wheeler’s book Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica was my bedtime reading. I started to dream about Antarctica, and this music was born in those dreams. I chose alto flute because of its range and timbre, and the taped portion consists of natural sounds recorded in my Brooklyn studio. Antarctica was commissioned by Patti Monson, who premiered it on July 16th, 2005, at the Bang on a Can Summer Institute at Mass MoCA.” www.elizabethbrowncomposer.com

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS Original Score by Alex Wurman (2005)

Whether a cynical marketing ploy or a desire for cultural adaptation, the English version of this French film has serious narration by Morgan Freeman and a studio orchestra playing a pleasant New Age soundtrack by composer Wurman. There are titles such as The Harshest Place on Earth (played on not so harsh-sounding harps, flutes and tinkling piano), and other musical excursions such as Walk Not Alone, The March, Walk Through Darkness, First Steps and Arrival at the Sea. The soundtrack sounds great with the film but as a self-contained listening experience is a bit too sweet to convey convincingly the harsh Antarctic home of the Emperor penguins. The film became a huge hit, particularly for a documentary and the English version won the Oscar for best documentary feature film of 2005. Milan M2-36131; www.marchofthepenguins.com; (See also LA MARCHE DE L’EMPEREUR by Emilie Simon (2005) in the following “Non-Classical, all or significantly Antarctic” section.)

AMSTERDAM – Brass Band Music of the Netherlands (2005)

This CD of tracks from various composers, played by the accomplished Provinciale Brassband Groningen, conducted by Siemen Hoekstra, includes Antarctica, by Carl Wittrock, a Dutch composer and conductor (b. 1966). The liner notes explain that “Carl Wittrock became inspired by huge ice fields surrounding the south pole. Colorful and majestic sounds provide the composition with a fascinating view of this “6^th” continent. This composition is a free impression of the spectacular scenery in the Antarctic. Melodies are linked together to convey the various aspects of the landscape. These melodies together with their simple harmonic accompaniments make this work pleasant for both the listener and the musician.” Carl told us in 2007 that “The main reason was the impressive nature. It is very beautiful, but also untouchable and dangerous. The composition was made as a sort of movie music without movie.” Gobelin Records 05.002; www.gobelinmusic.com

INTRODUCING THE FANFARE BAND - Fanfarekorps Koninklijke Landmacht (2003)

The same piece of music, Antarctica, by Carl Wittrock, is also on this Dutch compilation CD of brass band music by the Royal Netherlands Army (FKKL) Fanfare Band, conducted by Jan Nellestijn. Gobelin Records 03.001 & 03.002; www.gobelinmusic.com

NATALE by Banda Colloredo (2002)

The Philharmonic Colloredo di Prato is an orchestra, formed in 1893, based in Colloredo di Prato (Udine), Italy. This CD has their wind band version of Carl Wittrock’s Antarctica. www.filarmonicacolloredo.it

ANTARCTICA - Carolus Magnus Ingelheimer Kaiserpfalz Bläser (2000)

This is a German disc of various modern instrumental music by Carolus Magnus Ingelheimer Kaiserpfalz Bläser, an Ingelheim-based, German wind orchestra conducted by Peter Vierneisel. The CD is named after the title track, Antarctica, by Carl Wittrock, which gets a more nuanced and subdued treatment than the brass band versions. GEMA ACO CD 10400

ANTARCTICA - Johan Willem Friso Kapel (unknown date)

Carl Wittrock’s Antarctica, also appeared on another brass band compilation disc of the same name, now discontinued, conducted by Gert Jansen. CD not verified.

AUBADE: Organ Music by Ohio Composers: Karel Paukert, Organ (2004)

This is a CD of solo organ recitals by Paukert, a distinguished teacher, concert performer and the long-time Curator of Musical Arts at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Included on the disc is the 6½-minute track Erebus by Monica Houghton, an award-winning composer and composition teacher for the Cleveland Institute of Music Department of Preparatory and Continuing Education and Joint Music Program with Case Western Reserve University. Her music has been performed internationally. Erebus was written in 2003 as a tribute to her older brother, a geographer and mountaineer who passed away in November 1979 in the tragic crash of the Air New Zealand plane that was on a sightseeing flight over Antarctica. It crashed into Mount Erebus in the McMurdo Station area and all 257 people on board were lost. According to Monica’s note in the CD booklet, “In Greek mythology, Erebus was the son of Chaos and the father of Aether (brightness) and Hemera (day). Erebus and his sister Nyx (night) were also said to be the parents of Eros, the god of love, and of Charon, the ferryman at the river Styx. Often, Erebus is referred to simply as ‘the place of shadows.’ Mount Erebus was so named by the British explorer James Clark Ross, who discovered it in 1840. The world’s most southernmost volcano, Mount Erebus is situated on Ross Island, adjacent to McMurdo Sound, on the New Zealand side of Antarctica. The mountain rises directly from the sea to an astonishing altitude of 12,444 feet, where, on a clear day, a plume of smoke can be seen emanating from its summit. My brother had both a professional interest in and a personal love of mountains. I have tried to write a piece of music that will do honor to my brother’s memory, and at the same time convey a sense of the awe and majesty that is characteristic of such a great mountain as the one that took him away from us.” The Cleveland Museum of Art/Azica ACD 71229; www.monicahoughton.com

MUSIC TO PICTURE by Brian Bennett (2004)

This CD is a compilation of Brian Bennett’s great film and television music from TV mysteries, documentaries and films in various musical styles, spanning thirty years. Also included are full tracks that did not make it to the final productions of other broadcast works. Included is the melodic, orchestral The Shackleton Variations, described in the CD booklet as “Brian’s musical interpretation of Ernest Shackleton’s heroic Antarctic explorations.” Brian Bennett, in addition to having won many awards for his film and TV compositions, arrangements and productions, was awarded the OBE from the Queen of England in 2004 for his services to music. Brian is also a drummer and member of Britain’s iconic rock group, the Shadows, which began as the backing band for Cliff Richard in 1959. They became one of the most successful acts in Britain in the 1960s and went on to great acclaim as an independent instrumental group with countless records. FLYCUB20108; www.brianbennettmusic.co.uk

THE HAROUN SONGBOOK - CHARLES WUORINEN SERIES by Charles Wuorinen (2004)

This is a collection of excerpts from Wuorinen’s opera Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which is based on author Salman Rushdie’s 1990 children’s book of the same name. Rushdie wrote the book as a fable and allegory after the well publicized fatwa that led to his life of escape underground. The story revolves around a professional story teller who loses his gift of gab. His son then goes on adventures to return his father’s livelihood. The music on the CD, for four singers (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and bass-baritone) and piano accompaniment, was written by Charles Wuorinen, an acclaimed modernist composer, pianist and conductor who was the youngest composer to win the Pulitzer Prize in music in 1970. The lyrics are by English poet and journalist James Fenton. One of the adventures is a polar trip with the short track To the South Pole. Sample lyrics: “It’s getting even colder And the waters are losing their colour. We’re going the right way! We can tell! Before it was filthy! Now it’s Hell!...You can stop a cheque. You can stop a leak or three. You can stop traffic, but You can’t stop me. To the South Pole. Full speed ahead to the South Pole…To the South Pole…These are the waters of neglect. These are the seas of disgrace. Give me a year and I expect I could clean this place.” Albany Records TROY664; www.charleswuorinen.com

MIRRORS OF FIRE - Australian Guitar Originals - Played by Tim Kain (2004)

Australian Kain, together with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, perform (in 1997) Nigel Westlake’s Antarctica - Suite for Guitar and Orchestra, a 22-minute guitar concerto completed in 1992 that had its origin from his soundtrack to the IMAX film of the same name. In four movements, it reworks musical ideas from the film as well as developing others not included in it. Tall Poppies TP169; www.tallpoppies.net

The same recording of Antarctica - Suite for Guitar and Orchestra, with Tim Kain, is included in OUT OF THE BLUE (2004), a compilation of three works by Westlake, performed by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Porcelijn. ABC Classics ABC 462 017-2; www.rimshot.com.au

MUSIC FROM SEVEN CONTINENTS Vol. 2 by the Cincinnati Boychoir (2004)

NEW LIGHT NEW HOPE by Gondwana Voices (2003)

Gondwana Voices is Australia’s national children’s choir, for ages 10 to 16, established in 1997 by artistic director/conductor Lyn Williams to perform new and traditional music, which showcases the country and its peoples. It has traveled internationally and is committed to commissioning works from Australian composers. One of the tracks on this disc is the 5½ minute Shackleton, a very moving, beautiful song by the Sydney, Australia composer and performer Paul Jarman. The performance by choir and piano is especially enriched by the accompaniment of a string section. The piece is from his song cycle Turn on the Open Sea, which pays tribute to the adventurers of the sea. It was commissioned for the Sydney Children’s Choir in 2001. It is a bittersweet tale of the survival Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition’s Antarctic expeditioners and their return to a world still at war. On this disc, the conductor is also Mark O’Leary, who is the founder and director of another Australian children’s choir, Young Voices of Melbourne, which performed the same piece on one of their CDs. Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC 472 822-2; www.gondwanavoices.com.au (See also JOURNEYS by Young Voices of Melbourne (2005) and BIRRALEE 10^th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT LIVE (2005), referenced in this section.)

ANTARCTICA - NHK Television 50^th Anniversary Nankyoku Project (2003)

NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Japan’s sole public broadcaster, commemorated the 50^th anniversary of TV broadcasting in Japan in 2003 by establishing an HDTV broadcasting station in Antarctica in 2003. Located at Syowa Station, Japan’s base, this was Antarctica’s first such station and the first time a film crew stayed there for more than a year. 153 live programs were made, including the showing of a solar eclipse, distributed to the Discovery Channel in North America, auroras and natural scenery. The commemorative CD (Japan Version) contains some very melodic orchestral tracks, accompanied by various exotic Oriental musical instruments plus a jazzy solo guitar track, conducted by Yoko Matsuo. Titles include Horizon, White Wind, Dry Valleys, Silence and Dawn. As we haven’t seen the TV programs, it’s not easy to relate the very pastoral-sounding CD music by itself to the Antarctic, without the visuals. Toshiba-EMI Ltd. Eastworld TOCT-25014

ICESCAPE FOR ORCHESTRA by Chris Cree Brown (2002)

Chris Cree Brown is the Director (Academic) of the School of Music and Senior Lecturer at University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, as well as the composer of a variety of music. The 16-minute work resulted from a trip to Antarctica in 1999, supported by the Artists to Antarctica programme of the New Zealand Antarctic Institute (Antarctica New Zealand). His first work produced under this programme was UNDER EREBUS (2000), a 15 minute electroacoustic piece, that according to the liner notes was an “attempt to create an expressive work of ‘sonic art’ that reflects my personal interpretation of the environment of Antarctica and my experiences there.” The range of sounds includes walking on snow, skuas, radio communications, wind, seals, penguins and a whiteout. Other Antarctic compositions by Chris include Circulus Antarcticus, a dance commission with Bronwyn Judge, a choreographer who went down to The Ice as part of the 2000 Artists to Antarctica programme and Antarctic Heart, music to go with a video by the sculptor Virginia King, who was the other artist to travel to Antarctica in 1999 under the Artists to Antarctica programme. www.music.canterbury.ac.nz/CCBrownlink/chrispers.htm

MUSIC FOR THE SCOTIA CENTENARY (2002)

The 1902 Scottish National Antarctic Expedition under William Bruce was a successful, but today under heralded, two-year voyage of discovery during which Coats Land, along the Weddell Sea, was discovered. The expedition was also the first to use a motion picture camera in Antarctica as well as the first to document the use of bagpipes to serenade emperor penguins (by Gilbert Kerr). To celebrate the centenary of this expedition, The Royal Scottish Geographical Society, The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, B.B.C. Enterprises and piper Ian MacInnes collaborated to produce this CD.

The first half of the disc consists of seven traditional Scottish country dance tunes with titles such as Antarctica Bound, The Ice Cap, The Piper and the Penguin played by Neil Barron and his Scottish Dance Band. The main event, however, is a 24-minute orchestral suite, South, by Dundee composer Gordon McPherson, played by the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, conducted by Nicolae Moldoveanu. It was commissioned by the orchestra, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and supported by the Scottish Arts Council and has now been performed internationally. From an appropriately windy opening through some jangly, icy dissonances, this performance can take a proud place amongst the very few recorded orchestral pieces that have attempted to portray the moody, icy seventh continent. RSCDS CD032; www.rsgs.org

THE SONGS of the ‘MORNING’: a Musical Sketch by G. S. Doorly (2002)

The Morning was the relief ship sent to resupply Robert Scott’s Discovery Expedition of 1901-04. During the Morning’s 1902 voyage to Antarctica, the third officer, Lieut. Gerald Doorly, a talented pianist and entertainer, and the chief engineer, J.D. Morrison, as lyricist, collaborated on a collection of songs that were performed during musical evenings on the ship’s piano, accompanied by riotous noisemaking. More in the vein of Victorian parlour songs than sea shanties, the songs were published in 1943, apparently in a very tame version of the originals.

The present hearty and robust recording was undertaken as a Discovery centennial project and the Chorus contains all the adult male descendants of Gerald Doorly, along with professional colleagues and interested friends. The CD booklet includes the lyrics and words of the spoken passages between songs. All royalties from the sale are to be divided between the Dundee Heritage Trust and the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust for their work on the original Expedition’s historic artefacts. Reardon Publishing; www.reardon.co.uk

THE LIVING EDENS by Laura Karpman (2001)

This is the soundtrack from the American PBS television series about the natural wonders of the world that was broadcast over 1997-2001, produced by Alastair Fothergill, with narration by Peter Coyote, Linda Hunt, Sally Kellerman and James Coburn. Laura Karpman, the Los Angeles-based composer of the music, has won four Emmy awards during her career, including two for episodes of The Living Edens series. She has scored for many other films and television programs, has won additional awards and has also composed for opera, classical and other concert music. Included on the disc is the 4-minute orchestral track South Georgia Suite as well as the 2-minute CD closer South Georgia End Credits. Laura told us in 2009 that “We were thinking of a very classic approach, along the lines of a modernist Vivaldi “winter””, when asked about the instrumentation and musical styles used in the tracks. This music was from the episode South Georgia Island: Paradise of Ice and the production crew spent eight months of filming around the island, spread over two years. South Georgia is an isolated sub Antarctic island in the South Atlantic and is home to the world’s greatest concentrations of fur seals, southern elephant seal, King penguins and albatrosses. www.laurakarpman.com

INTO UNCHARTED SEAS by John Hearne (2001)

John Hearne, a British composer/singer/conductor based in Scotland, was commissioned by Dundee Orchestral Society to write an overture to commemorate the centenary of the launching in Dundee of Robert Scott’s Antarctic ship RRS Discovery in 1901. The ship itself has been preserved in Dundee, whose Symphony Orchestra premièred the 13-minute piece in 2001. It is a dramatic and undulating score, portraying the rough and tumble of the seas the ship must have sailed through in its long voyages. Although the piece has not apparently been released commercially on CD, we are grateful to John Hearne and Scottish Music Centre for making it available to us. www.scottishmusiccentre.com

SEA STAR by Martin Kiszko (music) and Anne Ridler (words) 2001

Martin Kiszko, of Polish-British origin, is a Bristol, UK-based composer who has orchestrated scores for over 200 films and TV productions, including works for the BBC and ITV. Anne Ridler (1912-2001) was an editor and librettist, considered to be Britain’s leading female poet. Sea Star is a 27-minute choral-orchestral work, performed by the Spiritual Sounds Festival Orchestra & Choir at Clifton Cathedral (Bristol) and conducted by David Ogden.

The composer-orchestrator, Martin Kiszko, told us: “The cantata was inspired by an Antarctic voyage I made in 2001 as well as from the desire to write a work about humankind’s journey from the sea to space.” While the words were completed first, the score remained incomplete for several years and the liner notes explain that “A turning point for the musical birth of Sea Star came in 2001 when I visited Antarctica. For the first time many of the images that Anne had created in the poem were experienced first hand: ice covered worlds, floes and hummocks, the stillness or energy of the sea, the vast sky; the slow bubbling of ice thawing and cracking or the sound of ice shelves calving into the sea causing waves to break against the shore. Sea Star’s first tutti orchestral chord, followed by the ebb and flow of gentle strings represent the first beats heard and the aftermath of such a calving in the Antarctic panorama. Other sections of the score aim to emulate the pattern of the landscape – the textures of snow and ice, the sky and changing light – these images assisted the interpretation of the text. Sea Star is a journey of even greater proportions than my Antarctic expedition. It travels from the depths of the oceans with its nascent aquatic life-forms, through land and sky to the far reaches of space where other waterworlds exist in the icecaps of Mars and ice-belts of Saturn. As the characters in the text ascend these levels, it is as if they are on a quest to understand their destiny.”

Anne Ridler’s text for the icy, Antarctic-influenced section of the cantata, subtitled The Earth, follows:

“But while ice covers your world, You do not wake. Cowled in darkness, Uttermost depth of sleep. Ice built of water – water built into solids, Condensed to crystal, unique in all the moving worlds, Yet cousin to other constellations: Ice moons, ice planets, plunging comets. You do not wake…Cowled in darkness, Uttermost depth of sleep. On the surface, a dazzling whiteness; Journeying inward, multiple rings of ice terrains; Floes and hummocks, pinnacles, bastions, Fractured and folded.”

Martin’s web site also mentions that during his 2001 Antarctic trip, he “composed, performed and claimed a world first by for a spoof Antarctic National Anthem (someone had to do it!)” As to a recording of it, Martin advised us that “As for the Antarctic National Anthem – this is a spoof piece recorded in Antarctica on video and not available I’m afraid.” HOXA HS 2052-LE; www.martinkiszko.com

SHACKLETON’S ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE – Original Giant Motion Picture Soundtrack Composed by Sam Cardon (2001)

Cardon is an American Emmy award-winning composer, who also worked on a 2002 Winter Olympics project. The IMAX film’s superb opening iceberg panorama is not to be missed, and the juxtaposition of historic photos of the Endurance Expedition with the present-day recreation flows seamlessly throughout this first-class film. The film score, played by the Northwest Sinfonia, conducted by Kurt Bestor, provides a variety of music: majestic orchestral themes, marching band music, melancholic Celtic pipes, fiddles, banjos and a Hovhanessque horn solo, reflective of the era and the activities the music portrays. Musical tracks include, among others, Wintering in the Pack, Hope and Survival, Into the Unknown/A Stern Night, A Grim Landfall and On to South Georgia. A more informative liner/booklet with notes about the music, the Endurance and filming expeditions would have been a welcome inclusion with the CD. WGBH Music (BMI)/ White Mountain Films Music JR74222

SHACKLETON – Original Score by Adrian Johnston (2001)

This was a two-part four-hour TV dramatization of Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition, directed by Charles Sturridge and featuring the prominent British actor Kenneth Branagh in the title role. Although said to be thoroughly researched, the film received some criticism for spending too long on the pre-Expedition details and not nearly enough time on The Ice, Elephant Island, South Georgia or the final rescue. The attractive orchestral sound track by British composer Johnston is performed on CD by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Terry Davies. Track titles portray scenes such as Sighting Ice, Locked in the Ice, Antarctic Night, Five Miles a Day, Sighting Land and Cracking Ice. Channel 4 Music C4M00172

SIR PETER MAXWELL DAVIES

Of special interest to classicists, the British Antarctic Survey and the London Philharmonia Orchestra commissioned prolific British composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies to compose an Antarctic Symphony, his 8^thSymphony, for its première in May 2001. In 1997-1998 Sir Peter spent three weeks at Britain’s Rothera Base on the Antarctic Peninsula experiencing life there. The BAS said, “Through this commission we hope to raise awareness of Antarctica as a unique scientific laboratory among people whose interests normally lie within the Arts. In turn we at BAS very much look forward to learning more about the world of serious music.” Sir Peter’s eloquent Antarctic diary is available at his web site. A CD recording and/or downloading of the symphony, once available on his web site, has been discontinued. The 41-minute recording by the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003 provides a range of sounds from dissonances to melodic passages, reflecting the composer’s impressions and observations of his trip.

A stylistically similar companion piece, the 21-minute High on the Slopes of Terror, was composed in 1999 for the National Association of Youth Orchestras and was the first musical work resulting from Sir Peter’s Antarctic trip. The title refers to the extinct volcano on Ross Island near McMurdo Sound, Mt. Terror and the virtuoso work was recorded in 2001 by the UK’s Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra, the youth orchestra of Chetham’s School of Music.

In 2007, the Purcell School Symphony Orchestra, Britain’s oldest specialist music school, based in the London, U.K.-area, premièred Sir Peter’s Port Lockroy, Antarctica, for symphony orchestra. This 11-minute piece, with Simon Rattle conducting, was commissioned by the School for the opening of its new Music Centre. The subject of the symphony, Port Lockroy, on Wiencke Island on the Antarctic Peninsula, is a natural harbour and was used as the site of a British base for Operation Tabarin during the years of World War II and was staffed up to 1962. The now-restored base building is maintained as an historic site and is a very popular landing site for Antarctic tourist ships. www.maxopus.com

LULIE the ICEBERG - Music by Jeffrey Stock, Story by Her Imperial Highness Princess Hisako of Takamado of Japan (1999)

Based on the Princess’ children’s book, written after she saw a lone iceberg drifting off Greenland, the “magical tale centers around a quest for the origins and destiny of life as seen through the eyes of an innocent and very brave iceberg, Lulie, as he embarks on a courageous ocean journey between the Arctic and the Antarctic, the two oldest living continents on the planet”. One of the movements is entitled South Pole.

Recorded at Carnegie Hall, the performance is narrated by Sam Waterston and the musicians include the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Betty Baisch's Choral Associates, Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Pamela Frank (violin) and Paul Winter (saxophone).

This CD is hard to miss with the colourful iceberg, emperor penguins and humpback whales on the cover. Produced in co-operation with UNICEF and Icebridge, a forum of scientists and educators dedicated to the promotion of knowledge about the polar regions and the oceans. Sony Classical SK 61665

ON THE LAST FRONTIER by Einojuhani Rautavaara (1999)

This Finnish classical composer has become well known to North American audiences in recent years, particularly for his haunting 1972 Cantus Arcticus, an ode to the land of the Arctic Circle. On the Last Frontier (A Fantasy for Chorus and Orchestra, 1997) is based on the composer's interest, going back to childhood, in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. Published in 1837, this novella about Pym and a group of sailors marooned on a tropical island at the South Pole with a race of savages is considered to be seminal in Antarctic fiction and has spawned numerous like-minded stories. As Rautavaara approached his 70^th year, he took the book's closing plot and developed his own rich musical themes of imagined lands not yet explored. Ondine ODE 921-2

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - Music from the BBC TV Series - composed by Benjamin Bartlett (1999)

The BBC Concert Orchestra takes us back in time to the Mesozoic era when dinosaurs ruled the land. The soundtrack includes the rather short Spirits of the Ice Forest which “explores the exotic woodland Antarctic - mirrored by a romantic theme tinged with Hispanic harmony” and the peaceful Antarctic Spring. BBC Music 7243 523458 2 3

2000 TODAY - a World Symphony for the Millennium - composed and conducted by Tan Dun (1999)

An international consortium of television broadcasters commissioned this dynamic musical mosaic for a millennium satellite transmission. The music presents a combination of classical western instrumentation including the BBC Concert Orchestra, choirs, soloists, world instruments and chants “to capture the poetic spirit of the world’s regions”. Included is the percussive Antarctica. Sony Classical SK 61529

LUBOMÍR BRABEC PLAYS BACH IN ANTARCTICA by Lubomír Brabec (1997)

The CD title is somewhat misleading as this music was recorded in the Czech Republic; however, the liner notes indicate that classical guitarist Brabec performed these works on his 1997 trip to Antarctica on board a Greenpeace ship and at one of the bases. “Just as Antarctica was unknown, not to mention unvisited, in J. S. Bach’s day, Bach himself was only known to a narrow group of connoisseurs. I think there are certain parallels: the grandeur, monumental beauty and power of Bach’s music, and the mysterious fascination and power of this mystic continent that belongs to no-one and yet everyone. In both these entities, Antarctica and Bach’s oeuvre, we can sense the presence of something transcendent, something that goes beyond us. It was to the greater glory of this principle, God, that Bach wrote this music.”

Brabec may be on to something here, as we await someone to lug a grand piano or bring a brass band to the shores of Antarctica for what might truly be the first professional recording of a musical performance on the continent. Supraphon SU 3338-2 131

FROM AUSTRALIA – John Williams, guitar (1994)

This CD of world première recordings by Australian composers includes Antarctica - Suite for Guitar and Orchestra by Australian Nigel Westlake. Westlake wrote the score for the IMAX film Antarctica and later reworked it into this longer 1992 guitar concerto in four movements. Highlights are the stately Wooden Ships and a shimmering piece called Penguin Ballet, which captures emperor penguins frolicking beneath the ice. Sony Classical SK53 361

ANTARCTIC SYMPHONY – various composers (1993)

This CD is a compilation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation of existing older, non-Antarctic classical music, interspersed with the actual sounds of Antarctic wildlife and human activities on The Ice, in an effort to evoke a feeling of Antarctica. The music includes pieces by Vivaldi, Duruflé, Boccherini, Roussel, Sibelius and Nielsen. The non-musical interludes include a kitchen sink of sounds of penguins, seals, petrels, skuas, katabatic winds, huskies, ships moving in ice, helicopters and radio room/flight operation conversations.

According to the liner notes, “Antarctica is a wilderness most people have some idea of, though very few have been there. Perhaps Australians are more aware; Antarctica is closer to us, though still very inaccessible. We have a national responsibility for part of it, and ‘part’ is a very large area indeed. Many of us will know someone who has been there, maybe even someone whose life was changed by spending time there. The race to the South Pole, lost to Amundsen by Scott and his party, the drawn out suffering and human loss as they tried to return – these are among the Australian epics, tales to children and remembered by adults.

The makers of this record haven’t visited Antarctica, though they received the sound recordings from people who have. For us, the sound effects were the introduction to the Antarctic world. As on the previous discs in this series, the idea is to appeal to the aural imagination, stimulating it with music and natural sounds, together and side by side.

The first paradox we found was that Antarctica seemed to demand the inclusion of some human sounds. In our other wildernesses, bush and sea, music provided the humanising element. In ANTARCTIC SYMPHONY there are even more bird and animal presences than in Sea Symphony, but the sounds captured on tape constantly remind the listener that any human presence is a struggle against the elements. We have introduced human voices for the first time, so that we can wonder that people are there at all.

“Symphony” mainly implies music from the European tradition. The sounds, rather than the music in this series, evoke the landscape, but it is no accident that music which can live with Antarctica was composed close to the northern, Arctic wastes…

Paradox No. 2: the trackless wastes of ice and snow seemed to call for a wider, not a narrower range of music and musical emotions. A strange environment, so that strange music is not out of place, like Boccherini’s startling eighteenth century phantasms of a Spanish city by night. Humour, from the dogs and their bluff handlers, releases an energy and directness typical of the music of Roussel, the ship’s officer turned composer. The seasons in Antarctica, we imagine, could hardly be like those of Vivaldi’s Venice, but his music, matching a poem describing an icy winter scene, seems right as our soundscape approaches the great southernmost continent…” ABC Music/Phonogram/Polygram 514 639-2

ANTARCTICA - The Film Music, composed by Nigel Westlake (1992)

The 37-minute CD of the score of the IMAX film Antarctica has thirteen mostly short orchestral tracks of various themes portrayed in the movie, four of which were developed into the previously mentioned guitar concerto. The CD is well played and recorded and the music, conducted by Carl Vine, conveys the dramatics of its theme titles. Tall Poppies TP012; www.tallpoppies.net; www.rimshot.com.au

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - Original Soundtrack Recording - music composed and conducted by John Scott (1988)

This is the soundtrack for the William Kronick-produced, written and directed documentary film about The Transglobe Expedition, led by Ranulph Fiennes. Over a three-year period ending in 1982, the team circumnavigated the globe along its polar axis from North to South Poles, being the first to do so. The orchestral music is a pleasant listening journey and the Antarctic tracks include the titles Shackleton, Reaching Antarctica, On to the South Pole and The Scott Tragedy. Prometheus PCD102

DAS OPFER (THE SACRIFICE) by Winfried Zillig (1936) (appears to be unrecorded)

This opera was based on an original prize-winning play, Captain Scott’s Expedition to the South Pole, which was completed in 1930 and premièred successfully at the Hamburg State Opera, by unbalanced German physician and writer Reinhard Goering (no relation to his infamous WW II namesake), who pursued themes of man’s self-determination and perseverance in his writings. In 1936 he began the libretto for the opera to be based on his play, with music by German atonalist Winfried Zillig. Called The Sacrifice, it was first performed in 1937 but had only three performances, although it furthered Zillig’s musical career. The operatic work was revived in West Germany in 1961 and presentations included penguins as a Greek chorus to the dissonant score, which is still in print and available for purchase through music publishers on the Internet.

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Non-Classical, all Antarctic or with significant Antarctic content:

ANTARCTICA EP by Sanderson Dear (2011) (Web site download only)

Sanderson Dear has been a Toronto, Canada-based DJ since 1987 and a music producer/writer of techno and minimal, ambient music since 2001. His 5-track EP has the tracks Parasomnia, It fell From The Sky and three mixes, totalling 21 minutes, of the ambient track Antarctica, that pulsate and drip in an unrelenting, hypnotizing tempo, not unlike a glacier on its path to the sea. Sanderson explained the music to us: “I’d started writing the song It Fell From The Sky after rewatching John Carpenter’s The Thing awhile back. I wanted to compose a piece to encompass aspects of that movie. I’d left it alone for a year or so and started piecing together a second tune at the time, unrelated, called Parasomnia, based on another flick and decided this one would work well with the first. That’s when I decided to theme an EP around Antarctica. Parasomnia doesn’t really give you much of a glimpse but it deals with the paranoid aspect of things when a person or persons are isolated from civilization for long durations. The title track came about because I wanted to tie all the songs under an umbrella and thought it was perfect to complete The Thing reference by writing a tune about the continent itself: crisp, cold and clean. Arjen Schat and David Roiseux further expanded on both with their remixes. Arjen’s especially captures the expansive nature of Antarctica, while David’s is the perfect sequel to my original mix. www.myspace.com/stasisrecordings; www.stasisrecordings.com

THE ANTARCTIC by the Chimneys (2011) (Web site download only)

The Chimneys are a Brooklyn-N.Y. based quartet, led by banjo-playing Alex Greiner. Their first recording is a 4-song EP about the first expeditions to the South Pole, in 1911-12 and the rivalry between Robert Scott’s British explorers and Norwegian Roald Amundsen’s group. The 23-minute concept record has the tracks Amundsen’s Dream, At Polheim, Terra Australis and Salt of the Earth. The first songs two are about Amundsen, the third about Robert Scott and the last is about Apsley Cherry-Garrard, one of Scott’s expeditioners, known for his long trek with two others to collect emperor penguin eggs, described in his landmark book The Worst Journey in the World. The songs are a wonder of quirky vocals and tempos, backed by banjo, mandolin, accordion and other rock instruments. www.myspace.com/chimneys; chimneys.bandcamp.com/album/the-antarctic

ANTARCTICA EP by Andrey Subbotin (2011) (Web site download only)

Andrey Subbotin is a Russia-based progressive house/techno electronic DJ and artist. His current EP has a 23-minute suite of three energetic instrumental dance pieces titled Antarctica, Iceberg and Ross Ice Shelf. www.myspace.com/djandreysubbotin; www.andreysubbotin.all.dj

ANTARCTICA by Craig Vear (2011) (Web site download only)

Craig Vear is a British electroacoustic composer and musician who won an Arts Council England Fellowship, in conjunction with the British Antarctic Survey’s Artists and Writers Programme, to spend three months over 2003/04 on British bases in the Antarctic Peninsula area. This resulted in his 2005 multi-media CD and DVD Antarctica, which included a small book of his diaries and other commentaries, a CD of recorded Antarctic wildlife sounds, ice breaking and glacial melting, and a video. This new recording consists of 57 minutes of electroacoustic soundscapes not previously issued and includes Iceberg (Rothera Point), Uranus Glacier (Adelaide Island), Katabatic Wind (Sky Blue), Adélie Penguins (Jenny Island) and R.R.S. James Clark Ross Hold #2 (Lemaire Channel). Gruen Digital GrDl 089/11; www.myspace.com/craigvear; www.ev2.co.uk; (See also ANTARCTICA - Musical Images from the Frozen Continent by Craig Vear (2005) in this section and SUMMERHOUSES by Craig Vear (2009) in the individual songs section.)

ANTARCTIC MUSIC by Michael Mollura (2011) (Web site download only)

Michael Mollura is a Los Angeles, California-based theatre and film composer, who began his career writing for off-Broadway productions in New York. He has written scores for two movies which premièred at the 2010 and 2011 Sundance Film Festivals. The music on this album is the soundtrack for a private 36-minute DVD, Antarctica - Inner Journeys in the Outer World, made in 2009 by Dr. Robert Romanyshyn, a philosopher, author and psychotherapist at Pacifica Graduate Institute, near Santa Barbara, California. The DVD consists of haunting still photos of the mountains and ice of the Antarctic Peninsula coast, accompanied by the soothing, spiritual narration of Dr. Romanyshyn. As a stand-alone soundtrack, the 38-minute, 6-track suite begins as a calm minimalist ambient piece and in the final tracks picks up steam, culminating in a very melodic interplay between piano and violin. According to the publicity for a workshop given by Dr. Romanyshyn in Cincinnati in 2011, The Melting Polar Ice: Inner Journeys in the Outer World, the presentation, which drew on the video and music, “will explore the intertwining of psyche and nature in the context of the ecological crisis of the melting polar ice.” The Web announcement of another of Dr. Romanyshyn’s seminars said: “The DVD unfolds the grounds for a radical eco-psychology based in the power of this Antarctic landscape, to restore the broken aesthetic connection between the flesh of the human body and the flesh of the world. As it reveals the awe-ful Antarctic beauty of stillness and silence, it taps into the feeling function as, perhaps below the radar of mind, our natal bond to the world.” www.michaelmolluramusic.com; www.mythopoetry.com/mythopoetics/scholar11_video_antarctica.html

ANTARCTIC THE MUSICAL by Dugald McLaren and Dr. Dana Michelle Bergstrom (2011) (live theatre)

According to the Australian musical’s Web site, “Antarctic The Musical will be a major cultural event during the Antarctic Centenary Year (2011-12), celebrating 100 years of Australian Antarctic exploration…Antarctic is a story about the lives of a small contemporary expedition during their year down south and of a love that develops unexpectedly. Imagine a place so hauntingly beautiful that it gets into your soul, yet so unforgiving, to venture out unprepared means death. Now imagine traveling to this place with only nine people you’ve just met with no chance of going home for a year. You’re just thrown into the mix. You work, you play, you struggle, and you live and love. And where is this place? Antarctica in the 21^st Century. You’re down south for peace and science and your life will never be the same again…The expeditioners work hard, party hard but at all times they must follow the hard rules, developed over generations to keep people alive. The rules are simple: never say die, be true to yourself and kind to others, and always tell someone where you’re going…” The music and lyrics were written by Australian singer/songwriter Dugald McLaren (a.k.a. Mac Lauren), with the book and production by Dr. Dana Michelle Bergstrom, an ecologist. Both have extensive Antarctic experiences. Allan Jeffrey and Leiz Moore will direct the show and Charlie Hull will be the musical supervisor. Opening night will be October 20, 2011 at Princes Wharf No. 1, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. www.antarcticthemusical.com; www.maclaurenmusic.com

THE GRAND DESIGN by Day Six (2010)

Day Six is a veteran Dutch progressive metal rock band from Noord-Brabant, Netherlands, formed in 2002. This is a concept album about an alien spaceship found in Antarctica’s Lake Vostok and the story follows the five weather scientists who discovered the ship. The 70 minutes of exacting, dynamic music ranges from epic arena rock to heavy metal. Robbie van Stiphout, the group’s guitarist and vocalist, explained the theme of the CD to us in 2011: “The idea for The Grand Design is based on the works of Erich von Däniken. The result of it is an album with a complete story, divided in different chapters. However, there’s a main theme that can be sensed throughout the entire album, which is the disclosure of the existence of extraterrestrial life and contact. The story is about five weather scientists who uncover a long lost E.T. spaceship under the ice of Lake Vostok, Antarctica. They decide to enter the ship themselves, where they find the answers to the most fundamental questions of life and the existence and evolutionary process of mankind. Being enthusiastic and maybe a little naïve as to cover-ups, they try to release their findings through mainstream media only to bump into government interference. Our scientists are locked up in mental institutions where agents try to erase their experiences from their memories and condition them with a self-image of a deluded mind. However, the powerful energies they felt inside the ship strengthened them with a strong sense of hope and telepathic capabilities. They start hearing voices in their heads from the others and from extraterrestrial beings. When alone in their hospital rooms, the scientists contact each other this way to devise a new plan of disclosure. Every track on The Grand Design is a separate chapter of this story and stands on its own, which gives us the freedom to put our live set-list in any order that seems best for any particular show.” Lion Music LMC287; www.myspace.com/daysixweb

THE CALL OF CTHULHU - AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS (BERGE DES WAHNSINNS) - Soundtrack by Erdenstern (2010)

Erdenstern is a Hamburg, Germany-based trio of musicians who, according to their Web site, “professionally compose and produce soundtracks for role playing games. Our music resembles movie scores when it comes to being an emotional, musical backdrop for different situations, while we also take great care for the versatility in different game systems and the musical independence of the composition.” This soundtrack is based on the 1999 role playing novel, Beyond the Mountains of Madness, by Charles and Janyce Engan et al., in which a 1933 Antarctic expedition is launched to unravel the mystery of the fateful story in H. P. Lovecraft’s 1931 Antarctic novella At the Mountains of Madness. In that tale, a Byrd-era Antarctic expedition discovers the unmentionable terrors of a lost underground civilization. The various CD tracks, based on events in the sequel book, vary in styles from grand orchestral scores to quieter, jazzy interludes and spooky, fear-inducing music portraying monsters. The CD booklet notes are in French and German. We asked the group about their production of this CD and they replied: “We have released this music in collaboration with a French publisher that has released a role playing campaign based on that story. In the U.S., Chaosium released a similar story as Beyond the Mountains of Madness; the players are part of the expedition, which followed, in search of the remains of their predecessors.” Erdenstern 1100108-1; www.erdenstern.com; www.myspace.com/erdenstern

I, MOUNTAIN by Caïna (2010) (cassette only)

Caïna is the black metal solo project of Hampshire/Sussex, U.-K.-based Andrew Curtis-Brignell. Originally released in 2007 as a limited-issue EP, this 21-minute soundscape track is based on H. P. Lovecraft’s 1931 Antarctic novella At the Mountains of Madness, in which Byrd-era Antarctic expeditioners discover the remains of an ancient civilization and meet the horrors of its still-existing monsters. The music begins with soft crystalline guitar, which slowly develops into the screeches and howls associated with the story’s descent into terror and madness. DSR-EVIL-IV; www.myspace.com/cainaband; www.caina.150m.com

DECEPTION ISLAND by Bella Koshka (2010)

Bella Koshka is a Minneapolis, U.S.A.-based alt-rock quintet, fronted by a female vocalist and a violinist, who play dramatic, Gothic-flavoured, moody musical mini-dramas. The CD is named after Antarctica’s Deception Island and according to their Web site, the music is “a cinematic landscape and its echoing remains. A journey through time to an old, forgotten place. This is the epic tale of “Deception Island.”” The tracks on the CD have Deception Island-appropriate titles such as Winter, Subterranean, Caldera, Pendulum Road, and Cathedral. The real Deception Island is a U-shaped still-active volcanic caldera that became a safe harbour for Antarctic sealers from the early 1800s and later became the site of intense whale oil processing in the early 1900s. Numerous small research stations have also been located there and it remains one of the top attractions for visiting tourist ships. www.myspace.com/bellakoshka; www.bellakoshka.com

60º SOUTH by Second Thought (2010)

Ross Baker, a Leeds, U.K.-based musician began his experimental synthesizer solo project, Second Thought, in 1999. His current album of electronic and ambient sound washes and aural paintings is based on H. P. Lovecraft’s Antarctic horror novella At the Mountains of Madness and includes tracks with icy titles such as Tekeli-li, Ice Shelf, Snow (I & II), Meltwater, Icebergs (I & II) and At the Mountains of Madness. Ross explained the reason for the record: “My girlfriend lent me a book by H. P. Lovecraft and the first story, At The Mountains Of Madness, really inspired me with wonderful vivid descriptions of the Antarctic landscape; so much that the music I began to write at the time seemed to reflect that, so I took the idea further and themed the whole album around it.” Ambientlive Records ALR3092; www.myspace.com/vacuumroad; www.secondthought.co.uk

THE COMPLETE RADIO FREE ANTARCTICA TAPES by The Owl Watches (2010)

The Owl Watches is the solo music project of Atlanta, Georgia-based guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Phil McKenna, aided by a few friends on other instruments. The CD booklet has a print of an Antarctic territorial claims map, a picture of an Emperor penguin and an historic explorers’ hut. The music is relaxed-sounding, experimental progressive jazz/rock and one of the free-form guitar tracks has the interesting title, Our Audience is Mostly Penguins and Scientists. Phil told us about the reason for the Antarctic setting: “The idea for this, well, icy-themed album arose from a rather hilarious conversation involving gig horror stories. That set me thinking about what if a hapless band got stuck playing in Antarctica, miles from anywhere, and thus I concocted this little story:

Imagine if you will that The Owl Watches was an actual touring band, complete with a less-than-competent Reuben Kincaid-like manager. Said manager gets the brilliant idea of booking the band for a 5-night engagement at a scientific outpost in Antarctica, where he assures them their career will reach a new level of greatness. Eventually, the band packs up its gear and winter clothes and boards a C-130 transport headed for The Frozen White South.

Once there, the first 2 nights go less than swimmingly, with the audience bleating out requests for Celine Dion, Slim Whitman and obscure Albanian coal miner’s songs. Later, the band retreats to a secret storage room and discusses either firing their manager or staging an “accident”. Sensing that his untimely demise may be imminent, the manager absconds with both plane and pilot, leaving our heroes stranded. The scientists take pity on the hapless band after this bit of outrageous fortune, and radio for a new plane to get them back home. However, it won’t be available for at least 2 days. Making the best of a bad situation, the band discovers a small radio station, Radio Free Antarctica a short distance away by dogsled. Radio Free Antarctica kept itself on the air against great odds, due in part to the generosity of the king of a small obscure island nation on The Dead Sea, and by station staffers siphoning gas for their generator from unsuspecting scientific outposts.

The last anyone knew, the band set up and recorded several new pieces that were being road tested or were in various stages of development, when during the last track, a horrific avalanche struck (which was rumored to have been deliberately started). The band’s fate still remains a mystery; further compounding the mystery was the fact that the master tape reel was found several miles away by another expedition some months later. By some miracle, the tape survived and has been restored for your dining and dancing pleasure.” 4 The Boids 4TB0001; www.myspace.com/theowlsmusic

ANTARCTICA by David Maranha (2010) (Vinyl LP only)

Portugal-based David Maranha, an organist, violinist and architect, has been playing avant garde jazz since 1986 as a solo artist, with collaborators as well as and with his group Osso Exótico. This limited-release LP has a 20-minute track on each side consisting of hypnotic minimalist dirges with percussion, organ, strings and guitar. We asked David for the reason for the title of the record and he said: “I guess it was the idea of arid white landscape.” The press release on his website blog says: “Like the great white expanse of the titular continent, it can be taken in simply as a glorious wash of sound; listen to it closely, however, and you’ll hear the smallest details jump out in high relief: a feather can move a mountain.” Roaratorio Roar18; www.myspace.com/ossoexotico; davidmaranha.blogspot.com

ARCTIC/ANTARCTIC by Marcus Fischer (2010) (Web site download only)

Marcus Fischer is a Portland, Oregon-based musician and multimedia artist who explores sight and sound through music and film. His current album of ambient electronic music has three Arctic tracks and three Antarctic tracks. In between is the single track Tropica. According to his Web site, “Arctic/Antarctic is centered around a series of guitar based improvisations…The first 1/3 of the Antarctic portion is based on the slow shifting of loop points within a larger guitar loop. The rest of Antarctic contrasts with prior sections. Rather than using digital processes, this portion relies only on loops created using a system of modified analog cassette tapes. These cassettes were played back and rerecorded at a distance capturing some of the surrounding sounds such as cats moving about the room and hints of nearby construction.” Marcus told us that “The reason for the Arctic/Antarctic theme is, (beyond just being fascinated by the continent itself), taking the idea of different but similar landscapes and environments and translating that into textural music. On first sight/sound it can be stark and cold without much detail but the more you look/listen the details emerge and what seemed cold is now a little warmer. www.mapmap.ch; luxusarctica.wordpress.com

FATHOM by Douglas Quin (2010) (Vinyl LP only)

American sound recordist Douglas Quin has been recording Antarctic sounds since 1996, when he received a grant from the U. S. National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program to work in Antarctica. Recorded with the use of hydrophones (underwater microphones), this limited edition record has Arctic walruses and Beluga whales on the first side. The second side has sounds of icebergs and brash ice, recorded near Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell seals, leopard seals, orcas and ice fractures from McMurdo Sound on the second side. Recording is both an art and a science and according to the record label’s Web site, “The recordings have been gathered over a period of 15 years, capturing an extraordinary palette of sonic voices, events, spaces, and textures. To the human ear, these soundscapes are haunting and otherworldly; yet they are very much of this world - out of earreach. The tracks are minimally edited and are his first field recordings to be archived in vinyl.” The record is packaged in an attractive cover with an artistic sleeve. The sleeve notes, by René van Peer state that “The environments captured in sound by Douglas Quin, and presented on this album, are situated in areas at the exremes of the globe - they are not beneficial to human life. Compared to visual representations, however realistic those may be, they work on a different level. The recordings cut right through the armour of armchair content (reinforcing the notion that what we hear is more evocative than what we see). They make instantly clear that what you are listening to is an alien world. A world that is conjured up in staggering and disturbing detail before your very ears.” TAIGA 11; www.taigarecords.com; www.dqmedia.com. (See also ANTARCTICA by Douglas Quin (1998) in this section.)

“TEKELI-LI” – A Soundtrack to the Adventures of A. G. Pym by Psi Corps (2009)

This is a joint project of Russia’s Alisa Coral, a space metal musician and Australian Michael Blackman, who have also collaborated on several CDs under the band name Space Mirrors. According to their Web site, “Psi Corps is a side project of Alisa Coral from Space Mirrors. The purpose of this project is to exploit a “soundtrack to a book” concept. It can be any style or genre, the main ambition is to transfer the feeling and images of the story into the music soundscapes.”

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, by the American macabre mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1838, is a classic of Antarctic fiction and tells the tale of A. G. Pym, a young man who stows away on a whaling ship, Grampus, which undergoes mutiny and is finally wrecked on its way to the Southern Ocean. Pym and a mutineer are finally rescued by another ship heading south. Crossing through an ice barrier on the way to the South Pole, they are marooned on an island by its malevolent inhabitants. They manage to escape on a small boat, which hurtles into a mysterious chasm blocked by a large white shrouded human figure and giant white birds overhead, crying “Tekeli-li!”

The track titles refer to various chronological references in the story: Party at Barnard’s (Is Over), On Board the Ariel, On Board the Grampus, Tsalal, Further South and Tekeli-li. The manic music superbly portrays a troubled voyage and particularly in the closing track Tekeli-li, the swirling guitars, synthesizers and percussion propel us into the core of the raging maelstrom. The CD booklet also has colourful artwork showing the harrowed, shipwrecked survivors barely surviving on ice flows. RAIG R040; www.myspace.com/psicorpstekelili; www.spacemirrors.com; www.myspace.com/spacemirrors; (See also MAJESTIC-12: A HIDDEN PRESENCE by Space Mirrors (2008) in the “Individual Songs” section.)

CHATTERMARKS - Field Recordings from Palmer Station, Antarctica by Cheryl E. Leonard (2009)

Cheryl Leonard is an award-winning California-based composer, performer and instrument builder, specializing in natural object instruments and performances. In 2008-09 she went to the Antarctic Peninsula’s Palmer Station American scientific base on a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. This CD is a presentation of the raw sounds of penguins of various ages, various forms of floating and melting ice, elephant seals and even a storm. According to Cheryl’s liner notes, “I went to the Ice to create music using natural sounds and materials, but I began by simply listening. I needed to first experience, explore, and try to understand this unique place: its ecosystems, weather, landscapes and sounds…Some of these field recording “studies” have been incorporated into my compositions, but many of them are fascinating and musical in their own right.” The title of this CD seems very appropriate since the tracks do sound like friendly chattering, whether between penguins or seals and especially in the brash ice/iceberg tracks. A musical CD release was planned for 2010 and Cheryl told us it might be combined with a DVD of composed music and images. Great Hoary Marmot Music GHMM 004; www.allwaysnorth.com; www.musicfromtheice.blogspot.com

POLARIS by Juno Morse (2009) (Web site download only)

Juno Morse (a.k.a. Gregor Huber) is a Switzerland-based electronic musician whose album takes us to Antarctica through majestic soundscapes with track titles such as Frozen Animals, The Long Sleep, Dark Blue Water, White Noise, Glass Monolith, Floating Snowflakes, On Mount Erebus, Amundsen’s Last Outpost, and Light Crystal Cloud. According to his recording label Web site, “When I was lying in summer 2009 under the sun of Provence in the pool, I read the word “Polaris” on the hose of the pool-cleaning robot. The name seemed awkward for this machine and seemed to be appropriate more for refrigerators or ice-machines. Apart from that the name also reminded me of the book “Solaris” of science fiction author Stanislaw Lem. This extraordinary book has been filmed already three times with rather little success, the last time in 2002. However, remarkable is the soundtrack by Cliff Martinez for this last film. It accompanies me since then…On my search for Ice-music I only discovered one, but very important album: “Antarctica” by Vangelis. This work has been composed in 1983 for a film with the same name and is unmatched since then…Inspired by Cliff, Vangelis and the pool-cleaning robot, I decided to compose an icy, sparkling, wide and still album.” Gregor told us about two of his tracks in 2010: “On Mount Erebus: While I was composing this part it reminded me of a song from Vangelis from his album “China” called “Himalaya”. So I looked for a significant mountain in the Antarctic. I found Mount Erebus and liked its shape and name. Amundsen’s Last Outpost: While I was combing through the massive information about Antarctica, I read about the expeditions and came across Roald Amundsen. I imagined his South Pole outpost to be very desolate and melancholic and that matched quite well to this part.” Available from www.cdbaby.com and iTunes; www.hult.ch

WHITEOUT - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2009)

This is the soundtrack disc to the Antarctic who-done-it action movie of the same name, based on the main character from the Whiteout comic book series by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber. It features Kate Beckinsale as Carrie Stetko, a U.S marshal on Antarctica who has to investigate a murder on the continent, which may be related to a secret drilling project. The movie received tepid, or more appropriately, frosty reviews for the plot. The dark and dramatic orchestral soundtrack music, composed by John Frizzell, has tracks with titles such as Aurora Australis, Base Camp, Vostok Attack, Frost Bite, The Storm Approaches, Last Plane Out, and The Whiteout. Varèse Saraband 302 066 986 2; www.whiteoutmovie.com

CINEMATIC MUSE by Brandon Visel (2009) (Web site download only)

Brandon Visel is a California-based film composer whose album consists of orchestral and acoustic music inspired for film. Included are two tracks, Antarctica 1 and Antarctica 2, which were part of the soundtrack music written for the 60-minute documentary film about artist Lita Albuquerque’s December 2006 large-scale art installation, Stellar Axis: Antarctica on the Ross Sea Ice Shelf near McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. The two tracks are meditational and Oriental-sounding and the soundtrack music on the documentary admirably conveys the sense of tranquility and grandeur of the wide, white flat landscape of the Ice Shelf. Lita Albuquerque is a California-based large-scale installation artist, painter and sculptor, known internationally for earth art in natural landscapes. Stellar Axis: Antarctica was funded under the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program in 2006 and the project consisted of ninety-nine blue spheres being spread over the icescape, aligned with and mirroring the brightest stars in the sky above. This was a major logistical undertaking with three years of preparations and involved the manufacture of the spheres and assistance from an astronomer, photographer and cinematographer. The actual installation, documentation and dismantling took three weeks and was done under demanding environmental constraints and regulations. The event also included overhead filming and a performance by McMurdo Station staff portraying the motion of the stars at the poles. The progress of the whole enterprises was filmed over the years by artist and documentary filmmaker Sophie Dia Pegrum, also based in California. Sophia explained to us about the project and music: “The Antarctic is a deeply affecting place, both geographically and philosophically. One of the most wonderful things about working on this project was working with the composer Brandon Visel, who captured the feel and grandeur of the experience beautifully. His score really became the adherence that the film needed. It is hard to express such a place of terrific violence and beauty visually. After coming back I felt almost hopelessly inadequate to represent the experience.” Music tracks available from iTunes and CD Baby.com; a DVD of the film is also available via Sophia Dia Pegrum. www.brandonvisel.com; www.myspace.com/brandonvisel; www.77below.com; www.stellaraxis.com; www.litaalbuquerque.com; www.sophiadia.com

ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME by GrooveLily (under development in 2009)

GrooveLily is a New York, N.Y.-based vocal/violin/keyboard/drums pop/rock trio (Valerie Vigoda, Brendan Milburn, and Gene Lewin) that has been together since 1994 and in recent years has expanded to musical theatre, with successful collaborations in numerous musicals. A current project is Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, described by the group on its Web site as a “one-woman fever-dream musical” about a video games music writer who is contacted by Ernest Shackleton, who “shares his Antarctic journeys with her as both struggle toward new horizons.” It’s based on a book by Joe DiPietro, with lyrics by group members Valerie Vigoda, who is also the sole actor and music by Brendan Milburn. In August 2009, early-stage workshop performances were held in Palo Alto, California and in October three more pieces were presented at a pub theatre evening in New York City. One of the songs from it, We’re On Our Way, is a rousing banjo-backed sea shanty about leaving home, sung by Ernest Shackleton’s character (Brendan Milburn), who promises to find land and return to his darling wife, available from iTunes. Valerie Vigoda, the group’s vocalist and violinist extraordinaire, told us in 2009 that “We have been intrigued by Shackleton for several years, and are writing a one-woman musical in which the main character discovers and is changed by his amazing story. We just did a workshop and 3 readings of the show at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, which helped us immensely as we develop the piece. We are hoping that we can do a full production before too long, and incorporate some of the actual visuals from Shackleton’s Endurance journey as projections during the show. The rest of the music, we hope, will be available when we get farther along.” www.groovelily.com

TICKET TO ANTARCTICA by KevOz (2009)

Kevin Osborn is a Chicago-based independent synthesizer/keyboard artist who has recorded many New Age and instrumental albums in various styles during the past ten years. His recent cruise to Antarctica inspired this album. Kevin explained to us: “My wife and I went on an Antarctic cruise in January 2008, mostly because it was one of our last continents to visit; little did I know that it would become one of my favorite trips of all time! I had such a wonderful time there that I was inspired to create an album of music about my experiences on Antarctica. The wonderful sights, the sounds - whether it be choruses of penguins or just the calm near the Lemaire Channel, the feelings and emotions. I’ve done my best to pour it all into an album. This is the first time I’ve created an album based on my travel experiences and it probably won’t be my last, as I’ve had such a blast putting the music and artwork together.” The CD liner notes further explain: “The first cruise I ever took was a trip to Antarctica with my wife. You might be thinking, “Why would you go there - wouldn’t it just be freezing cold? What about the Caribbean?” I must admit, it sounded strange to me at first, too. But, I got more and more psyched about it as our trip drew nearer. And by the time our boat left Ushuaia, Argentina, I just couldn’t wait to see the “great ice”. As we passed through the rough waters of the Drake Passage en route to Deception Island (our first of several destinations), my excitement was building to a crescendo. Just what would I see? How would it feel? I knew it would be an experience I’d never forget, and I just couldn’t wait to get there…In short, Antarctica is a place like no other on Earth – or, I’m guessing, any other planet. It’s equal parts beautiful, eerie, jubilant, and somber. And this is my Ticket To Antarctica. May it be yours, too.” The 11 tracks include Ticket to Antarctica, Crossing the Drake Passage, Deception Island, Zodiac Cruise, Blue Ice, Penguin Dance, Antarctic Lullaby, The Last Continent, 20 Hours of Sunshine, Iceberg Maker and Return Voyage. Kevin’s Web site has a separate Antarctica section along with detailed travel notes to each track. www.kevoz.com

ANTARCTICA: THE MUSICAL by Dogmatic Music (2009)

Dogmatic Music is a quartet of teachers and musicians from the New South Wales region in Australia, which has been recording and entertaining in a variety of musical styles since 2004, with help from many other family members. They have performed at public and school events and their music and theatre pieces have been used by schools directly. Antarctica: The Musical is their fourth CD and contains 14 tracks with various Antarctic themes, including karaoke instrumental tracks for a sing-along. The song styles range from rock to country and rap. Titles include: Antarctica, 200 Million Years Ago, Aristotle Rap, The Sailor’s Song, The Seals’ Lament, Antarctic Anthem, Antarctic Fever, Crevasse, Shackleton, Scott of the Antarctic, Mawson Walked, I’m a Whale and The Penguin Stomp. According to the CD booklet, “The songs are easy to play and sing. Each one tells a story or carries a message about some aspect of Antarctica, from its formation and exploration, to its hostile but delicate environment and the creatures that inhabit it. Together, they present a unique, engaging and enjoyable learning experience.” The CD comes with a songbook of music and lyrics, a classroom study guide and script/libretto for a primary school play with up to 17 narrators. The group told us in 2009: “This music and play was written for upper primary school students as most study Antarctica as part of the Human Studies and Its Environment course in schools in New South Wales, Australia. Our music is meant to be fun, the idea being to engage students in music and drama while they learn about Antarctica’s ancient and more recent history, the explorers, Antarctica’s animals and environment. All upper level primary students (10-12 year olds) in New South Wales, Australia, are required to study Antarctica so it’s pitched at that level. One of our group, Paul McGee, was teaching the topic for years and found that students remembered more and engaged with the topic more through music and drama.” KIA009; www.dogmaticmusic.net

SHACKLETON’S VOYAGE by Eureka (2009)

Eureka is the 51-minute musical project of Germany’s Frank Bossert, an established rock musician, who tells the story of Ernest Shackleton’s famous Endurance Expedition of 1914-16 in a series of 15, largely instrumental tracks, themed around the various phases of the Expedition and its survival stages. Frank told us in 2009 that “I saw a documentary on the German/French TV channel “ARTE” in the year 2000/2001 and I was so fascinated by the story and the character of Ernest Shackleton that I had the idea of creating a concept album in an art rock style. It took a few more years to realise this.”

In addition to a few tracks of narration by British thespian Ian Dickinson, there are veteran guest artists on vocals and instruments such as Uilleann pipes and whistle to provide a Celtic flavour, in keeping with the origins of some of the expeditioners. Track titles include The Last Adventure, Departure, The Challenge, Grytviken Whaling Station, Heading South, Icebound, Plenty of Time, The Turning Point, Going Home, Into the Lifeboats, Elephant Island, In Search of Relief, The Rescue and We Had Seen God. The music, in a progressive rock style with guitars and synthesizers, at times symphonic, matches the moods of the themes of the songs. Lyrics for Going Home: “We lost our ship in a wasteland of ice. No time to look back if we want to survive. We missed our aim, but what still can be done is to save everyone. No glorious fame, ship and stores are gone, we’re left on our own – we’re going home! We’re going home now – Our ship is gone but our will is strong. We’ll survive – We’re coming home. We’re going home now – No mission’s won but our hope is not gone. We’ll return – we’re coming home. We drag our boats through impassable heights. No time to waste – we just fight for our lives. We missed our aim – we just fight for our lives. We missed our aim, but what still must be done is to save everyone. No glorious fame, ship and stores are gone, we’re left on our own – we’re going home.” Ironically, at that point they still had months of camping on ice, Elephant Island and the South Georgia rescue still ahead of them. There is also the poignant and arguably the most memorable track, Will You Ever Return, sung by a female trio, from the unusual point of view of Shackleton’s wife Emily (lyrics: “So long ago, that I heard your voice, so long ago, that I felt your loving touch. All the tears that I’ve cried for you, all the prayers that I’ve sent, All the love that I feel, Can not bring you back home, All the fears that have passed, All the darkness around, can not give me an answer now – Will you ever return? So long ago, that I saw your smile, So long ago, that I fooled around with you. So long ago, that I held your hand, So long ago, that I danced around you.” The CD includes a very complete booklet with Frank Hurley’s famous expedition photographs illustrating each track, as well as track explanatory notes. The CD cover also has a Hurley photo of the Endurance, frozen in the ice. SPV 28022 CD; www.eureka-music.de

SONIC ANTARCTICA by Andrea Polli (2009)

Andrea Polli is a digital media artist who is an Associate Professor of Electronic Arts at the University of New Mexico and formerly an Associate Professor of Film and Media at Hunter College, part of the CUNY organization. According to her Web site, “Her work addresses issues related to science and technology in contemporary society. She is interested in global systems, the real time interconnectivity of these systems, and the effect of these systems on individuals. Polli’s work with science, technology and media has been presented widely in over 100 presentations, exhibitions and performances internationally, has been recognized by numerous grants, residencies and awards including UNESCO. She currently works in collaboration with atmospheric scientists to develop systems for understanding storm and climate through sound (called sonification).” During the 2007/08 Antarctic season she spent seven weeks in Antarctica under the U.S. National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, recording interviews and videos with weather, climate and earth scientists and recording the sounds of natural and work-related mechanical and human activities. Areas travelled included McMurdo Sound, the Dry Valleys and the South Pole. The resulting CD, limited to 500 copies, presents 10 tracks, including recordings of helicopters and radio transmissions from the Williams Field landing area, sounds from Taylor Glacier, Castle Rock and Lake Hoare, weather balloon launching activities at the South Pole and polar philosophy from a cast of prominent researchers on their activities and on global warming. Gruenrekorder Gruen064/LC09488; www.andreapolli.com; www.gruenrekorder.de

TERRA NOVA: SINFONIA ANTARCTICA by DJ Spooky (2008) (not yet released as a recording)

DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid (a.k.a. Paul D. Miller is a New York, N.Y.-based composer, musician, writer, lecturer and multi-media artist who has had international performances and presentations of his works. According to his Web site, “In December 2007 and January 2008 Paul D. Miller went to Antarctica to shoot a film and make a large scale multimedia performance work that will be an acoustic portrait of a rapidly changing continent called Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica. Sinfonia Antarctica transforms Miller’s first person encounter with the harsh, dynamic landscape of Antarctica into multimedia portraits with music composed from the different geographies that make up the land mass. It’s about the environment, sound, hip hop, electronic music and what it means to be a composer in the 21st century…Miller’s field recordings from a portable studio, set up to capture the acoustic qualities of Antarctic ice forms, reflect a changing and even vanishing environment under duress. Coupled with historic, scientific, and geographical visual material, Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica is a seventy minute performance, creating a unique and powerful moment around man’s relationship with nature…

Using digital media, video, and high tech recording equipment, DJ Spooky will go to Antarctica and paint an acoustic portrait of this rapidly transforming environment…he aims to bring Antarctica to the contemporary imagination by digitally reconstructing it: historical maps, travelers journals over the last several centuries, crystalline ice’s resonant frequencies, and the Earth’s magnet poles - will all be paints for the audio palette he will work with. Essentially, he will go to the continent and create a recording studio that will be portable enough to move all over the territory…For the purposes of this project, the idea of looking at the places beyond the realms of everyday life in the industrialized 21st century world, puts the continent front and center into the idea of making a map of the continent in sound.

Sinfonia Antarctica will be an acoustic portrait of a rapidly transforming continent made of ice and condensation. In many ways, because there is little rain, the interior of the continent is technically one of the largest deserts in the world. What Sinfonia Antarctica proposes to do is explore the realm of fiction and ideas that underlie almost all perceptions of Antarctica - from the interior desert plains, to the Transantarctic Mountains that divide the continent, the Suite will take samples of the different conditions, and transform them into multi-media portraits with music composed from the different geographies that make up the land mass.”

The work was commissioned by a number of international arts festivals and institutions and is played by a string trio with piano along with hip-hop and sampled digital accompaniment. With integrated Antarctic video projections, it has been performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) as well as by other local ensembles in the United States. The Alter Ego Ensemble has performed it in Europe and Australia.

In 2009 Paul D. Miller presented The Science of Terra Nova, which was about the changes in Antarctica related to global climate change, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, a presentation incorporating his Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica.

In 2010 Paul went to the High Arctic for his Arctic Rhythms/Ice Music project with Cape Farewell, a charitable organization working to encourage artists to produce art based on scientific research, to engage the public in global warming issues. According to his Web site, “I am in the High Arctic creating a series of drafts for several compositions that I’ll eventually turn into several string quartet pieces, a gallery show, and a symphony out of the experience. I’m looking at how to collect impressions of the landscape, distill the material into something that I can use in the compositions (visually, sonically, and for writing as well), and arrive at a point where sound and art can create portraits of what’s going on up here.”

Paul told us in late 2010: “I’m now in production on my Arctic project, which is part 2 of what I did with my South Pole scenario.” www.djspooky.com; www.myspace.com/djspooky

ANTARCTICA ZEN (2008)

This is French disc, by Yiric Illians, in a Zen series of recordings of themed New Age and relaxing electronic instrumental music. The restful tracks include Antarctic titles such as Erebus Station, The Ross Barrier, Penguin’s Song, Polar Breath, Orcas, Iceberg, Ice Children and White Mountain. EMI Music France 509992659502 3

LES EXPÉDITIONS POLAIRES FRANÇAISES by Paul-Émile Victor, Robert Gessain and Claude Lorius (2008)

This a 3-disc spoken-word package, by three eminent French polar explorers, academics and scientists, in their native French language. Paul-Émile Victor (d. 1995) is well known for his 1934-35 traverse of Greenland and a year spent in the study of Inuit culture, for founding after WWII the Expéditions polaires Françaises, France’s then-leading polar organization and for his Antarctic research from the era of the 1957 International Geophysical Year onwards. His CD covers both polar areas and there is a 17-minute Antarctic interview from 1962, which was conducted with students from a French school. Robert Gessain (d. 1986) was a doctor and ethnologist and was also on the Greenland expedition with P-É Victor and his CD is related to Inuit culture, recorded in 1982. Claude Lorius has been a prominent glaciologist from the days of the 1957 International Geophysical Year and was notably involved with ice coring at the famed Russian Vostok Antarctic base. He became president of the Expéditions polaires Françaises following the death of P-É Victor. In 1992 he established the French Institute for Polar Research and Technology. Lorius’ CD contains a 1986 interview with French students about Antarctic science and there is a further segment recorded in 2006 related to the then upcoming 2007-09 International Geophysical Year. There is an extensive 48-page booklet with the box set, describing the background science and culture of their work and discussions.

This commercially released disc is a real gem for its record of significant polar activities from people who were directly involved. It sets an example for other nations to record and disseminate to the public the records of their own accomplishments, in whatever fields. Frémeaux & Associés FA 5211

ANTARCTICA - Music and Nature Sounds (2008) (Web site download only)

The Belgian Biosphere label specializes in relaxation music, including sounds of nature and environmental themes in various New Age styles. This disc includes both frothy and languid New Age and ambient-style instrumentals with titles such as Daybreak on the Ice field, Snow Dreams, Parad’ Ice, Flight Over the Antarctic, Iceberg, The Wild Continent, Crystal Desert , Glacier at Springtime and Love Season. Available on various music download sites such as iTunes. www.biosphere.com

SERVE CHILLED by Medwyn Goodall and Tim Rock (2008)

Cornwall, U.K.-based Goodall is a prolific master New Age composer, musician and producer of thematic CDs. According to the liner notes, his latest melodic work is “inspired by a unique environment under threat from global warming…the CD also incorporates the actual atmospheres of snowstorms, ice caves and under a frozen sea. The sounds of penguins, whales and seals weave in and out of the music as it takes you across a white world.” The CD liner has a great photo of a sinister looking, weather-sculpted iceberg as well as penguins and seals on icy shorelines. MG Music MGCD105; www.mgmusic.ltd.uk

ANTARCTIC SONGBOOK by Ian Tamblyn (2008)

Ian Tamblyn is a veteran Ottawa-area musician, playwright and educator/guide on nature cruise ships, who has made trips to both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. During the 2007-08 Students on Ice Expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula, which included about 64 international students and 25 educators/chaperones, Tamblyn was the team minstrel. He told us that the “songs were written for the most part on the expedition”, with a few from his previous CDs. These songs are a tribute to Antarctica and according to the liner notes, “added a whole new way of understanding, appreciating and digesting everything we were experiencing. Most of the students had them memorized before we returned to South America! And now we have this CD as a lasting memory, gift and legacy for the International Polar Year and our incredible journey of discovery to the bottom of the world.” The tracks of melodic, acoustical folk-rock include such titles as Paradise Bay, Albatross, Gentoo Penguin, With the Whales-Deception Island and The Emperors. Students on Ice is a Gatineau, Québec-based award-winning program led by Geoff Green, dedicated to providing high school and university youth with educational expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic regions, accompanies by world-class teams of scientists, environmentalists and other specialists. ITCD-2008; www.tamblyn.com; www.studentsonice.com; (See also GYRE (2009), ANGEL’S SHARE (2004) and THE BODY NEEDS TO TRAVEL (1997) by Ian Tamblyn in the following “Individual Antarctic songs” section.)

ELEGI FOR ROALD AMUNDSEN by Hornorkesteret (2008) (Web site download only)

This anniversary tribute collection to polar hero Roald Amundsen may well be one of the most original and unusual recorded musical portrayals of an Antarctic theme. Jonas M. Qvale is the founder and a member of Norwegian group Hornorkesteret, formed in 1999 as an experimental art project, which has played in concert halls, museums, in the woods, on mountaintops and contributed to films and theatre. He told us that “I run a band called Hornorkesteret, The Norwegian Polar Orchestra, and we play soundscapes and experimental music on stringed reindeer antlers, stones, drums flutes, logs, ice, coffee percolators and other things. Our main musical concern is the forces of nature, and in particular how they are expressed in the Polar Regions. We have also been very inspired by polar exploration and the period from 1860-1920, when the last “white areas” on the globe were charted and “conquered”. We also find inspiration in the animals of the Polar Regions and their struggle to survive.

By amplifying the reindeer antlers with contact microphones, we are able to get a range of unusual sounds - from the underwater calls of Arctic and Antarctic animals like walrus, seals, various whales and penguins to creaking ship hulls, ice floes, ice shelves breaking off and howling winds.

We have just released an MP3 single commemorating the 80 years since polar hero Roald Amundsen disappeared in the Arctic with the seaplane Latham 47. The title track, Elegi for Roald Amundsen features the vocals of another great Norwegian polar hero, Fridtjof Nansen, taken from his speech at Amundsen’s funeral. Two other tracks related to Amundsen are included on this release, Mot Sydpolen (Towards the South Pole), an imagined soundtrack to the trek towards the Pole in 1911, and Mandolin Under et Vindu (Mandolin Under a Window), which looks at Amundsen’s youth and his early determination to make a name for himself in the Polar regions. Finally, a live version of the title track is included, recorded at the memorial monument at Amundsen’s birthplace in Borge, Norway at a memorial ceremony on the 18^th of June 2008, complete with birdsong and rustling leaves.”

Towards the South Pole is a wonder of feral squawks, bleats and percussion, underlain by a menacing bass and as marching music might be more than adequate to encourage anyone to trek to the Pole and back. www.hornorkesteret.no; www.myspace.com/hornorkesteret

An off-shoot project began in 2001 with Hornorkesteret recordings that were inadequate due to technical and other sound problems. These were organized along with material from other electronical sound sources under the cultural sharing network ORIGAMI ANTARKTIKA. According to their website, the goal is “to freeze down, time-stretch, to punctuate or blur these sounds. To submerge everything in the black waters of Lake Vostok, perhaps never to come back, perhaps to become new soundscapes one day. The low activity of this unit is due to extremely cold temperatures. When things are frozen, the atoms don’t ‘die’ or stop moving, they just slow waaaay down.” www.myspace.com/origamiantarktika

SOUNDS OF AUSTRALIA – THE NATIONAL REGISTRY OF RECORDED SOUND – National Film & Sound Archive (2008)

According to the CD booklet notes, “The National Film and Sound Archives of Australia develops, preserves, maintains and promotes a national audiovisual collection” as an Australian statutory authority created in 2008 from a previous non-statutory agency. The National Registry of Recorded Sound was begun in 2007 “as a way of highlighting Australia’s rich sound heritage. Each year, ten entries are added to an ever-growing list of iconic sound recordings of all genres (not just recorded music but also spoken word, radio serials, advertising jingles and so on), from all periods and across all sound media. The CD presents various musical groups, indigenous musicians and Aboriginal songs. A puzzling inclusion is Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1910 recording of My South Polar Expedition. This is the less well-known of his two recorded recitations about the British 1907-09 Nimrod Antarctic Expedition. This Expedition was not known as an Australian venture, although it did have several Australian crewmen and scientists (including Edgeworth David and Douglas Mawson, who later went on to Antarctic fame in his own right.) ABC 476 6812; www.nfsa.gov.au; (See also HISTORIC VOICES IX – The Voices Collection (2008) following in this section.)

HISTORIC VOICES IX - The Voices Collection (2008)

This CD of speeches by famous people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein and Babe Ruth includes Ernest Shackleton’s My South Polar Expedition, a recitation from March 30, 1910 and the lesser known of the two separate recordings made by him. It describes the British 1907-09 Nimrod Antarctic Expedition led by Shackleton. Unfortunately, for a series such as this, the CD does not have any background liner notes to any of the tracks, indicating recording dates or the contexts of the speeches. Also on this disc is a 20-second excerpt track Reaching the North Pole by Robert Peary, from the recording The Discovery of the North Pole, which was recorded in 1910 by Peary about his expedition, which claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1909. This latter recording was on the reverse side of the first, better known 78 rpm recording made by Shackleton in 1909, A Description of the Dash for the South Pole. Saland Publishing SP180; (See also the compilation disc SINFONIA ANTARTICA/SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC (2009) in the “Classical Antarctica: Ralph Vaughan Williams” commentary section at the beginning of this Discography and THE VERY BEST HISTORIC VOICES (2007) following in this section.)

THE VERY BEST HISTORIC VOICES (2007)

According to the CD cover, the disc includes “25 rare recordings from some of the most important people at the turn of the 20^th century”, such as speeches from five American presidents, Commander Robert Peary (talking in 1910 about the discovery of the North Pole), Thomas Edison, Oscar Wilde, Harry Houdini, Buffalo Bill Cody and an 1890 speech by Florence Nightingale. Also included is Ernest Shackleton’s My South Polar Expedition, a recitation from March 30, 1910 and the lesser known of the two separate recordings made by him. It describes the British 1907-09 Nimrod Antarctic Expedition led by Shackleton. Also on this disc is the track The Discovery of the North Pole, which was recorded in 1910 by Peary about his expedition, which claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1909. This latter recording was the reverse side of the first, more commonly known 78 rpm recording made by Shackleton in 1909, A Description of the Dash for the South Pole. The CD was compiled by Bill Seper (Illinois, U.S.A.). Blue Denim Records 92107; (See also the compilation disc SINFONIA ANTARTICA/SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC (2009) in the “Classical Antarctica: Ralph Vaughan Williams” commentary section at the beginning of this Discography and HISTORIC VOICES IX - The Voices Collection (2008) in this section.)

DEEP_FRIEZE by Sleep Research Facility (2007)

Sleep Research Facility is the solo project of Glasgow, U.K.-based ambient sound artist Kevin Doherty. According to his Website site, “Sleep Research Facility explores notions of awareness and perception in the sub/unconscious listener. Focusing primarily on sound bereft of rhythm based energies, SRF(acility)’s goal is to provide listening environments wherein the music simply adds texture to the silence. SRF entertains the idea that music can forgoe notions of compositional architecture, resulting in noise which draws attention away from itself, leaving room for the listener to focus on other things (or, focus on nothing at all). SRF puts emphasis on these aesthetics in the search for a kind of “play me quiet” sound suitable for listening to actively or passively depending on circumstances, creating an aural experience which guides the mind through gentle misdirection rather than forcing its attention, allowing listeners to drift in their own diversified thoughts.”

His fourth CD of ambient sonics and soundscapes is based on the solitary bleakness of the Antarctic and the five long minimalist tracks are named for Antarctic geographic co-ordinates: 79ºS 83ºW, 72ºS 149ºE, 82ºS 62ºE, 86ºS 115ºW and 80ºS 96ºE. Kev told us in 2010 about the background of the music: “Hmmmmm, what inspired the Deep Frieze album...? The Antarctic environment is so pure and motionless and (for the most part) still unsullied by mankind. It’s a huge “emptiness” begging to be filled with stories and imagination. It evokes tranquility but harbours darkness and danger in its serene beauty as well. It’s probably one of the last great unexplored regions of our planet, still holding deep secrets within its frozen wasteland. There is life there, as well as death. The co-ordinates for the track titles were chosen arbitrarily, but I looked to scatter them evenly and randomly across the map, hopefully representing the vast nothingness as opposed to anything that might be thought of as a tourist attraction. Who could resist exploring this! Either in person or artistically.”

The Website notes to the CD state that “The polar regions are awe-inspiring environments of inhospitable minimalism, and at the same time there’s a beautiful serenity to be found in their uncharted bleakness as well. There’s a powerful purity and a timelessness to be found there: snow which has lain un-trampled for millennia and ice which formed eons ago; mountain ranges and deserts and rivers to be found if you look. Here deep, resonant, abyss-like tones shine forth from icy chasms below as whiteout blasts across the vast and largely uncharted expanse of emptiness above. Chilled, though not necessarily chilling. There is a certain comforting warmth in the encroaching slumber of hypothermia.” Cold spring CSR72CD; www.myspace.com/sleepresearchfacility; www.resonance-net.com

ANTARCTIC by Mac Lauren (undated) (Web site download only)

Mac Lauren, from Hobart, Tasmania is an Australian singer-songwriter who has travelled his native land, designed and built green power units and been an electrical contractor. He overwintered in Antarctica and produced three songs from his experiences for his web site. Peace of Mind is a relaxing guitar/harmonica instrumental. The other two tracks are sung in a husky baritone and are very expressive of the strong emotions of beauty and longing brought out by The Ice. Lyrics to Antarctic: “And the beauty of it all becomes clear, as we draw near. South of here there’s an ocean as wide as any known. Grey mountains marching endlessly, the albatross above surfs the air, fortune we share. Antarctic, the beauty of silence, land of the storm. Lift off the deck into a perfect sky, perfect sky. Once around the ship and we’re climbing high. Around the horizon cathedrals float in a frozen sea. I recall her icy breath over me. Antarctic, the beauty of silence, land of the storm. Antarctic, the beauty of silence, land of the storm.”

Lyrics to Return to Australia: : “Where have you been, long lost son? Finally, spring has come. Stretch the days. Draw the life, back to this land, this land of ice. Why does a world so cold, bring fire to the soul? This line on the map in the mess, reading daily, sailing south southwest. Moving an inch a day, slowly and surely coming our way. Red ship is in the bay. Stand by to R.T.A. I’ll never leave you cold. I’ll warm your heart and soul. I’m tired of loving over the phone. I’m meant to hold you. I’m coming home. Red ship is in the bay. I’m on for R.T.A. I’ll never leave you cold. I’ll warm your heart and soul, your heart and soul. Red ship is in the bay. Stand by to R.T.A. We’re coming home.” www.maclaurenmusic.com

CARTOGRAPHER by E.S. Posthumus, featuring Luna Sans (2007)

According to the liner notes, “In 1929, the ancient map “Piri Reis” was discovered in Constantinople. The map is extraordinary because it depicts bays and islands on the Antarctic coast which have been concealed under ice for at least 6,000 years. What civilization was capable of such exploration that long ago? On “Cartographer”, we imagine that these explorers were from the tiny island of Numa in the Southern Indian Ocean. As advanced seafarers, they navigated every corner of the Earth. We have created a language unique to them and tell stories through song that describe their creation, discoveries and ultimate demise.” Piri Re’is (Admiral) was an Ottoman seafarer and cartographer who compiled a now controversial map of the world in 1513. The surviving part shows the coasts of Western Europe, Africa and the Brazilian regions of eastern South America. The South American outlines have been claimed by some writers since the mid-1960s to show an ice-free eastern Antarctic Peninsula coast, though this is unproven. Many others believe this interpretation belongs in the fantasy world of Von Daniken’s Chariot of the Gods.

The composers of the music are two brothers based in Los Angeles, California, with the unlikely-sounding names of Helmut and Franz Vonlichten, also reported to be pseudonyms for two real brothers who have written numerous soundtrack pieces for TV programs and film studios. The music on the disc is big orchestral World Music, largely with a Latin sound with some Mid-Eastern influences. The package contains two discs, one with vocals by the wonderful Luna Sans to lush instrumental tracks and the second has an even fuller all-instrumental treatment. It’s great listening, but with the tropical flavour, it takes a great imagination to pretend that any of the lands portrayed musically could be overlain by miles of ice today. Wigshop Records WS2237; www.esposthumus.com

ANTARCTICA SUITE by Hunter Johnson (2007) (Web site download only)

Hunter Johnson is a California-based musician who grew up in Southeast Asia and moved to Portland, Oregon for his high school years. He has worked independently as an artist and producer for musical projects and for television. This downloadable suite of 13 melodic, instrumental synthesizer pieces began as musical impressions for the paintings and photographs of the visual artist, J. J. L’Heureux, also based in California. L’Heureux has visited the continent five times and has been an Antarctic expedition artist with Quark Expeditions. The themed track titles will be familiar to any Antarctic visitor and include Wilderness Theme, Encounter with Sea & Ice, All Ice Melts, Penguins in Paradise Bay, Frozen Rivers, Walk to the Rookery, Dawn Down Iceberg Alley, White Wilderness, Lemaire Passage, Ice Caps Melting, Crossing the Circle and Zodiac Exploration. In late 2007, Johnson accompanied L’Heureux and a Swiss filmmaker on board the Golden Fleece, a 65-foot motor sloop, which circumnavigated South Georgia, and is composing background music for the video adventure. www.hunterjohnsonmusic.com; www.jjlheureux.com; www.penguinspirit.com

ANTARCTICA by Gill de la tourette (2007) (Web site download only)

De la tourette (Steven Tevels) is a Belgian native and electronica artist. His 39-minute, 6-track Antarctica is a bleak, minimalist ambient work and according to the web site, “is a concept CD dedicated to the experimental pioneers who discovered and explored Antarctica...The first impressions of an untouched mighty new land. Extreme circumstances, never ending icy winds, random noisy silence, white absolute monochrome landscapes, hunger, cold, no daylight in winter, the suffering, tiredness and isolation...An audiosonic story, a melodic journey through a world of dissected and strangely reassembled tones. On first listen, these soundscapes could easily sound like a stuttering mess, but give it time and the stutters become a string orchestra and the glitches become the delicate sound of a glockenspiel…” ca080; www.clinicalarchives.blogspot.com; www.myspace.com/gilldelatourette

ANTARCTICA by Metamorfrozen (2007) (Web site download only)

This dynamic 80-minute ambient work, containing 10 instrumental tracks, on a Polish net label dedicated to industrial, dark ambient, power electronica and experimental music, is “especially for all explorers of Polar landscapes.” Titles include Metamorformation, Polar Plateau, Snow Petrels Over the Pole, Diamond Dust, Dark Days Under Mount Terror, Aurora Australis, Subglacial Lakes, Winds Over the Cold Emptiness, Ice-o-lation and Mountains of Madness. No information on the artist in the Web site. KEMn53; www.kaos-ex-machina.pl/promotions

ERNEST SHACKLETON BIG BAND ORCHESTRA (2007 and 2005) (Web site downloads only)

The ESBBO is the ambient recording project of the Lille, France-based artist who records under the name of Kaneda. His eight-track, 41-minute Artic Opera from 2005 is described on the Web site as “polar ambient...a journey into Antarctica with sounds from ice and sea”. The seven-track, 46-minute Rest in Ice from 2007 is described as “polar, always polar.” In 2009 Kaneda told us: “The reason for the “Ernest Shackleton Big Band Orchestra” is really simple. In fact, since I was very young, I’ve always been fascinated by Antarctica and other very cold places. I started producing ambient music a few years ago and had no name for the project. I just used my surname, Kaneda. After a concert, I asked a friend about his feelings. He just said that it was “polar”. No other words...that was the only word he could say about my music. So I found that “polar” was accurate and I searched for a name. While I was looking at a video about Ernest Shackleton, I realized that the technology didn’t allow his team to record sounds but only pictures. I imagined that Ernest Shackleton is still alive and continues his journeys through polar lands and I’m his sound engineer.” www.knd.world.free.fr; www.myspace.com/kanedafeatmoineau; www.archive.org

ENDURANCE by Irezumi (2007)

Irezumi is a former techno artist, based in France, who has created an album of richly desolate ambient music based on Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition. Haunting voiceovers on several of the tracks add to the imagined reality of the drama on ice, water and land, as portrayed in the music. A six panel digipak of bleak black and white photos, of what looks like Frank Hurley’s photographs of South Georgian mountains and glaciers, adds to the listening experience. As to the reason for the CD, a representative of the record label told us that, “Irezumi read some stuff about Shackleton, I think he also saw some documentaries. And it was enough for him to make an album.” Snowblood Snow01; www.myspace.com/irezumimusic

TILL ANTARCTICA by Elisa Korenne (2007)

Till Antarctica may well be the catchiest, upbeat, can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head Antarctic tune we’ve come across. It’s the theme song for the play Antarctica, which was written by Carolyn Raship and premièred at the New York City Fringe Festival in 2007. The play is about two schoolgirls who meet at school and plan to go to Antarctica to find the magnetic South Pole. Elisa Korenne is a New York-based singer/composer with numerous songwriting awards to her credit. While the song has not yet been commercially issued on a CD, we are eager to see take its rightful place as one of the greats of recorded Antarctic tunes. A song sample may be heard on the myspace website listed below. Sample lyrics: “Blue ice may freeze our feet, Blubber’s all there is to eat, I’m with you…No matter where you want to go, I’ll stay by your side, you know, I’ll see it through, I’ll stay with you, Till Antarctica. If penguins steal our sleeping bags, You break your legs on the icy crags, I’m with you. The wind could wail loud and cold, Snow blindness could take hold, I’m with you, I’m with you.” Elisa told us that “I haven't been to Antarctica (the only continent I haven't been to!) and I hear it’s incredible. My images of Antarctica come from a variety of sources. Mainly, they come from the text of the play itself. The song was almost an accident. I was at a writing retreat trying to write a musical, and I was procrastinating. I read the play, and figured I ought to at least write a song based on it as a fun exercise if I wasn’t going to be writing my musical. The other places my images come from are photographs I’ve seen of my friend kayaking the Arctic and photographs of the Endurance journey in Antarctica.” www.elisakorenne.com; www.myspace.com/antarcticatheplay

ANTARCTICA - Nature Recordings by Global Journey (2007)

Global Journey is a music, audio and video programming and distribution firm, dedicated to many and various lifestyle and nature themes, with offices in the U.K. and U.S. Its CDs are composed and performed by professional musicians and artists and the firm specializes in non mainstream markets. The Antarctica CD is a 51-minute presentation of wind, pounding water, storms and various wildlife sounds. According to the liner notes Antarctica is “a place of such raw beauty and unspoilt landscapes, a stunning wilderness of great importance. The polar experience is one of awe inspiring imagery from the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis) and whale-watching to the amazing penguin colonies and the glacial configurations.” Global Journey CD GJ3715; www.global-journey.com

ANTARCTICA - A Portrait in Wildlife and Natural Sound (2007)

Originally released on LP in 1971, this 48-minute British CD is a collection of 16 tracks of natural Antarctic sounds, including penguins, seals, birds, ice movement, blizzard, spring, rough seas and huskies. It was recorded over 1969-70 and produced by the then British Antarctic Survey meteorologist/filmmaker and later author, Edwin Mickleburgh. He has provided an extensive liner booklet with copious notes about the nature and wildlife of each recorded scene. Saydisc CD-SDL219; www.saydisc.com

ICE – PIANO SLIGHTLY CHILLED (2007) by Fiona Joy Hawkins; ANGEL ABOVE MY PIANO by Fiona Joy Hawkins (2006)

Fiona Joy is an Australian painter and pianist whose 2006 CD of romantic New Age piano presents a suite of Antarctic Interludes, which includes Crystal Desert, Dance of the Penguins, Flight of the Albatross and Angel Above My Piano. Her 2007 CD, with added percussion and accompaniment, contains Antarctic Wings, a perkier sounding reprise of Flight of the Albatross from her 2006 disc, as well as Snow Bird, a vocal version of the same piece. She told us in 2007: “I went out of New Zealand and into Hobart, Australia on an Orion Expedition Cruise (2005) - we went to the Antarctic Continent – most boats only go from South America to the Peninsula. I believe that less than six boats go there each year – we went to the lowest latitude you can sail to. The boat was fantastic and had two pianos on board – thus I could write as I looked out the window. As I am a conceptual writer, I need subject matter, and Antarctica is perfect to write music about. In my mind I captured what it is like, I hope other people agree – I guess it’s always something personal. I have to be honest, there were several places I went that I could hear no music whatsoever – it was simply too desolate and there was too much hardship (Scott’s Hut) – but the beauty of the ocean, the glaciers, the sunset, the mountains and the wildlife were irresistible to write about.” Fiona’s Antarctic video clips, including scenes of her playing the piano on the ship, have appeared on www.youtube.com (use Penguin Whisperer in the search box). Little Hartley Music FJH002 (2006 disc) and FJH003 (2007 disc); www.fionajoyhawkins.com; www.littlehartleymusic.com

THE ANTARCTIC BALLADS by Cliff Wedgbury (2006)

Cliff Wedgbury is a Cork, Ireland-based literary writer and performing artist and broadcaster who has produced his own folk song tribute to the heroes of the Golden Era of Antarctic exploration of the early 1900s. According to the liner notes, he was originally inspired as a youngster in 1956 when he visited the R.S.S. Discovery, the ship used on Robert Scott’s 1901-04 first Antarctic expedition, which was then docked in London, England. In 2009, Cliff told us that “My interest began one hot summer Sunday afternoon when my late father took myself and my older sister up to central London from our home in the suburbs, to visit Capt. Scott’s first Antarctic ship “Discovery”, which was berthed at that time on the Thames. After that visit and the stories he told us of Antarctic exploration, I saved up my pocket-money and purchased a second-hand copy of “South With Scott” by Lt. Teddy Evans. As a teenager I learnt folk guitar, and began writing songs, but it is only in the past nine years that I wrote the Antarctic ballads, spurred on by reading, “Unsung Hero” by Michael Smith, about Irishman Tom Crean. I sang at the unveiling ceremony of his statue by his two surviving daughters. I also sang my ballads below decks on “Discovery” with Scott’s grandson, Edward Wilson’s nephew David, and Lt. Teddy Evans’ son Broke. Last November (2008), I sang at the Shackleton Museum in Athy, Co. Kildare.” The CD has 12 tuneful songs, sung in an earnest, earthy baritone voice with guitar accompaniment. Titles include five ballads, The Ballads of Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton, Teddy Evans, Of The Invalid and Tom Crean. Other songs include Soldier, Soldier, Where The Icebergs Flow, Sailor Boy, Sweethearts and Wives, Daddy Will You Tell Us, Emily’s Song and Each Dawn Seems So New. The CD comes with a booklet with the Scott and Shackleton histories, all the song lyrics plus music notation for The Ballad of Ernest Shackleton and The Ballad of Tom Crean, who was a hero of both Scott’s and Shackleton’s expeditions. www.myspace.com/cliffwedgbury

ANTARCTICA SONGS by The Aquatic Ape Theory (2006) (Web site download only)

TAAT is the alter ego of San Diego-based Jim Behrens. This collection of folksy roots rock was recorded at the Australian Antarctic base, Davis Station and mixed onboard the supply ship RSV Aurora Australis. Tracks include White White (sample lyrics: “White white, everywhere you look is white, Sunlight comin’ up from below. My face is turning red, it’s time for me to go to bed and dream of dreams of home. I’ve been puttin’ in my time of workin’ on the line, and in this strange empty place filled with snow, day turns to night, someone forgot to turn off the lights.”), Sun Dogs, Amery, Vegemite and In a Tent (In a blizzard).

We asked Jim in 2008 about the background of his music and he provided the following remarkable biography: “I am a geophysicist, and was fortunate enough to spend two summer seasons working in Antarctica as a post-doc at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I made a website during my second season (2006-07) where you can learn about the project and day-to-day life in the Antarctic: http://loose-tooth.ucsd.edu. At the top of the ‘science’ page there is a link to a YouTube video I put together that gives a good summary as well. On the ‘links’ page there is a link to photographs from the 2005-06 season, when the songs were written and recorded.

I brought my guitar and harmonicas, along with a bare-bones recording rig, during that first season, 2005-06. I spent two solid months living in tents on the Amery Ice Shelf as part of a 6-person field team, which is when I wrote the songs and lyrics. We were collecting seismic data by laying out geophone arrays and setting off small charges of dynamite, to measure the thickness of the ice and the depth of the seawater beneath us. One of the women in the team (Marianne Okal) was a classically-trained violinist, she brought a mandolin which she played wonderfully, and we wrote the music to Amery together, and she wrote her part for Sun Dogs. The album cover photo is a timed self-portrait of us posing in front of the midnight sun out on the ice shelf. We spent the final month of the season based back at Davis Station, where I stayed up late many nights to record the tracks in an empty room in the science building. The hard walls and high ceiling created a nice natural reverb. There is a band hut at Davis as well, and there were a surprising number of musicians down there that season. I set up and recorded the drum tracks in the hut one afternoon, after most everything else had been recorded to a click track. I played all the instruments except for some of the mandolin parts. I mixed the songs during the two-week icebreaker transit back to Hobart, Tasmania, and sent them off to get mastered once I returned to California.

The lyrics for White White, Sun Dogs, and Amery are my interpretations of and meditations on life on the ice shelf: being so far from home and spending the holidays with a small group of relative strangers; the overwhelming beauty, remoteness, and hostility of the environment; the interpersonal conflicts as well as the camaraderie; the mental and physical strain that accumulated over two months out there. I came up with the bridge for White White while on a long snowmobile transit one fine morning. The line ‘sun dogs, halos, iridescent rainbows’ refers to the unusual atmospheric optical effects that occur in the cold, clean air down there. One night when I got out of my tent around 2 am and a low fog had settled on the ice shelf, there were sun dogs projected into the fog that looked to be about 10 meters away from my face. Astonishing. Vegemite is about me learning to love the stuff. The expedition was run by the Australian Antarctic Division, and so there was an endless supply of Vegemite. I wrote that one in about 10 minutes, and recorded the guitar and vocals on the first take. In aTent (In a Blizzard) is actually two overlapping ambient sound recordings, made with the internal mic on my laptop, in two different tents on successive nights during a week-long blizzard. I had intended to record some spare, simple guitar to go with it, but ran out of time. I brought gear down again for the second season, but it was shorter, and when I was at Davis Station I had many more opportunities to get out on long multi-day hikes in the local area, which I couldn’t pass up. I made time for music as well, but was mostly jamming with the other musicians at the base, and never really got any substantial recording done.

Well that’s probably more that you wanted to know, but it’s not often that someone asks me about the music I make, which is my true passion in life. I always travel with at least a guitar, and am always writing songs as I go. I got about halfway through a proper album earlier this year, but had to put it on hold – I’ve been at sea in the Arctic now since May, but all the background noise on a ship makes it a bad place to record. Anyway, I’ll be back home soon, and back to my studio with new songs in my head.” www.jimbo.cc

HELLO ANTARCTICA by Max Marlow and Ma5kin3 (2006) (Web site download only)

Max Marlow is a German electronic musician whose 26-minute Hello Antarctica suite of five ambient tracks contains some appropriately sinister, icy themes that would be ideal background soundtracks for a creepy movie involving escapes through deep glaciers, crevasses and underground caverns. Metro024; www.retropublik.net; www.myspace.com/maxmarlow

THE COLDEST PLACE ON EARTH by Green Bean Music (2006)

Green Bean, based in Evanston, Illinois was formed in 2002 by teacher Bill Corrough and songwriter/producer Ryan Bassler to create enjoyable musical productions for students, teachers and parents. Their web sites says that, “Kids want to hear and sing songs that their big brothers and sisters listen to, not songs that sound like what adults think they like.” There are twelve musicals in their CD catalogue and this is a great one, about Antarctica, with the tracks The Coldest Place on Earth, Race to the Pole, Ice Formations, Antarctic Penguins, and Which Way is North. The up-beat songs are in three sets, with the first performed by Green Bean, the second has vocals by a group of children and the third has instrumentals only, for a sing along. The performance package also includes a data disc with the lyrics, music, spoken parts for the musical presentation and additional information about Antarctica with Web site references. Ryan told us that, “Our music company has been writing 2-3 musicals a year, and one of the recurring themes has been the Continents, so Antarctica was bound to happen sometime. Probably one of the only times you'll hear 200 kids singing about Ernest Shackleton.” Polyholiday Records phcdr206; www.greenbeanmusic.com

BLOODY SEA by Merzbow (2006)

Merzbow is a Japanese experimental electronic music project begun by Masami Akita in 1979. Alone or with numerous collaborators, he has released numerous CDs as well as books and articles about subcultures and recently, animal rights. Music may be a generous description of his abstract synthesizer mosaics, which might otherwise be described as noise. The present CD is a three-part Anti-Whaling Song, which may take more than three listenings to absorb. The sound is harsh and difficult to listen to, in keeping with the harsh, bloody and unpleasant topic.

The CD cover notes present a strident polemic against so-called Japanese scientific whaling in the Antarctic, which begins: “In November, 2006, the Japanese whaling fleet will set sail for the icy waters of Antarctica. Their target - 50 Humpback Whales, 50 Fin Whales and almost l000 Minke Whales. In the next l6 years, unless this obscene ‘scientific whaling’ program, known as JARPA 2, is stopped, the Japanese whaling fleet will slaughter l7,000 Minke Whales, 800 Humpbacks and 800 Fin Whales. The murder of these beautiful creatures spells the end of the global moratorium on the killing of whales as Japan’s so-called ‘scientific whaling’ is nothing more than a commercial killing operation. The Japanese Government subsidises its whaling industry with thousands of dollars each year. Japanese warehouses are piled high with mountains of unused whale meat. School children are given whale hamburgers and sausages in an attempt to turn them on to eating whale meat. The truth is that the market for whale meat in Japan is almost non-existent. Yet still the Japanese Government pursues its deadly agenda of turning the world’s oceans into a slaughterhouse for whales. Old whalers who worked in Antarctica in the fifties, when thousands and thousands of whales were killed, cannot wipe the memories of the hideous slaughter from their minds…..

Tell your family, friends, workmates that the whales will die unless we, the people act. There is legal action which can be taken to stop the slaughter. There is hope. Miracles can happen, but we must create the magic. The whales demand no less. The great mind in the waters is calling on caring humans to ensure their survival. This call is nothing less than the crossroads of our humanity, our survival. Do it!” VIVO2006022CD; www.merzbow.net

DARK ADVENTURE RADIO THEATRE PRESENTS H. P. LOVECRAFT’S “AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS” (2006)

The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society (of Glendale, California) has adapted one of Lovecraft’s best regarded stories in the form of a spooky 75 minute radio play in the way it might have been produced in the 1930s. If you ever thought that early life oozed out of a tropical Antarctica, then this is for you. The story, originally written in 1931, appeared as a serialized edition in Astounding Stories in 1936 and was published as a novella in 1939. Byrd-era Antarctic technology is combined with unbounded sci-fi imagination in a university Antarctic expedition gone wrong. Despite the exaggerated imagery, this classic story asks a good question – how far should science go for the sake of curiosity? It concludes that some things are better left unearthed. www.cthulhulives.org

HP LOVECRAFT was also the name of a 1960s eclectic Chicago and later Marin County, California folk rock/ psychedelic band, which issued two records in 1967 and 1968. Both were issued as a CD package in 2000 and the second, HP LOVECRAFT II (1968) contains the track At the Mountains of Madness. Apparently about a bad acid trip, no Antarctic content is discernible, despite the notable title. Collector’s Choice Music 314542821-2; www.collectorschoicemusic.com

HAPPY FEET - Music from the Motion Picture (2006)

The Warner Bros.’ film about Mumbles, the Antarctic penguin who can’t sing but can tap dance up a storm became an early box office success and won the Oscar for best animated feature film of 2006. The recycled dance music of the soundtrack is sung by many currently hip singers but unfortunately there was no apparent attempt here to create fresh music that would be Antarctic in lyrics or mood. Warner Sunset/Atlantic CD83998; www.happyfeetmovie.com

ANTARCTIC JOURNAL – Original Soundtrack composed by Kenji Kawai (2005)

South Korean director Yim Pil-Sung has made an Antarctic mystery and psychological thriller about six expeditioners crossing the continent. After they find a journal from another expedition that disappeared 80 years ago, turmoil and terror abound. The soundtrack is pretty bleak and bare, likely matching the mood of the film, which has not yet caught any publicity in North America. Sony Music Direct (Japan) Inc. MHCP 840

ANTARCTICA - Musical Images from the Frozen Continent by Craig Vear (2005)

Vear, a British electroacoustic composer and musician, won an Arts Council England Fellowship, in conjunction with the British Antarctic Survey’s Artists and Writers Programme, to spend three months over 2003/04 on British bases in the Antarctic Peninsula area. The result was the multi-media Antarctica, which includes a small book of his diaries and other commentaries, a CD of recorded Antarctic wildlife sounds, ice breaking and glacial melting, and a DVD. The DVD includes an electro-acoustic composition comprised of original field recordings of wildlife, mechanical and human sounds, portraying the interactions of the people with their environments. Enlighten Entertainment Ltd.; www.ev2.co.uk; www.myspace.com/craigvear; (See also ANTARCTICA by Craig Vear (2011) in this section and SUMMERHOUSES by Craig Vear (2009) in the individual songs section.)

LA MARCHE DE L’EMPEREUR by Emilie Simon (2005)

This is the soundtrack for the French film of the same name by Luc Jacquet (English title: March of the Penguins), a soaring flockumentary about the harsh frozen world of Emperor penguins. The original French version of the film has actors cutely voicing penguins while the English version has narration by Morgan Freeman and a different soundtrack. The original French film music, by Simon, a French singer and instrumentalist, is in an electropop New Age style with English vocals, reminiscent of Icelandic singer Björk. Some of the song titles include The Frozen World, Antarctic, Baby Penguins, Aurora Australis. All is White, Footprints in the Snow. Barclay 9827008. There is also a version of this disc with the English title MARCH OF THE EMPRESS (2005) Milan M2-36276; (See also MARCH OF THE PENGUINS Original Score by Alex Wurman (2005) in the preceding “Classical Antarctica” commentary.)

VOICES OF HISTORY 2 - Arts, Science & Exploration (2005)

In this second set of vocal recordings of famous people from the British Library Sound Archive, there is a 3.48 minute recitation by Ernest Shackleton titled A description of the dash for the South Pole, recorded on June 23, 1909. Shackleton very briefly outlines the British Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition of 1907-09, which he led and which was the first to scale Mount Erebus and send men to the South Magnetic Pole. Shackleton and three others came within 112 miles of the South Pole itself, before conditions made them turn back. He ends with a quote from Robert Service, famous for his poetry of Canada’s northern Yukon area. British Library NSACD 19-20; www.bl.uk/soundarchive; (See also the compilation SINFONIA ANTARTICA/SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC (2009) in the “Classical Antarctica: Ralph Vaughan Williams” section and LET US NOT FORGET – A Tribute to the Phonograph - Historic Speech Recordings (1973) in this section.)

YETI SOCIETY by Harald Grosskopf (2004)

Harald Grosskopf is a veteran German drummer/percussionist and composer in the electronic music world for his own groups as well as a performer with other artists. His fifth solo album, with an iceberg on the back cover, has Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance Expedition to Antarctica as its overall theme. The interesting, tuneful beat-heavy tracks include Circumspection, Bravery, Elephant Island, Endurance, South Georgia, Broad Liquids and Endeavourance. Harald explained to us in 2009 the reason for his general Antarctic theme on the album: “I was very much inspired by reading the incredible logbook/diary of Sir Ernest Shackleton. His strength and intelligence made them successfully cross, in a tiny lifeboat, the damned cold southern ice sea for more than 600 miles, with most primitive navigation tools, in rough seas with bad sightings (upon sun and stars) and saved his comrades’ lives, after another year of several painful tries, with the loss of just one man out of thirty something…Most thrilling!” Groove GR 110; www.haraldgrosskopf.de

HIDDEN LANDSCAPE: LAKE VOSTOK by various artists (2004)

Eight Australian musicians have each contributed a track of ambient music in this disc dedicated to Antarctica’s largest subglacial lake. It is located under more than two miles of ice and believed to be up to 15 million years old. The water in the lake, from the melting of the underside of the ice sheet, may be up to one million years old. The dark toned music on the disc, while not a bubbly listening experience, captures well, the timeless and languid nature of water hidden over frozen eons of time. These would be great soundtracks for cinema. Track titles include some very descriptive themes: Silent Voices of the Extremophiles-Bright Steel Blind Waters, Under a Blue Sun, Atlantis Blueprints and Beneath the Lake-Subatomic Movements. The 72-minute CD was compiled by Australian ambient musician and promoter Zac Keiller and includes one of his own pieces, Beyond the Ice-Submergence-Exploration. He told us in 2008 that “I was watching a documentary on Lake Vostok one day and the idea of the lake inspired my imagination. I thought that the premise would lend itself to some fascinating sound pieces, and luckily it all worked out.” Dreamland Recordings (no record # given); www.dreamlandrecordings.com

LAKE VOSTOK by Sternenspringer (2004) (Web site download only)

Sternenspringer is the musical project of two Frankfurt, Germany-based ambient/techno electronic musicians, Jürgen Rieger and Gerd Neusser. This 23-minute, 4-track work, Lake Vostok, named for Antarctica’s mysterious subsurface lake, has the following description in the Web site: “icy textures and tricky rhythmic elements fill the range, that sternenspringer span in each track - a movie for the big screen in four aural scenes.” The duo told us in 2008 that “for the sternenspringer music we are looking always for a kind of topic. In this case we read an article in a newspaper (journal) and were fascinated about this natural phenomenon and decided to create some techno/electro tracks. We hope the music mirrored this unique natural spectacle.” Tonatom.038; www.tonatom.net; www.sternenspringer.de

BIRD SONGS IN THE ANTARCTIC INCLUDING SOUTH GEORGIA & FALKLAND ISLANDS (2004)

Recorded from the Explorer II, this 31-minute British CD has tracks of 24 birds and penguins recorded from the Antarctic Peninsula area, South Georgia, Falkland Islands and Ushuaia. Mandarin Productions MP CD5; www.mandarinproductions.com

MUSIC FROM CHRISTOPHER KULIKOWSKI’s RETROGADE by Stephen Melillo (2004)

Quickly shot in a short time with a low budget, this sci-fi film stars Dolph Lundgren. It’s about a group of scientists, travelling back from the future to the present time, who land on the Antarctic pack ice, where the polar research vessel, Nathaniel Palmer, is chasing a comet and has itself become trapped in the same ice. Throw in some deadly extraterrestrial bacteria and mutinous space travellers, and things are not looking good on board the ship. Unfortunately, the film has had no exposure in North America and may have limited distribution/availability on DVD. Although the CD package is bare bones with only a track listing, Stephen Mellilo’s entire score, including the track Antarctica, is suitably spooky and may be better than the film. Mellilo, an American conductor, educator and composer, has scored over 950 works for films, ensembles and symphonies and his work has been nominated for Academy and Emmy awards. Stormworks; www.cdbaby.com

ANTARCTINA by YNEY (2004)

This CD of instrumental tracks related to Antarctica was recorded in Moscow by a trio of established avant-garde Russian musicians (Yuri Orlov, Andrei Kireev & Igor Shaposhnikov). The bouncy, though repetitive, percussive electronic music has titles such as Appearance from Above, Stroll, Flight over the Continent, Fly Out, Return to Bosom and Light of the Antarctina Star. While the CD booklet is in Russian, the track titles are also listed in English. Electroshock Records ELCD 041; www.electroshock.ru

T & T’s REAL TRAVELS IN ANTARCTICA - Original Soundtrack Music composed and recorded by Thomas Downie (2004)

A 23-minute disc containing 12 themes with titles from numerous places along the Antarctic Peninsula, such as King George Island, Deception Island and Lemaire Channel. The short melodic orchestral sounding pieces are from T & T’s Antarctica DVD of a 2004 Peninsula trip on board the M/V Orlova. TTRT004; www.ttrealtravels.com

ALIEN VS. PREDATOR - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, music by Harald Kloser (2004)

As much we always look forward to the very rare movie set in Antarctica, this one could have just as easily been based in a desert or in a jungle. The Antarctic became irrelevant to the theme of aliens fighting it out in a pyramid built deep in the ice by three ancient cultures. The eerie instrumental soundtrack music, similar to that of another spooky Antarctic movie, The Thing, contains a tune entitled Antarctica and likely the first and only musical track ever to be named Bouvetøya Island, the most isolated island on the planet, in the Southern Ocean. Varèse Sarabande 302 066 605 2; www.avp-movie.com

SEA OF GLORY America’s Voyage of Discovery - The U.S. Exploring Expedition 1838-1842 by Nathaniel Philbrick, read by Dennis Boutsikaris (2003)

While CD audio books are otherwise not being listed in this music Discography, this 5-CD, 6-hour package is the exception, and is a superb invitation/teaser for reading the book by Philbrick. According to the cover notes, “The U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842 was one of the most ambitious undertakings of the nineteenth century. They discovered a new southern continent, which Wilkes would name Antarctica. They were the first Americans to reach the treacherous Columbia River; the first to chart dozens of newly discovered islands all across the Pacific. The story pivots around Charles Wilkes – a self-destructive dynamo who undermined his own prodigious feats by alienating his crew and officers, fighting battles with his sponsors, and jealously guarding what should have been a proud national legacy.”

Polar historian Laurence Kirwan described the U.S. Ex Ex as the worst prepared and most controversial expedition to sail the Antarctic seas (ref. Lonely Planet Antarctica). Although Antarctic exploration was only part of its mandate, it managed to follow 1250 miles of East Antarctic coastline, later known as Terre Adélie and Wilkes Land, making, arguably, the first east continental sighting just days before the French Expedition under Dumont d’Urville. CDs 2 & 3 cover the voyages to the South Shetland Islands and along the Adélie Coast, respectively. Penguin Audiobooks 80023-6; www.penguin.com; (See also FAIR WINDS AND A FOLLOWING SEA by The Boarding Party (2003) - The Old Peacock - in the following “Individual Antarctic songs” section.)

ANTARCTIC MOSAIC by Maurizio Bianchi (2003)

Italian composer of sonic dissonance, Bianchi has produced a 74-minute two-part collage and pastiche of electronic sounds and noises. According to the English translation of his Italian liner notes, “Being eager for immaculate spaces and for spheres of pure sentiment, I felt need to take inspiration from the so-called “frozen continent”, the unique place in which the human presence doesn’t completely contaminate the habitat yet. The hostile surroundings and the prohibitive temperatures rendered possible the perpetuation of the most uncontaminated and stimulating “frozen paradise”. Yes, this is the most appropriate term as probably, in the beginning, Antarctica was an immense park or paradise; but after the post-Flood upsetting events (from the autumn of 2370 BC onwards), when unexpectedly and suddenly the temperatures fell many centigrade degrees, all at once this continent became cold, turning into the present Antarctica. All of this is well emphasized in the first track called “Antarctic”, while in the second one, “Mosaic”, the listener’s mind is projected into the immediate future, when, after the decontamination process of human presence on the Earth, the temperatures will return milder. Maybe even the ex-“frozen continent” will be colonized in a peaceful and rational manner by the “New Earth’s” members, a new human society which will transform the whole planet into a wonderful Paradise, to eternal glory of He Who from the beginning proposed that this is how it must be. To all of you, current members of that future “New Earth”, a warm and enthusiastic “Have a good listening!” EEs’T Records 15MB015

VOSTOK by Craig Padilla (2002)

Padilla is a northern California-based electronic musician and performer with a preference for older analog synthesizers. Vostok is a relaxing, 51-minute single-track ambient instrumental. As with Antarctica, nothing much changes for long stretches of time, but also nothing stays the same. According to the liner notes, “Inspired by the mysterious depths of the hidden lake under Antarctica, VOSTOK is a haunting voyage into an unknown space filled with wonder and awe. Padilla masterfully crafts a subterranean soundworld, transforming electronic instruments into subtle abstract beauty that feels no less organic than inorganic, in this visionary longform ambient work.” Padilla’s own liner notes describe it as “music realized in contemplation of the inner stillness reflected by a distant, sub-glacial lake beneath Antarctica. Jewel-like and crystalline, yet dark, cool, and ancient the muse of Lake Vostok flowed through me like a resonant glacier. Now this unique, vibrant soundscape flows to you. I hope that you find the vision and sonic space as riveting and transforming as I have. Peace.”

Craig told us in 2007 that “I hope you are enjoying the musical atmosphere. I remember when I recorded that piece: I had just read a fascinating article in WIRED Magazine about how satellites had discovered an unknown lake underneath a lot of ice. According to the article, once it was discovered, scientists theorized that the hidden lake may contain many keys to the origins of life since the water was uncontaminated by our atmosphere for millions of years! So, they began to drill a hole down to the water when they suddenly realized that by doing so they’d expose the lake to our atmosphere, and so they stopped the drilling by a few meters of hitting the water!

It was a very interesting story, to say the least! (Also during that time, I had been listening to some long-form ambient music that was nice, but not too terribly interesting from a musical/long song stand-point.) So, a day or so later, I went into the recording studio to create a long-form ambient piece that could be heard during sleep, but it also had to hold the interest of the listener. In other words, I didn’t want to create “wallpaper ambient music”. I wanted to make music that wasn’t distracting so somebody could study or sleep with it on in the background, and at the same time it had to be interesting so that somebody could sit down and just listen to it from beginning to end and enjoy the experience (and I think I was quite successful!)

I recorded the track live in one take! The light wind sounds and heavy slow-moving “glacial bass lines” made me think of the article I had just read; and the rest is history! This track was unlike anything I was recording at the time, but I really enjoyed it and still do! (And thankfully, so does my wife!)” Spotted Peccary Music SPM-1401; www.craigpadilla.com

ANTARCTICA REVISITED by Mr. I, Gary Huntbatch and Anise Abdulla (2002)

British Columbia, Canada-based teacher and musician-entertainer Mr I (Yurgen Ilaender) has produced many CDs about geography and science for kids. He told us, “I have worked in Montessori pre-schools for nearly twenty years now. Antarctica is a popular Montessori theme. The children can study an environment not spoiled by man. Lots of wonderful things happen in the classroom. The songs came from several years of teaching the young children about Antarctica.” The CD includes 17 tracks with titles such as Land So Far Away, Antarctica Song, Seals, McMurdo Station, Food Chain, Crusty Krill and An Ice Rap. The CD was completely redone is 2007 and reissued in 2008 with new vocals and instrumental tracks under the title of ANTARCTICA. ANT-6 and ANT-7; www.childmusicmri.com (See also ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD by Mr. I, Gary Q & the Rainbow Singers (2009) in the following “Individual Antarctic songs” section.)

ELEPHANT ISLAND by Adam Schabtach (2002)

There is an eye-catching cover photo of the bleak ice-coated island of Shackleton’s legendary 1914-16 Endurance Expedition, taken by a retired Rear Admiral of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The musical content comprises a single 66-minute synthesizer piece composed and recorded in a continuous improvisation. It’s pretty much just a long drawn out monotonic ambient dirge - not an awful lot going on there, which in its way may well be echoing the survival routine of much of the Expedition. ATOM CD 17; www.atomiccity.com

MARTY QUINN PRESENTS THE CLIMATE SYMPHONY by Marty Quinn (2001)

According to its Web site, “Design Rhythmics Sonification Research Lab works with scientists and museums to turn information and data into music. Why music? Not only do we love music, but it just so happens that music is composed of a very rich palette of qualities upon which data may be mapped and thereby perceived by the brain through the auditory channel. Music stimulates cognition and memory, and offers those who are blind or visually handicapped the opportunity to understand information and gain knowledge in new ways. By working with scientists who are shedding new light on our world, and the museums and centers who are helping to disseminate it, we seek to create innovative, pleasurable and accessible audio information presentation solutions for the public to “get it” by hearing…The DRSRL is a new direction in the synthesis between science, music, and the arts. We provide sonification services to enhance the scientific public outreach efforts for research groups throughout the world.” Its principal is New Hampshire-based computer scientist and composer/percussionist Marty Quinn.

The present CD is a four-part lecture presentation of “How 110,000 years of Earth’s ice core data was mapped into music”, including the 7½-minute Symphony itself, an arpeggiated synthesizer/percussion track that goes through its paces at increasing speed over time.

Ice core samples were taken from the Greenland Ice Sheet by a team led by Dr. Paul Mayewski, Director of the Climate Change Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. Changing concentrations of eight major ions taken from the ice samples, over time periods, outlined the history of atmospheric circulation through changes in the continental ice sheets. Various ion concentration data values were then related to pitches and different instruments, as they varied time. Sun and ocean cycles, volcanic activity, the earth’s wobble, changing tilt and elliptical orbit were also introduced through other instruments with changing pitches and beat variations.

The Climate Symphony multi-media presentation was originally premièred in 2000 at The American Museum of Natural History in New York, where pre-show music derived from sonified radar scans from Antarctica’s Ross Sea Ice shelf were also presented. In 2000, it was also shown at the National Science Foundation in Washington by invitation of the Director’s Office of Public Affairs and the Office of Polar Programs and has had later presentations. The Climate Symphony is also included on Marty Quinn’s compilation CD of musical mappings of other natural data, MUSIC OF THE EARTH, SUN, PLANETS & SPACE – Volume I (2005); www.drsrl.com

TIME TRAVEL IS LONELY by John Vanderslice (2001)

Vanderslice is a San Francisco-based indie folk-rock artist/story teller and producer. His second CD is a concept album about his apparently fictional brother, who is a snow-trapped programmer at an Antarctic geology field camp. The nine diary entries in the liner notes reveal the mental decline of the brother, particularly after he loses his computer’s E-mail connection and hard drive to a virus. The songs, while not Antarctic in content, echo this state of regression, which ends with visions of Tiananmen Square and the sinking of the Kursk submarine. At first, the diarist is lucid: “I am not going to say it’s cold here, and I won’t tell you about the vast, infinite emptiness that draws every sad lonely feeling out of your breathless soul and drops it on the bluish snow, right at your polypropylene boots.” Later on, his mind wanders: “I am going crazy. I crawl out of my hut to scrape my windows, I can’t bear to be stuck in a white frosted box with nothing but the shortwave. The sun crests up around 9 pm and fades after an hour or so. Have I told you about whiteouts? USGS survival manual: a polar hazard where all horizon definition between land and sky, solid ground & coast, vanishes. We are in a whiteout. A little girl has been coming by at night, she lives at McMurdo Base, (which seems far) but she comes to talk she tells me my station is an ECHELON relay base. I need to look into this. She said I should smash it up! Ahh youth. I need to talk to you soon.” The CD cover has a striking but spooky drawing of a blue, black, white ocean frozen ocean scene with reddish sky with a silhouetted Endurance crushed in the ice. The CD itself is embossed with a crevassed modern van superimposed over the wreck of the Endurance. Barsuk Records bark17; www.johnvanderslice.com

WHALE CHASING MEN - Songs of Whaling in Ice and Sun by Harry Robertson (2001)

Harry Robertson (1923-1995) was a native Glaswegian who immigrated to Australia in 1952, worked during 1950-51 as an engineer with the Norwegian whaling fleet in the Antarctic and wintered over at South Georgia. He became a seminal influence in the Australian folk movement of the 1960s and made the above-titled LP in 1971. Through the efforts of his widow and friends, the LP was released on CD in 2001 by Australia’s National Screen & Sound Archive as its first folk reissue. Through spoken introductions and instrumental accompaniments, the songs and chanteys mince no words about the gruesome, hard scenes of the whaling experience and Antarctic references abound. The lyrics of the Antarctic track, The Antarctic Fleet, are:

“I went down south a-whaling, to the land of ice and snow, And eight-and-twenty pounds a month, was all I had to show, For being on a little ship like sardine in a can, And eating salty pork and beef, they stewed up in a pan.

Chorus: Heigh-ho! Whale-oh, Wi’ the Antarctic fleet, I’ve got a drip upon me nose and I’m frozen in the feet.
South Georgia is an island, it is a Whaling Base, And only men in search of whales, would go to such a place, No entertainment does exist unless you make home brew, Then we would have some singing and, we’d have some fighting too.

Our gunner came from Norway, like many of the crew, And others spoke wi’ Scottish tongues, as Whalers often do, But when the ship was closing in to make the bloody kill, The Scotsmen and Norwegians worked together with a will.

We sailed down to the Weddell Sea where the big Blues can be found, We chased between the icebergs and, we chased them round and round, And when they couldn’t run no more, and fought to draw their breath, Our gunners shot harpoons in them, till they floated still in death.

For months we sailed the ocean, and wearied with the toil, Of slaughter and of killing just to get that smelly oil, And when the savage storms blew and snow kept falling down, I often wished that I was back, in dear old Glasgow town.

It’s twenty years since I’ve been there, and I won’t go there again, I didn’t like the climate but, I liked the Whaling Men, And even in the sunshine now, when I walk along the street, I’ve got a drip upon me nose, and I’ve still got frozen feet.” ScreenSound Australia CD/SSA/WC0022; www.nfsa.afc.gov.au; (See also FOLKLORIC RECORDING: Folk Songs Sung by Harry Robertson and Don Henderson (1967) in the “Individual Songs” section.)

THE ICESTOCK 2001 PROJECT (2001)

The first music compilation disc from Antarctica includes live performances at the Coffee House and the Women’s Soirée at the U.S. McMurdo Station. Organized by G.W. Krauss, the project was a labour of love, undertaken and completed by volunteers. While the cold weather and dry air may cause numb fingers and warped musical instruments, Icestock has now become an annual musical festival on New Year’s Day. The inaugural CD manages to cover a lot of ground, or should we say, icy terrain, through various styles over the 24 tracks. Information available at: kuwona@bigfoot.com

BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 - AONOROKUGO - Original Soundtrack by the Thrill (2000)

Originally the name of a Japanese manga print comic book series, Blue Submarine No. 6 became a four part video animation TV program in 1998 and was reported to be in planning for a live-action movie. Based in the near future when the oceans have flooded most of the earth’s coastlines, the series’ villain/ rogue scientist has a base of operations at the South Pole and is trying to induce a polar switch with the aid of the South Pole’s geothermal energy, in order to teach his brand of humanity to mankind. War later ensues on Antarctica, with the good guys on Blue Submarine No. 6, part of a peacekeeping force, leading the way to confront the enemy. Antarctica, meanwhile, has been transformed into the tropics. The series finally ends with the pole shift stopped and an uneasy truce for the sake of humanity. Japanese big band/rock group the Thrill, formed in 1990, provides some very energetic music for the series. Toshiba-EMI Futureland TYVY-10036; www.thethrill.info

PENGUINS ON THE MOON by Sack Trick (2000)

The British Sack Trick is a revolving group of comedic musicians, in the vein of the late 1960s Bonzo Dog Band. This CD is a heavy metal/music hall/rock musical about a group of penguins in Antarctica who take a spaceship to the moon. However, the moon is not the tropical paradise they imagined and tiring of moon dust cheese and anxious for a meal of fish, “our intrepid explorers returned to the only place they ever truly called home, having proved themselves to be real lunar chicks.” An entertaining and well played musical trip, with illustrated cartoon lyrics, from a group of crazies. The CD was reissued in 2009 on its 9½ year anniversary and Chris Dale, the album’s narrator, bassist/guitarist told us in 2009 about the reason for the original CD: “The motivation was at first something quite random. We wanted to do an abstract concept album, and thought up two themes, penguins and the moon, just because they didn’t normally match. But then we got quite involved in the whole plot and concept and did a lot of background reading into both penguins and the moon. What started off as a bit of a joke, went quite deep in the end.” ORG 212; Raw Power Records RP-017; www.sacktrick.com

VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY Dedicated To The Memory Of Robert Falcon Scott by D. E. Farmer/Soulspace Music (2000)

Arizona-based composer and musician Farmer has recently issued this CD of contemporary, romantic instrumental synthesizer music as his score to an imagined movie about Scott's 1911-12 tragic South Pole journey. “What a marvellous story, and what a testament to the indomitable human spirit! I hope that the music somehow can act as a memorial of sorts to Robert and Kathleen Scott.” The 11 tracks include titles such as Entering the Ice Pack, Winter at McMurdo Sound, Tea at Mabel Beardsley's, Beat the Norwegians: The Race is On!, Arrival at the South Pole: January 1912, Kathleen Scott's Theme. mp3.com 39391 and 167618; www.soundclic.com

WHITE OUT by Johannes Schmoelling (2000)

Schmoelling is a former member of Tangerine Dream, an internationally successful German recording and touring synthesizer/electronic music group formed in the late 1960s. The current CD is a remixed and expanded version of the 1990 original. The 10 melodic instrumental tracks include titles such as White Out, Navigator’s Chatter, Icewalk, A Great Continent, A long Way Home. In his web site, Schmoelling explains his idealistic intuition that electronic music can create a spacious open landscape via the detour of the Antarctic.

“The sounds that I have used and changed will in no way deny their origin. They are noises; the sound of a sonar, the crackling and squeaking of radio sets, machines, the far-away screeching of birds – and if we close our eyes, then with each noise we immediately connect to some image of a landscape or surroundings. For me, this was a reason to compose entire noise passages – a kind of foundation out of which the music actually is born.

In a scientific book on the Antarctic, I read of an optical phenomenon, which occurs under certain conditions of temperature and of the air: WHITE OUT. It is a loss of space sensation. The white erases space, sky and earth flow into each other, a space without depth and without horizon is created.

Maybe a concept album is nothing else but a voyage, a departure to another place, which slowly uncovers itself, a shore that comes closer and piles up as a mountain of ice. Arrival, first announced over the radio, the whirr of machine noises, entertainment music filling up the crewmen’s room.

Suddenly (where on the map appeared just an immense white spot), there is firm ground under your feet and you see: garbage, food throwouts, tin cans, as if to be preserved for eternity, discarded oil residue and a tire rut leading to the horizon, where an industrial complex arises, and then unconsciously, the feeling that here, at the very end of the world, a war announces itself, that the machines are already in position, that the fronts are lined up, and when you look around, there is the oldest landscape in the world (a war with the purpose of eradicating the history of nature: WHITE OUT.)

As I finalized the work on the album, Reinhold Messner and Arved Fuchs departed for the Antarctic. Not like before (as was still done in the last century) to remove the white spots from the map nor with the aim (as at the turn of the century) to hoist the flag of every which country, but solely because of the landscape itself, purely because of its being such and nothing else (at the present time).

And I thought that as a child, even in my wildest dreams, it never occurred to me that just taking a walk could one day become a political act.” Viktoriapark VP 00-1; www.johannesschmoelling.de

A DISTANT MEMORY OF HOME - Music for Adelie Penguin 1993:207 by 90º South (2000)

This CD is a solo project of Briton Kev Fox, who explains in his web site: “The three titles on ‘A Distant Memory of Home’ were composed specifically for an event that took place in June 2000. Adelie Penguin 1993:207 is now a permanent exhibit in Cheltenham Museum as an interesting piece of Antarctic history. It was brought to England as a stuffed specimen by Edward Wilson, returning from his first Antarctic Expedition in 1904, but for many years he stood on a window ledge in Shurdington Village School. He was donated by the Wilson family, as a memento of the local hero, when he failed to return from the fatal attempt on the South Pole with Captain Scott in 1912.

Between June 2nd and June 4th 2000 the Penguin revisited the Village for a weekend of celebrations and over the three days I performed the tracks on ‘A Distant Memory of Home’ under the watchful eye of the penguin himself, in the 14th century village church.

Intending to portray a longing for the far-off icy wilderness of Antarctica the title piece was recorded live on Saturday 3rd June. The two remaining tracks were written to represent the penguin in his element (On the Ice Floe) and in his display case (In the Museum Case) and were recorded live in Jaguar Sound Studios, using only sources and themes from the title track.

The three pieces move through the freezing winds and seas of the South Polar regions and as the memories fade into the dusty solitude of a glass case, the sounds of the white continent still echoing in the distance.”

AAR002; www.ochre.co.uk/90south

THE BARRIER SILENCE by 90º South (1999)

The CD title was taken from Dr. Edward Wilson’s poem of the same name, written during Scott’s Terra Nova South Pole Antarctic Expedition of 1910-13. The CD was recorded in a studio at Cheltenham, U.K., home of Dr. Wilson and has as its cover a Wilson painting of Hut Point, headquarters of Scott’s first Antarctic Expedition of 1901-04. The back cover has a photo of one of the motor sledges used on the Terra Nova Expedition. A final Antarctic reference is included in the liner notes with a photo of Admiral Byrd’s airplane, Floyd Bennett, landing at his base, Little America at the Bay of Whales. The two instrumental Antarctic tracks on the CD include Hut Point and Cape Crozier, the latter a reference to the destination of the 1911 mid-winter polar journey described by Apsley Cherry-Garrard in his famous book, The Worst Journey in the World. The music, by Kev Fox, is a guitar/synthesizer/percussion-based ambient sound. Ochre Records OCH014LCD; www.ochre.co.uk/90south

THE CENTURY IN SOUND (1999)

In this set of recordings of actual speeches or people reminiscing about events from 1901-1999, taken from the British Library National Sound Archive, there is an excerpted 1.54 minute recitation by Ernest Shackleton titled 1909 Expedition to the South Pole. The original 3.48 minute recording was made on June 23, 1909, in which Shackleton very briefly outlines the British Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition of 1907-09, which he led and which was the first to scale Mount Erebus and send men to the South Magnetic Pole. Shackleton and three others came within 112 miles of the South Pole itself, before conditions made them turn back. This excerpt ends with Shackleton saying the British flag has flown over both the North and South Magnetic Poles, followed by the main theme from Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. NSA CD 8; (See also the compilation SINFONIA ANTARTICA/SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC (2009) in the “Classical Antarctica: Ralph Vaughan Williams” section.)

FROST 79º 40’ by Andreas Ammer, F. M. Einheit, Pan Sonic and Gry (1999)

This is a 1998 live recording at the German Stadttheater Oberhausen and is a musical and spoken (in German and English) presentation of Robert Scott’s diary from his polar expedition and the tragic return attempt after his team reached the South Pole in 1912. The recording takes its title from the latitude of their final resting place. Ammer is a German freelance writer, television journalist and radio and stage playwright. Einheit (Frank Martin Strauss) is a German electronic musician and percussionist who has issued solo CDs as well as collaborations with others. The 25 tracks, of varying length, are backed by various electronic and industrial soundscapes providing a suitably bleak and dark musical backing to the narration and singing. F. M. Einheit told us in 2009 about the reason for the production: “We were curious why people do such things in order to bring fame home to the fatherland. Funny idea. There will be a re-release in spring 2010.” FM 4.5.1 9185-2; Available from iTunes; www.fmeinheit.org; www.myspace.com/fmeinheitfmeinheit

ANTARTICA by Gale Revilla (1999)

Gale Revilla is a prolific Nevada-based composer and synthesizer artist with over 20 spiritual New Age CDs in her catalogue. This one includes titles such as Horizons, Crystal Storms, The Lost City, Ice Goddess, Antartica, Aurora Australis, Adelie Coast and Leviathan Temple. Her assistant informed us that “Gale had studied about Ancient Civilizations from many books for decades. One of her favorite topics was Atlantis and the Ancient land of Lemuria. Those were the foundations that motivated her to compose the ‘Antartica’, ‘Lost Continents’ and the ‘Mystic Lands’ albums. Another of her favorites in Ancient Civilizations and Empires was, Ancient Egypt. This brought on her motivation to compose her award winning album Series, ‘Pharaohs’. Another album that deals with the Dark Age Empires and Dragons is her album, ‘Draconis’. Her Native American albums deal with her ancestors and their dying ancient language. So three were composed in dedication to her ancestors of centuries past: ‘Day of the Wolf’, ‘Liquid Visions’ and ‘Whispering Winds on the Red Road.’” Morning Star Records; www.galerevilla.com

ANTARCTICA SUITE by Wendy Mae Chambers (1999)

Wendy Mae Chambers is a New Jersey-based musician who visited the Antarctic Peninsula in 1999 as a tourist and subsequently recorded a CD of piano solo compositions inspired by her trip. The 13 instrumental tracks, which Wendy Mae said were modelled after Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, include titles descriptive of the wildlife and sights she saw, such as Blue Ice, Penguin Rookery, Albatross, Waltz of the Krill, Chinstrap Penguins, Humpback Whales, Weddell Seals and Skua. The chiming chordal and percussive sounds of her piano are very evocative of the various images she sets out to portray. www.wendymae.com

ANTARCTIC ARRIVAL - a Tribute to a Frozen Land by Valmar Kurol and Marc-André Bourbonnais (1999)

This Montreal, Canada-produced CD contains ten thematic instrumental pieces in New Age/light rock/classical styles, based on Kurol’s three visits to Antarctica in the 1990s. Titles include Antarctic Arrival, Never Mind the Icebergs, Flight of the Albatross, Antarctica World Beat Theme, Underwater Waltz, Penguin Stroll, Seekers of the Pole, Aurora Australis, March of the Glaciers, White Winter Curtain. There are also bonus tracks with vocal renditions of two of the instrumentals. The CD is available from mtl.ant.soc@sympatico.ca, www.antarcticarrival.com, or by download on iTunes and Amazon.com.

THE JUPITER MENACE - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Synergy (1998)

The Jupiter Menace was a 1984 American film documentary of questionable science, narrated by George Kennedy, about the devastating effects of the planet Jupiter on Earth during planetary alignments. The soundtrack of synthesizer music is by Larry Fast, a U.S.-based synthesizer musician, composer and electronics designer who has recorded under his project name Synergy. He has also worked with many international acts such as Peter Gabriel, Yes and Hall & Oates. The CD has two short synthesizer instrumental Antarctica-related tracks, The Mystery of Piri Reis and Return to Admiral Byrd’s Camp. Piri Reis was an Ottoman-Turkish admiral whose 1513 world map has been alleged to show part of the Antarctic Peninsula coastline. The program hints that the only way the coast under the present ice cap could have been known was if the continent had been free of ice at the time the map was made. It also implied that the periodic build up of ice at Admiral Byrd’s Camp at his 1928 Little America Base, i. e. the South Pole region, would lead to a toppling and shift of the globe. Chronicles 314 558 047-2

ANTARCTICA by Douglas Quin (1998)

This is a CD of natural sounds from the field produced by Douglas Quin for the Wild Sanctuary series of wildlife recordings. Stereo/surround microphones were used to record Weddell and leopard seals, orcas, and emperor and Adélie penguins. Of special note are the creaks and groans heard from the Canada Glacier and Wind Harps from the Taylor Valley. The liner notes say that “To create this kind of magic with natural sound takes time, enormous patience, perseverance, and a keen compositional sense to make lyrical the material heard on this album. Sounds from the Antarctic present the ultimate test.” Miramar 09006-23113-2 (See also THE DREAMS OF GAIA by various artists (1999) and MUSICWORKS 69 (1997) in the “Individual Songs” section.)

ANTARCTIC by Mónica X (1998) (Vinyl LP only)

Mónica X is a veteran Spanish DJ and music promoter/performer who has garnered European and international success with her touring. This is one of her earliest singles records and has the three tracks, Antarctic, No Frost (Extreme Cold Version) and Antarctic Melody. Beginning with frosty winds and chants of “cold”, the electronic disco music is surprisingly subdued for the genre. The record cover has a catchy purple/blue hue with a photo of icebergs, overseen by a pair of staring, icy eyes. Monica X told us in 2008 that the reason for the Antarctic record was that “this place is so far from Spain and we thought about this concept one summer with hot weather, so we did it to refresh our lives.” Dixland Records MX DIX 012; www.djmonicax.com

TRAVELLERS TALES FROM ANTARCTICA by David & Phil Massey (1998/1996)

This British CD of instrumental synthesizer New Age music is part of a collection of Relaxation, Ambient and World Music. The liner notes explain: “Perhaps the most awe inspiring region on earth – Antarctica. Her beauty, mystery, and presence has called to adventurers for eons and yet she still remains the most unexplored continent on or planet. This spiritually expansive Travellers Tale will unfold visions of space, grandeur and virgin beauty through a magnificent season of superb musical observation.” Some of the track titles include, Ice Bergs, Vinson Massif, Alone at the Pole, Glacier, Penguin, The Coldest Place on Earth. Northstar Music NSMCD 146; www.northstarmusic.co.uk

ANTARTIDA by John Cale (1995)

This is a musical soundtrack to a Spanish-American film by Manuel Huerga, not so much about Antarctica as a place but rather, as a state of mind. Cale is a former member of the rock group Velvet Underground. The music consists of short, sparse, haunting, melodic themes - Antarctica seems perfectly suited to be a source of inspiration for minimalist composition. Les Disques du Crépuscule TWI-1008

The theme song for this soundtrack has its origin in a Cale song, Antarctica Starts Here found on his solo recording PARIS 1919 (1973). Reprise/Warner Bros. Records Inc. 2131-2

A newer version of this song is also found on Cale’s PARIS S’EVEILLE (1992), a collection of his soundtracks and music for ballet. MASO CD 90042

A live solo vocal/piano performance by John Cale of this song, recorded at the Zeche Bochum club in Bochum, Germany in March 1984 was released on the double CD album JOHN CALE AND BAND LIVE (2010); MIG 90302 2CD/ LC 23370.

The same song, Antarctica Starts Here, was covered in a 1992 mini CD, CANDY ON THE CROSS, by David J. MCA Records MCADM-54424

Austin, Texas-based indie rockers Okkervil River also recorded Antarctica Starts Here on their album of cover tunes, GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES MIXTAPE (2007), which was only available as a free download on their band Website at release time. www.myspace.com/okkervilriver.com; www.okkervilriver.com

ANTARCTICA by Ian Tamblyn (1994)

Tamblyn is an Ottawa-area Canadian pop-folk artist and currently an Arctic tour lecturer. This recording is associated with the CBC radio documentary, Notes from the Bottom of the World, based on his trip to McMurdo Sound. The instrumental music is a combination of New Age/folk-rock/jazz influences played with crystalline, vibrant instrumentation, at times including penguin brays and Weddell seal squeals. Titles include The Weddell Planet, Erebus Ice Caves, Out on the Ice Fields, Ed’s Still Diving. One especially memorable song is The Penguin came from Pittsburgh. Attractive emperor penguin cover picture. North Track Records NTCD3. In the U.S. this CD is available as NorthSound NSCD 29532; www.tamblyn.com

ANTARCTICA by Richie Beirach (recorded 1985, issued 1994)

Beirach is an American jazz artist who improvises on elements of eclectic modern music. This solo piano Antarctica Suite, according to the liner notes, “unlike the musical pablum that assaults us daily, isn’t programmed to make you consume or conform. Only feel.” Titles include The Ice Shelf, Deception Island, and Neptune's Bellows. ECD 22086-2

ANTARCTICA - The Last Wilderness by Medwyn Goodall (1993)

Goodall, who lives in Cornwall, England, has recorded many CDs for the Dutch New Age music label, Oreade Music. It’s a pleasure to hear one of the few all-Antarctic CDs we have come across. There are six extended synthesizer and other instrumental pieces with titles such as All White, Endless Emptiness and Snow Kingdom Forever. Dreamy, peaceful music and gentle to the ears but we’re not entirely convinced we've been transported to Antarctica through the music. Mar 3812

POLAR SHIFT - A Benefit for Antarctica by various artists (1991)

A compilation of New Age instrumental and vocal music dedicated to the conservation of Antarctica. Performers include a number of single-name artists such as Vangelis, Yanni, Enya and Kitaro, along with ET's John Tesh. A very enjoyable, soothing palette of sounds. Informative liner notes give references for further reading. Private Music BMG2083-2-P

DEVOTION - THE BEST OF YANNI by Yanni (1997)

The instrumental Song for Antarctica, specially recorded for the previously-mentioned Polar Shift CD, is also found on several of Yanni's discs, including this hits compilation. Private Music 01005-82153-2

NUNATAK GONGAMUR by Thomas Köner (1990)

Köner is an internationally active award-winning German audio-visual media artist/electronic composer. His first CD, out of print and unavailable commercially, was an ambient collection of 11 untitled pieces that were based on Robert Scott’s tragic South Pole Expedition of 1911-12. The CD cover has an old photo of a sledge team with their dogs and ponies and a copy of a few of Scott’s last written words. According to reviewer Ned Raggett in the Web-based All Music Guide, “Köner's composition falls somewhere between a requiem for the loss and waste of the expedition and a haunting, extremely inhuman evocation of the endless snow and ice fields of Antarctica that the core members of the expedition struggled through and died in. The swathes of deep echo and occasional crumbling rhythm create an aura of paranoid fascination, at once weirdly soothing and increasing the nervous tension every chance it gets. When Köner adds variety to the music, the effect can almost be shocking - consider the sudden distorted whines on the third and fifth tracks, which with its slight echo treatment and the rumbling background moans could almost be a disturbing cry for help. Other times, tones barely lurk in the mix, only on the edge of hearing, like being caught in an endless cavern where something curious hides in the dim distance. The killer touch is the use of space throughout the album - silences of various lengths maintaining the air of mysterious threat.” This is a powerful description of music that consists of electronically treated gongs and cymbals, but the CD is a captivating soundtrack for desolation. BAR 002; www.koener.de; www.thomaskoner.com

ANTARCTICA by Vangelis (1983)

Synthesizer music from Koreyoshi Kurahara’s film of the same name. It told the story of the 1958 first Japanese Antarctic Expedition, which ended up stranding a pack of 15 sled dogs on the continent over a winter season. Best song is the title track, Theme from Antarctica, which still remains the definitive Antarctic mood music. Nothing else from the eight tracks on the disc matches this magnificent throbbing and pulsating piece, which is the perfect accompaniment for sailing down the pristine Lemaire Channel or Gerlache Strait. Many amateur videos of the Antarctic have probably borrowed this theme for background music. Polygram/Polydor 815732-2. An original Japanese issue of the CD (Polydor 3112-22) has the classic photo of two dogs on the cover while newer issues have small silver or blue outlines of Antarctica. Rare and pricey limited-edition, bootleg or promo CDs of Antarctica may occasionally appear for sale on Web auction sites, which contain the full score of 24 tracks, which has not been commercially released. These discs include further variations of the main theme, as well as shorter soundscape interludes and a few longer pieces. One of these also has two Suites of shortened track compilations and even a disco dance remix of the title track, with howling dogs in the background. Arkhan Records issued a limited edition of 50 CDs of the 24 tracks in 2001.

THE THING by Ennio Morricone (1982)

This is the soundtrack to the popular Antarctic science fiction movie of the same name, in which a buried alien is thawed after being discovered in the ice. It comes back to life at an Antarctic base and is able to take on the appearance of the resident dogs and people. Morricone has composed many highly regarded film themes but this orchestral and electronic noodling, appropriate in the film, is less interesting as stand-alone CD music. Varèse Sarabande VSD-5278.

The soundtrack from the original 1951 movie, The Thing From Another World, on which the 1982 movie was based, was released for the first time on the CD THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2005), FSM Volume 8, No. 1. It was reconstructed from composer Dimitri Tiomkin’s own acetate copies of the soundtrack since the original master tapes were no longer in existence. The booklet notes state that “Tiomkin never again worked in the genre, and reportedly carried an antipathy towards this project – believing that he was at his best creating beautiful melodies rather than such bellicose sounds.” The 1951 movie setting was an Arctic, rather than Antarctic base and was adapted from a 1938 short story by John W. Campbell, Who Goes There?

IO SONO MURPLE by Murple (Vinyl LP - 1974) (CD reissues - 1992 & 2002)

Italian prog-rock group Murple’s only recording (I am Murple) was a concept album of largely keyboard-led instrumentals, with a few vocal tracks, that tells the tale of an Antarctic penguin who leaves home looking for paradise and winds up, apparently happily, in a zoo. The colourful CD booklet features drawings of icebergs and a mass of penguins. Mellow Records MMP 121 (1992 reissue) and Akarma AK 1035 (2002 reissue); www.murple.it

LET US NOT FORGET – A Tribute to the Phonograph - Historic Speech Recordings (1973) (Vinyl LPs only)

This is a three-LP set of original Edison Cylinder Recordings of various famous figures such as Thomas Edison, American presidents Taft (speaking in 1908 about Enforced Insurance of Bank Deposits, Rights of Labor, a topic currently appropriate) and Teddy Roosevelt, singer Sophie Tucker, Babe Ruth and others, from recordings of the early 1900s. Included is the 4-minute track Lt. Ernest Shackleton: Journey to the South Pole in 1907. The record label indicates it was “recorded in the Antarctic”. We have not verified the recording and assume this is the same Shackleton Nimrod Expedition track mentioned previously above in this section in VOICES OF HISTORY 2 - Arts, Science & Exploration (2005). Yorkshire Records 27026

THE SOUNDS OF ANTARCTICA by Hank Curth (1965)

New Zealand’s Kiwi Records was a related activity of A.H. & A.W. Reed, book publishers and began producing records to supplement its publications. According to the New Zealand Government’s online history site, “Under the Kiwi label more than just songs and music were recorded. In the 1960s people experimenting with new home hi-fi gear bought almost anything - recordings of bird songs, steam trains and even the sound of ice in Antarctica. Musicolour products such as The Sounds of Antarctica were early examples of multimedia publishing – a record package with colour books. - Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd.”. According to the foreword, this Musicolor book “brings together a collection of color pictures and sounds which contain the essence of Antarctica and which will bring back memories to those who have served there. It is also hoped that it will help to give their friends an appreciation of conditions on that vast continent where so many scientists, servicemen and technicians from many nations all over the world assemble each year to continue their explorations.” The book was based on an idea by Lt. John Arthur Jaminet and was written by and many of the photos taken by Hank Curth, a Roving Reporter for the American NBC broadcasting company, who had logistics help provided by the U.S. Naval Support Force. Curth briefly describes bases in the McMurdo Sound area, the work of icebreakers, local activities by “men in Antarctica today and yesterday” as well as their dogs and describes various landscapes and wildlife. The 17-minute mini LP record that is part of the package was recorded by Curth and includes sounds of penguins, seals and skuas, an icebreaker making its way through ice, creaking of shore ice, airplane take-offs and flights and an interview with a New Zealander about huskies. Kiwi KM-3; www.nzhistory.net.nz

’TIS A STORY THAT SHALL LIVE FOR EVER by Stanley Kirkby (1913) (78 rpm single only)

Stanley Kirkby (born James Baker) ( was a British baritone, who recorded under several pseudonyms and was reported to have issued the largest number of records in Britain over 1900-1930, including the WWI hit in the U.S., It’s a Long Way to Tipperary. In 1913 he recorded ’Tis a Story That Shall Live For Ever, a song with orchestra and recitation in memory of Robert Scott and his fallen comrades in their ill-fated 1910-12 South Pole journey. The words were written by Lawrence Wright and Paul Pelham. The flipside of the Zonophone disc, mentioned below, is another sung by Kikby and the same authors, the melodramatic Be British. The lyrics of ’Tis a Story are: “What a glorious tale again is told, Of heroism grand, Of British men with British hearts, Out in the Great White Land, A band of heroes, brave and rue, See standing, side by side, Amidst eternal ice and snow, All faithful till they died.

Chorus: ’Tis a story that shall live for ever, As long as the world shall be, Of the men who died side by side, Over the frozen sea; All honour to the Sons of England, Inscribed shall be each name, In letters bold of brightest gold, On the Nation’s Scroll of Fame. ’Tis a Fame. What a glorious lesson to be learn’d, The mem’ry shall remain, Their great and noble sacrifice, Can never be in vain, And tho’ no sculptured monument, Can mark their resting place, Their deeds have rais’d a monument that time cannot efface. Chorus: ’Tis a story that shall live forever, As long as the world shall be, Of the men who died side by side, Over the frozen sea; All honour to the Sons of England, Inscribed shall be each name, In letters bold of brightest gold, On the Nation’s Scroll of Fame. ’Tis a Fame.

Recitation after second verse: I can see a sturdy little ship, Breasting the ocean wave, I can see a little band of men, Eager, strong and brave, I can see the Ice-bound coast line, Of that grim and silent shore, And then the icy desert, Where the deadly blizzards roar, The last farewells are spoken, For some of them must go, Into the unknown perils, Of a wilderness of snow. And then a blank as months go by, And who can tell the tale. Of how that gallant band of men - Succeeded, but to fail, Of one who bore up ’till the last, Then left without “Goodbye!”. Just the words - “I’m going out”, Then staggered out – to die, No wailing at their cruel fate, No counting up the cost, But just the simple message left – “We took the risk – and lost!”

Chorus: ’Tis a story that shall live forever, As long as the world shall be, Of the men who died side by side, Over the frozen sea; All honour to the Sons of England, Inscribed shall be each name, In letters bold of brightest gold, On the Nation’s Scroll of Fame. ’Tis a Fame.” 23903 Edison Blue Amberol; also on Zonophone Record 1050, X-2-42486, manufactured by The Gramophone Co. Ltd., Sydney, NSW, Australia; www.cylinders.library.ucsb.edu; Ref: Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, p. 578. Another version of this song was recorded by Robert Carr, a British baritone who was a contemporary of Stanley Kirkby. Record not verified. KAL E 2071 5; Pioneer 124; (See also SINFONIA ANTARTICA/SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC (2009) in the “Classical Antarctica: Ralph Vaughan Williams” section for recordings of this song.)

THE BOUNDING BOUNDER aka ON THE BOUNDING SEA or THE SOUTH POLE by Harry Lauder (1909 and 1910) (78 rpm singles only)

Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950) was a Scottish singer and humourous entertainer of the early 20^th century music hall era and achieved fame internationally and toured the U. S. 22 times over 3 decades. His song, The Bounding Bounder, written by Lauder and Randolph King, is a sea ditty that sandwiches between two sung choruses, accompanied by an orchestra, the first-person narrated story of Seaman Lauder meeting Shackleton in a pub and going on an Antarctic expedition with him, which apparently at least reaches Antarctica in two of the recorded versions. Today, the word “bounder” no longer conveys the aura of snooty Victorian class reproach that it once did, in a family of similar pejoratives such as cad, rogue, knave and scoundrel. The 1910 Edison British version is a longer, more complete version of the story than the 1909 Victor/Everest versions, which were reported to have been recorded Dec. 12 at Camden, New Jersey, U. S. A. 1909 recording: Victor 70010; Victor 55121-B; Everest Scala 883; 1910 British recording: 12119 Edison Amberol; www.victor.library.ucsb.edu; www.archive.org; www.cylinders.library.ucsb.edu

A third version of this song with longer story similar to the 1910 Edison version, indicated as being recorded on Sept. 30, 1909 as Zono X42940, is available on a compilation CD of Harry Lauder songs issued by W. J. Clark, FOO’ TH’ NOO (2002). WINDYRIDGE Windy CDR11; www.musichallcds.com

The Victor version of the song is available on another compilation CD of Harry Lauder songs issued by Mark Best, OLD TIME VICTROLA MUSIC PRESENTS SIR HARRY LAUDER #1 (1996); www.earlyrecordings.com

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Individual songs entitled Antarctica or about The Ice also appear on the following commercially or privately available discs. The styles range from New Age to thrash/heavy metal:

NAMASTE by the Grey Picker (2011)

The Grey Picker (a.k.a. John Young) is a veteran singer/songwriter from Bolsover (East Midlands), U.K. He has been singing since the 1960s as a solo artist, with groups and for TV. His current CD of eclectic folk songs, representing a 40-year career span, covers many topics, some of which deal with human achievements in many forms. Included is Tom Crean, about one of the stalwarts of Antarctic exploration of the Golden Era in the early 1900s. Sample verse: “Will you look back on the hero’s life, in a place like Annascaul, shun the fame that is your due, never brag at all, and laugh to see the gentlemen on pedestals of fame, while the ordinary lads who lifted ’em, you’ll never hear their names.” The Picker told us about the track: “Tom Crean – well, I always knew the stories of the Scott and Shackleton expeditions - most Brits of my generation did. In the 1980s I wrote a song about the Shackleton expedition (not on CD - we were on cassette back then). I then found myself holidaying in County Kerry, in Ireland and came across The South Pole Inn in Annascaul. This is where Tom Crean hailed from and where he lived after he retired from the sea. Crean fits in with my approach to song writing; I like to pick up unsung heroes and he is certainly that. I am surprised how long it took me to write this, but it is only about three years old. At the time, I thought it was the only one written about him, but there is another up on YouTube.” www.thegreypicker.moonfruit.com; www.myspace.com/johncyoung

THE COLD TESTAMENT by Book of Black Earth (2011)

Book of Black Earth is a Seattle, U.S.-based death/black metal band, formed in 2003. Their third CD has the track Antarctica, which opens with raid-fire drumming and blasts its cryptic opening message, “Fire is all, all they see. They won’t believe anything. They won’t be cold till they freeze. They won’t speak unless they scream. Follow the footsteps of an empty god. Forget, forget the past. Just like a nightmare that you can’t wake from to Antarctica.” Prosthetic Records 11664; www.myspace.com/bookofblackearth

PAUSE EP by the Sleepwalkers (2011) (Web site download only)

The Sleepwalkers are the indie electronica and pop/vocal duo of Ben Marsden and Richard Siddall-Jones, from Birmingham and London, U.K., who have been long-time music collaborators. Their skillfully performed 5-song EP has the upbeat song Antarctica. The immediate polar connection seemed to be missing bur Rich explained the track to us: “Antarctica is not directly based upon the continent, but more on the topics of feeling lost and isolated. Antarctica seemed to fit the topic as it is so vast, unpopulated and cold.” www.soundcloud.com/sleepwalkerstheband

AT COAST OF ANTARCTICA by Sens (2011) (Web site download only)

This 21-minute mini album contains of three separate mixes of the trance dance track At Coast of Antarctica.

ANTARCTICA by DJ Kosmas K (2011) (Web site download only)

DJ Kosmas K is a Greece-based DJ and producer of dance tracks through computer software. As a dance track, his single Antarctica is a pleasantly subdued instrumental. www.myspace.com/djkosmask1

HEART SONG: THE LIVING ROOM SESSIONS EP by Tiffany Apan (2011) (Web site download only)

Tiffany Apan is an award-winning Pennsylvania, U.S.A.-based singer/songwriter whose operatic voice covers a wide range of styles from classical, jazz, pop to world music. This 5-song EP has the minimalist piano/vocal track Antarctica, based on her interest in the continent. Tiffany told us about the track: “The song Antarctica stems from my own fascination with the continent and its mystery and beauty. There are many theories about the continent, including the hollow earth theory, that are fascinating to read and write about, even if one doesn’t necessarily believe the theory. The song is also very personal and I used my fascination with the continent and a personal turning point in my life, combining them to create the song.” www.tiffanyapan.com

ANIMALS IN HUMAN ATTIRE by Animals in Human Attire (2011) (Web site download only)

Animals in Human Attire, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based septet, formed by Jack Tell, play a brand of infectious, loose indie folk pop. Their first record has the track Antarctica, about getting away from it all, with the catchy lines: “I’m moving to Antarctica, no way I’ll never care where I have been, surrounded by the mountain tops, don’t seem to know what state of mind I’m in…Yeah, I’m moving to Antarctica, I’ll find a boat and sail the Southern Seas, surrounded by the mountain tops, it’s the only place that is as cold as me. Yeah, I’m moving to Antarctica, it’s making so much sense so suddenly, surrounded by the cold, cold air, it’s the only place that is as cold as me.” www.myspace.com/animalsinhumanattire

WRIT IN WATER by Montmorensy (2011)

Montmorensy (a.k.a. Paul Hankinson), is a Berlin, Germany-based, classically trained Australian composer/vocalist/pianist who has issued a masterpiece of a CD of whimsical, theatrical, orchestrated pop songs about making sense of a world out of synch. One of the tracks is Grass in Antarctica, a quiet but powerful, vocal/piano/violin lament about global warming, arguably one of the best musical environmental comments we’ve heard in this discography.

Sample lyrics: “Blades in my kingdom, a stain upon my ice, colour of white was perfectly nice, thank you. Colour where colour should never be seen. The hideous, horrible colour, green. Green, what does it mean? Green, what does it mean? Green, what does it mean? Grass in Antarctica, grass in Antarctica, grass in Antarctica Masala. Emperor penguin, may we harvest our corn, maybe on Saturday we could play croquet on your lawn, on your grass in Antarctica, grass in Antarctica, grass in Antarctica Masala. And the blades are slicing up the icing on the world, and the rink, I think is sinking, yes it’s drowning all the skater girls. Grass in Antarctica, grass in Antarctica, grass in Antarctica Masala. And when the world is stuffed, we’ll gather on our tuft, we’ll watch it slip away, watch it drop and drip away, sinking through the years, swallowing our fears, we’ll be drowning in dinosaur tears.” Traumton Records 4541; www.montmorensy.com; www.myspace.com/montmorensy

ALL OUR DAYS by Dave McGilton & Friends (2011)

Dave McGilton is a County Cork, Ireland-based singer/songwriter/musician who has been honing his craft since 1993. His latest CD of contemplative folk songs has the track Tom Crean, named after one of the stalwarts of the Heroic Era of Antarctic Exploration who was on three major British Expeditions with Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton. Sample lyrics: “On Endurance we sailed, set out for Vahsel Bay, Our hearts and our minds to the task, But the packs settled in and we prayed for the wind, As we woke to the ice setting fast. We took to the boats it was hard to stay afloat, and we sailed to the first bit of land. Where we left twenty-two of our brave and gallant crew, But in time they were saved to a man…Now the tales that I tell of heaven and of hell, They all have a place in the mind, And we’ll all face our death but ah me boys not yet, I’ve never left a man behind. Chorus: Eyes to the West boys take her out slow, Backs to the wind, boys 40 below, Hands to the wheel boys keep her in line, Send down the word, we’re sailing home.” Dave told us in 2011: “The chorus of that song is now part of a brilliant play written about Tom called “Tom Crean - Antarctic Explorer” - it was written and is performed by a (now) friend of mine by the name of Aidan Dooley - check out the Web site, www.tomcrean.co.uk. When Aidan heard the chorus he wrote it into the play and has Tom singing it during the second half to great effect. In fact, it feels like the song has passed over to the play now and is in its rightful place.” This song was also recorded by Morningstar, a Bronx, New York-based quartet of virtuosic instrumentalists, led by vocalist Mary Courtney, (one of Dave’s friends), who play and record Irish/Celtic music. www.davemcgilton.com; (See also ALIVE & KICKIN’ by Morningstar (2010) in this section.)

RETURN TO THE UGLY SIDE by Malachai (2011)

Malachai consists of the Bristol, U.K.-based duo of Scott Hendy and Gary Ealey (a.k.a. Gee), who play a spectrum of post psychedelic, progressive electronic art rock. On their second CD, they have the track Mid Antarctica (Wearin’ Sandals), a dramatic, existential heavy rock song. Lyrics: “Some wizards claim there’s no makin’ potions no way around the game, some lizards claim there’s no pane they won’t crawl for the very same, but I can’t go on wearin’ sandals in your midantarctica. Some inspirational painters who chalk only round the body slain, stuck in their ways there’s no wager no cost of course it’s me, but I can’t go on lightin’ candles in your midantarctic, where the wind the snow and rain tend to ice the flame.” Domino DS035CD; www.myspace.com/malachaibristol; www.malachai.tv

I’M REALLY IMPORTANT BACK HOME by the Incompetents (2011) (Web site download only)

The Incompetents are a Beirut, Lebanon-based psychedelic folk/rock group. Their second record has the track Red Antarctica, a strong protest song for the turbulent times many parts of the world are going through. Serge Yared, the lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist told us about the song: “Well it is not about Antarctica - here I use Antarctica as a metaphor for contained rage and alienation. The song is a political song, which reflects my perception of local/regional affairs - I come from Beirut, Lebanon in the Middle East.” Lyrics: “They told us “follow that thread”, The thread led to a string, And the string led to a rope, “And with that rope”, they said, “just hang yourself”. Here we are today, Trapped in a revolution, That sadly enough, Did not eat all of its children. Chorus: We’ve been betrayed and we don’t care, Thoroughly back-stabbed, do you want your share?! If you don’t want their order to prevail, Then join our chaos and bring some coffin nails./ We allow them to hurt us, Only because, We’ll need to forgive them. That’s our main means of defense, They lead us in return, Into a coerced emancipation. After all don't we live in the city, Of oxymora .../ They keep us confined, Supporting the view, That things, would be worse Outside the fence. When it’s time to silence them fools, When my anger gets red like Antarctica, I lock the door, plug in my amps, And surround my body with white noise.” www.myspace.com/theincompetents

SAILING ON A CLOUD by Kaj Roger Willumsen (2011) (Web site download only)

Kaj Roger Willumsen is a Harstad, Troms, Norway-based electronic musician. His third CD has the melodic and lush 4½-minute instrumental Voice from Antarctica. Kaj Roger told us about the track in 2011: “I am committed to preserving Antarctica. Imagine flying over Antarctica and enjoying the beautiful scenery, and it will get people to think about what we’re doing. The song is a gentle plea to preserve the scenery.” www.myspace.com/kajrogerwillumsen

LOOK AT ME NOW by The Streettrainer (2011) (Web site download only)

The Streettrainer (a.k.a. D.) is a Minneapolis, U.S.A.-based hip hop/rap artist. His current record has the tip top hypnotic rap track Antarctica – Ft. Kenny G, with the repeating chant “cold like Antarctica”. D. told us in 2011: “It’s a metaphor, “cold like Antarctica”, just playing with words, that’s all.” www.myspace.com/1streettrainer

WITHIN WOLVES EP by Within Wolves (2011) (Web site download only)

Within Wolves is a young Baltimore, U.S.-based metal/punk/pop/nu-jazz rock group. Their current EP has the 1½-minute track Winter in Antarctica, a quiet piano-based instrumental. Karl Wingate, the group’s guitarist/vocalist told us: “The piano piece was written by our drummer (Drew Coughlin) and we all felt that the piece had a winter storm feeling to it. We described as that’s how we would feel if we were on an expedition in Antarctica by ourselves, and just thinking of home.” www.myspace.com/withinwolves

1901 by the Gauss Experience (2010) (Web site download only)

The Gauss Experience is a Hamburg, Germany-based alternative/post-hardcore rock group. Its 3-song EP has the 5½-minute track The Shores of Antarctica Melt in the Sun of Plans and Alienation, one of the longest and most metaphysical-sounding of Antarctic song titles in this Discography. The group’s Sven was equally metaphysical about the track when he told us about it 2011: “As always it’s some kind of stupid talking about own songs, maybe you like the lyrics or something to help yourself to find some hints at the theme of the song?” www.thegaussexperience.de; www.myspace.com/thegaussexperience

ARCHIV 1 by Owen O’Toole (2010)

Owen O’Toole is a Los Angeles, California-based filmmaker, artist, electronic sound composer and broadcaster. This is a 3-CD set of sound loops and loop collages of various electronic and other instrumental interludes, which includes the 2-minute Antartica, a slow and repeating note-bending synthesizer loop. Owen told us about the track in 2011: “My process for naming tracks leaves a lot to the imagination: what the sound evokes for me. Maybe the piece is a bit melancholy in response to seeing the natural world wither at our hands. I was just at the SpaceUp unConference in San Diego, a gathering of space enthusiasts. I can imagine Antarctica to be a bit like space travel: the extreme temperatures at least. I think a lot of my music has a space element to it, exploring unchartered regions being of interest. So some commonality perhaps.” According to the liner notes, “Music based on loop patterns requires some patience. There is a first response, and then a growing impatience, but once these reactions pass the real beauty of the sound fields can be perceived and appreciated. This bouquet has been carefully selected for your enjoyment.”

THE INFINITE MUSIC OF FRENCH HORN REBELLION by French Horn Rebellion (2010)

This CD is the result of the work of two brothers, Robert and David Perlick-Molinari, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and now in Brooklyn, N.Y. The two have gathered a lot of attention for their music in Europe and have undertaken tours of Asia and North America in 2011. Their music covers a range of styles through a dramatic and theatric electronic/dance groove. Atypical on the CD are two tracks, the subdued Mawson’s Peak and the instrumental Antarctica/The Decision. The former is a moody philosophical song (sample lyrics: “where the wind blows down…I looked inside the mountain…I must go on”). The real Mawson’s Peak is an active volcano on Heard Island, one of Australia’s subantarctic islands and the highest mountain in Australia or its territories, named after Australian Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson, who visited in 1929 during an expedition to Antarctica. The Antarctica track begins as a piano/synthesizer ambient piece, followed by a French horn solo (by classically trained Robert), which leads to a piano/noise fadeout. www.frenchhornrebellion.com; www.myspace.com/frenchhornrebellion

FOUR FARADAYS IN A CAGE by Incandescent Sky (2010)

Incandescent Sky is a Providence, Rhode Island-based instrumental rock quartet, formed in 2003, that plays atmospheric, progressive improvised music. Its third CD, recorded live in 2007 in “one blistering improvisation session”, according to the CD notes, has the 9-minute track Antarctica. John Orsi, the group’s drummer/percussionist, told us in 2011: “The thought behind the track title Antarctica was that the feelings conjured up by the landscape of the music suggested, to us anyway, what we thought to be suitable to the surface and features of Antarctica. This is just a guess, however, as none of us have actually been there.” Noisynoise NN-IS-004; www.incandescentsky.com; www.itstwilightmusic.com

TREES by Una Keane (2010)

Una Keane is a Dublin, Ireland-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist/producer who has studied film scoring at the Boston’s Berklee College of Music and completed postgraduate studies in music technology in Dublin. Her first CD of reflective acoustic rock music has the plaintive piano/cello-backed track Antarctica. Sample lyrics: “High hopes unto the surface, All eyes to the sea, And how much do you wanna know that All this comes for free? Even through the whiteness, Even through the daze, I will see your face again… There’s an island in the Pacific, and it’s overflowing without trees, And yet, with so much beauty, For as far as the eye, I can see.” Una told us in 2011: “Antarctica deals in part with the erosion of natural resources in Antarctica, in addition to a more general ecological problem. I’ve also personified Antarctica, so that I can speak to him/her as a loved one that I’d like to see again. I suppose that you could call the song a lament for the Antarctic situation. I must say that I’m no expert, but I was inspired to write the song after watching a number of TV documentaries on that very special part of the world - especially The March of the Penguins.” Marabou Records mrcd001; www.unakeane.com; www.myspace.com/unakeane

BEARS! DELUXE EDITION by Aerith (2010) (Web site download only)

Aerith is a Burlington, Ontario, Canada progressive metal/rock group, formed in 2008. Their second EP has the rocking track Antarctica, complete with howling winds. Bassist Cody Greer told us about the song in 2011: “I think we chose the name Antarctica because it’s somewhat of a dark and mysterious place that most people don’t know too much about. And the fact that there is little life in Antarctica makes it metal! So I think we just liked the name and how it represents our band and the song.” www.myspace.com/aerithmusic; www.aerithmusic.com

ANTARCTIC DAY/ ENERGY by Blue Tente (2010) (Web site download only)

Blue Tente is the project name of Romanian composer Sergiu Teremtus, an electronic/trance musician who has been active in the European DJ music scene. This recording has two mixes of the energetic track Antarctic Day. His earlier record ANTARCTIC NIGHT (2008) has six various remixes of the companion track Antarctic Night.

POLAR SHIFTS by Ben Miller/degeneration (2010) (cassette only)

Ben Miller is a veteran New York City-area based avant-garde sound and multi-media conceptual artist who specializes in prepared guitar treatments and sonics. This cassette has the 13-minute track Antarctica, a performance of stark industrial atmospherics and occasional chants that undoubtedly captures the varying moods of the Antarctic, from silence to desolation. Ben told us in 2011 that “Its theme is in regard to the possibility of 2012 scenarios. The lyrics imply general weather in the South Pole. “Moving over” relates to tectonic plates moving during polar shifts. Nothing too heavy, I just enjoy atmospheric impressions.” Obsolete Units OU-024; www.benmiller.info; www.myspace.com/benmillerdegeneration

DECYCLICAL by Catharsis (Web site download only) (2010)

Catharsis is a progressive metalcore band from Wheaton, Illinois, formed in 2008. Their first EP has the track with the intriguing title, You Can’t Rain on My Parade, This is Antarctica. Great title, since Antarctica’s interior is one of the driest places on the planet and is considered a desert. Grant McDonal, vocalist/guitarist, told us about the song in 2011: “The name itself makes witty commentary on the common idiom “don’t rain on my parade”, meaning “don’t ruin my fun time”. We were suggesting our fun time can’t be ruined because it already has been; we’re in Antarctica. If you read the lyrics, the title isn’t supposed to have a defeatist attitude - we then make the optimistic observation that things can only get better - the only thing we need to do is unite. Unfortunately, we use Antarctica to symbolize an undesirable place…If Antarctica seems to represent coldness and isolation, I wonder what location, if any, might best represent happiness, comfort or love?” www.purevolume.com/catharsistheband; www.myspace.com/catharsisISsmetal

BLUE MOTION by Rei Kagaya (2010) (Web site download only)

Rei Kagaya is a Japan-based composer who has done soundtrack work for motion pictures and planetarium shows and since 2005 has made numerous CDs of atmospheric New Age music. His current record has the dreamy 2-minute synthesizer track Ice of Antarctica and the related 1½-minute track Solar Eclipse. Rei told us in 2011 that “Ice of Antarctica was made for BGM for the planetarium program Straight Into the Universe. The hero goes to the South Pole in the program, and there is a scene that observes the total solar eclipse. He was eating and sprinkling syrup on ice. It is interesting. It was necessary to be moved deeply by ice when getting off to the South Pole, and to make this tune.” Rei’s brother, Kagaya, the creator of this full dome show, is a digital fine artist and animator in Japan, specializing in themes of the universe and humankind’s role in it. According to his Web site, “This full dome show provides you various kinds of Kagaya’s artworks including beautiful computer generated images of the universe and a very precious movie of the total solar eclipse in Antarctica witnessed in 2003 for the first time in human history. Receive a message put in the inspiring movie: “Enjoy the beautiful fusion of science and art. Chase your dreams!”” members.jcom.home.ne.jp/dream-side-records; www.kagayastudio.com/english/planetarium

KNIFE FIGHTS AND FLASHLIGHTS by Soundtrack for Antarctica (2010)

Soundtrack for Antarctica is a Portland, Oregon-based rock group, formed in 2008. Although there are no Antarctic songs on the group’s first CD of melodic hard rock, Joe Asbridge, the band’s founder, guitarist and vocalist told us in 2010 about the origin of the group’s name: “It’s because I am an amateur and not very many people listen to my music yet. Not too much to do with Antarctica other than that there aren’t very many people in that part of the world. I just make the music that I like and thought that name had a nice ring to it. Hope I do not disappoint. I remember hearing about Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antartica in Music History in College.” Here’s hoping the group’s tuneful music is heard by a wider audience on all the continents. www.myspace.com/soundtrackforantarctica; wwwsoundtrackforantarctica.com

ALIVE & KICKIN’ by Morningstar (2010)

Morningstar is a Bronx, New York-based quartet of veteran musicians, formed in 1982. Led by vocalist Mary Courtney, the virtuosic instrumentalists play Irish/Celtic music and have recorded several albums and played U.S. music festivals. This live CD, recorded in Yonkers, N. Y., has the track Tom Crean, named after one of the giants of the Heroic Era of Antarctic Exploration who was on three major British Expeditions with Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton. Sample lyrics: “On Endurance we sailed, set out for Vahsel Bay, our hearts and our minds to the task. But the packs settled in and we prayed for the wind as we woke to the ice setting fast. We took to the boats, it was hard to stay afloat, as we sailed to the first bit of land. Where we left twenty-two of our brave and gallant crew, but in time they were saved to a man…Now the tales that I tell, of heaven and of hell, they all have a place in the mind. And we all face our death, but ah me boys not yet, I’ve never left a man behind. Chorus: Eyes to the West boys, take her out slow, backs to the wind, boys, fourty below, hands to the wheel, boys, keep her in line, send down the word, we’re sailin’ home.” Mary explained to us in 2011: “The reason I recorded this song is because it is firstly a wonderful song, which was written and composed by my best friend Dave McGilton. Secondly, I am from West Kerry and Tom Crean is a local legend and his mother’s name was Courtney (some claim a distant relation but I’m not sure about that!). The chorus of this song is used in the one-man play by Aidan Dooley (this show is called Tom Crean), which is a truly wonderful tribute to Tom’s memory and legacy; hopefully Aidan will be able go on tour of North America and Canada if he can get funding by next year but that is up in the air as of now.” www.sonicbids.com/MaryCourtneyMorningStar; www.davemcgilton.com; www.aidandooley.co.uk; www.tomcrean.co.uk

BLEEDING ANTARCTICA by Bleeding Antarctica (2010) (Web site download only)

Bleeding Antarctica is the solo progressive rock project of Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A.-based Johann Kelly Hutson. This album of melodic hard rock has the tough but wistful 5-minute track Antarctic is Bleeding, about the changes going on in the world, which are not for the better. Sample lyrics: “Pastures gave way to the highways, So much concrete changes the view, Erecting fences to keep out the passers-by, A different bird flies in the sky. Four million years, everything was quiet. Four million years, just looking for a change. Always looking for the ultimate perfection…Antarctica is bleeding, Screaming your name, Trying to find a face to focus all the blame. Time to face your consequence, time to face your shame. Time is fleeting, Antarctica is bleeding.” We asked Johann about the title of the track and he replied: “The inspiration behind this project came from the five-story blood red waterfall that is found at Taylor Glacier. For more info on that just type in Bleeding Glacier in a search engine and read all about it.” We did and the references lead to Blood Falls, which is a red-coloured, iron oxide-rich water outflow at the tip of the Taylor Glacier onto the frozen surface of Lake Bonney in the Dry Valleys, (one of the driest parts of Antarctica), near McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. The red-stained water is believed to be from a subglacial pool of saltwater, which also contains a world of different types of microbes. The area was discovered and explored in 1911 by geologist Griffith Taylor, one of Robert Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition members, after whom the Glacier and the Taylor Valley are named. www.myspace.com/bleedingantartica

LIVING ON BRANES by P.God (2010) (Web site download only)

P. God is a Naples, Italy-based electronic musician, Paolo Dioguardi. His 5-track EP includes Antarctica, a beat-heavy track underlain by icy, alien musical themes and sounds. He told us in 2010: “Typical features of my music are dark-sounding atmospheres and synthesizers related to ambient/dark ambient/industrial music combined with electronic techno drum structures. I’m really fascinated by beautiful, cold and “lost” Antarctica sceneries, and “lost places” of the world (and space) in general. So when I wrote that track, my mind was thinking to frozen landscapes and the cold Antarctic sun - and synths and atmos used in the track for me can represent very well these thoughts.” www.myspace.com/pgod

SEND IN THE CLOWNS by The Sigourney Weavers (2010) (Web site download only)

This Swedish pop/rock group has the same name as the lead actress from the Alien movie series. Their debut album has the track Antarctic, with reference to a “frozen destination” in a frigid world in which the singer asks for “nothing out there but love”. The group told us in 2011: “The Antarctic track is a song about a cold/frozen love between two persons. They love each other, but just can’t get along.” www.myspace.com/sigourneyweavers

GRANNYKART’S OWN THING by Grannykart (2010)

Grannykart is the North Hollywood, California, U.S.A.-based avant garde electronic music duo of musician and vocalist Jody Beth Rosen and guitarist/producer Andre LaFosse. Their album has a short ethereal, icy track (1 minute, 45 seconds) with the intriguing title of Minor Antarctic Island. Jody explained about the title: “I called it that because of Google Earth’s decision to add a small portion of Antarctica to its Street View function. I wanted the song to have a “glacial” feel and the title seemed appropriate.” cbr101; grannykart.bandcamp.com

STROMBOLI’S ALARM CLOCK by Moes Haven (2010)

Moes Haven is the Manchester, New Hampshire-based singer/songwriter duo of Matt Farley and Tom Scazo, along with other contributors. They have issued numerous CDs of their light rock in the 2000s and their latest includes the track Antarctic Rages. Matt told us about the song in 2010: “Antarctic Rages is sung from the point of view of an “angry young man” who wants to lead a wild life. We settled on the phrase “Antarctic Rages” because it really seemed to describe the young man’s anger toward rigid society. He sees lots of lies and hypocrisy around. But when he speaks out against them, no one seems to pay any attention. It is not unlike a person screaming away in Antarctica, where no one can hear his cries. Also, we use the word “anarchy”, which is very similar to Antarctic. The character in the song probably views Antarctica as a perfect, anarchic land where he’d be free to do as he pleases without the typical shackles of society. That’s my best interpretation of the basic idea behind the title and the use of the phrase in the song. We usually try not to analyze our own lyrics that deeply.” www.moternmedia.com; www.moeshaven.com; www.myspace.com/moeshaven

ATMOSPHERES for Trumpet and Sound Forge by Chris Moors (2010)

Chris Moors is an Illinois, U.S.A.-based composer, trumpet player, symphony orchestra and jazz musician, educator, radio host and writer of mystical fiction. He has also studied the religions of the world, becoming a practitioner of meditation. According to his Web site, his mission is “to invoke the unity of Eastern Wisdom and Western Art, to assist in the evolving consciousness and destiny of humanity and to make this information available to the widest possible audience.” His latest CD consists of 30 trumpet solos, played both naturally and electronically treated to resemble as cosmic a sound experience as imaginable. One of the tracks is Antarctic Morning, a spacey dirge reminiscent of the sounds made by the Theremin, an early 20^th century electronic instrument. We asked Chris about the track title and he replied: “The reason is the aesthetic of the track. Most of the songs on this disc I composed and then titled. Something about the sound made me think of an unpopulated cold landscape. The concept was a pristine untouched nature area. I just imagined the sun rising over the ice and the clarity which that provides.” www.creativecosmos.org

ELEGIES FOR THE MYSTERIES OF MISSED HISTORIES by In Antarctica (2010) (Web site download only)

In Antarctica is a Canadian pop/rock quintet from Ottawa, Ontario. Their melodic first EP is played with a variety of instruments, ranging from guitars and glockenspiels to ukuleles and violins. It begins with contemplative pastoral moments and ends in harder rocking anthemic sing-alongs. Andrew Loeb, one of the band members, told us about the name of the group: “For us, the band name derived from my own fascination with the place as both a physical landscape and as a locus for a series of ideologies. Antarctica remains the last great unsettled frontier. It is a site of discovery and of international collaboration even as it carries with it a fierce history of national rivalry. And as the relatively recent Gamburtsev (Mountain Range) expeditions and studies have begun to show, there is a whole unseen and uncharted world asleep beneath the ice. As a band, I think (or rather hope) that our music engages in similar ideas. Intellectually and artistically, we hope to occupy a conceptual framework that engages with Antarctic tensions. Hope that helps explain things.” www.inantarcticaband.com

GET SERIOUS by Jay Harden (2010) (Web site download only)

Florida, U.S.A.-based Jay Michael Harden has over 30 years of professional music experience playing rootsy blues and folk music. His current record has the track Antarctica. Sample lyrics: “Set out on the trail, with the wind from the North, Glacier, icecap, permafrost, Antarctica…At the station doing tests, isolation, instruments. Reap what we are reaping. Antarctica, Antarctica, Antarctica. Little town on the outskirts, even tourists are starting to come. No Aurora Borealis…Playing cards down at the bar, they talk of findings and discoveries, Life back home, further studies. Antarctica, Antarctica, Antarctica.” We asked Jay about the background of his song and he replied: “Well, I had the guitar part and it was quite repetitious, kinda monotonous, so I thought about a setting for the song. I wanted to write from the point of view of a scientist living and working in Antarctica, but at the same time the song could be about human relationships (people are cold!), the distance between us, environmental worries, etc.” www.myspace.com/hardenjay

ANTARCTICA by To Kill (2010)

Antarctica is a Rome, Italy-based heavy metal/hardcore quintet, formed in 2004, which has toured internationally and released numerous CDs and EPs. This is their last CD and follows an announced band breakup. The cover and liner booklet abound with dazzling light blue and white photos of massive icebergs and the CD has the harsh, psychologically-minded track Antarctica. Lyrics: “This winter, this cold, this land. This is not a place of the body, this is just a state of our mind. So secure, so unsafe. Frozen and silent. Apathy consumed our energy, I can feel my pounding heart slowly stopping, I can sense our rage being bottled and our emotions being forgotten. Eternal ice of denial is what we’re about to die in, this frostbite is silent and inevitable. The warmth of our blood has the possibility to offer cleansing, through our will we can create fire and life. Through our fire we can create life.” The band told us about the reason for their track: “Well, actually it seemed like a good metaphor for coldness of spirit and emotions, for stillness and pain, you know...” Let It Burn Records LIB 044

A BAND OF OUR OWN by Aaron Joseph (2010)

Brooklyn, New York-based Aaron Joseph, with co-producer and musician Zach McNees, has written an enjoyable, rocking CD of children’s songs, which includes the track Antarctica. He explained to us: “The song was just intended to be a cute and thought-provoking look at certain animals that live in the Antarctic climate.” Sample lyrics: “Turtles don’t live in Antarctica. There’s no warm sand in Antarctica. If I were a turtle and I liked the sand, I would never go to Antarctica…Bees would never live in Antarctica…There aren’t any flowers in Antarctica. If I were a bee looking for a flower. I’d be out of luck in Antarctica…A penguin would live in Antarctica. She’d be happy as a clam in Antarctica. If I were a penguin, happy as a clam, I’d bet you I’d be living in Antarctica…A whale could go swimming in Antarctica. The water’s just right in Antarctica. If I were a whale, going for a swim. I would go straight to Antarctica…Some like it chilly, Some like it warm. If you’re scared of thunder, Stay out of the storm.” www.aaronjosephmusic.com

HORROR/ FORSAKEN by VoidWork (2010)

VoidWork is the dark ambient musical project of Belgian Xavier de Schuyter, with occasional vocals by Swedish operatic vocalist Ann-Mari Thim. According to the CD notes, “VoidWork started in 2008 with the purpose of creating a haunting musical atmosphere. The concept is inspired by early 20^th century supernatural literature and more recent horror cinema.” One of the tracks is Antarctica, a rather quiet but haunting, chain-dragging Gothic piece. Xavier told us about the reason for the track name: “Well, I am fascinated by all “desolate” landscapes, whether they be made of sand, ice or stone. In fact, I’m planning a digital release inspired by the subject. One of my favourite stories is “At the Mountains of Madness” (the 1931 Antarctic novella by H. P. Lovecraft), which certainly contributed to the song on some level.” BDRL006; voidwork.bandcamp.com; www.myspace.com/voidwork

MUSKETEER by Larsen B (2010)

Larsen B, named after Antarctica’s most famous disintegrated ice shelf, is a pop-rock trio from Hertfordshire, U.K. Their first full-length CD, following two EPs, is filled with catchy upbeat songs, played on a variety of instrumentation. The CD dazzles in the understated playing and the melodies would warm up any ice barrier the group could encounter. Since there are no Antarctic-related tracks evident on the disc, we asked the group their name. Simon Palmer, guitarist and keyboardist replied: “The house where I grew up and where we recorded the album used to be part of the estate of Apsley Cherry-Garrard, one of the members of the doomed Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole. We wanted to find a band name that linked in with this fact and our favourite from an extensive list was “Larsen B”. LB01 CD; www.myspace.com/wearelarsenb

UNDELIVERED by Pan Parag (2010)

Pan Parag (a.k.a. Sylvain Santelli) is a Lyon, France-based photographer and musician. His solo CD is a mixture of sung and spoken avant-garde folk which includes the track Mapping Antartic. This song captures perfectly the bleak sides of the Antarctic and human experience. Sample lyrics: “We’ll look for horizon, search for reference, we are out of our heads, nothing to see but white space. No demarcations, no barriers, colourless pieces of land, without a face. This is white, darkness, a lens and a base without feature that, Adam-like, we’re giving it names. We are voiceless and human in a whiteout.” Sylvain told us about the song: “A friend of mine wrote the lyrics for that song (Fiona Stradling). Then I wrote the music and wanted something very repetitive and strange. The text is some kind of metaphor of life and wandering - how feelings can be very clear but still it’s like we don’t know where we go. Meeting someone is like moving on a virgin land, you walk in the unknown, no barriers, no boundaries. And the white can turn into dark with the absence of the beloved person. This is all about silence and the need of having answers in the immensity of love.” Acidsoxx Musicks xx423; www.myspace.com/panparag

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE by A Bridge Far Away (2010) (Web site download only)

London, U.K.-based A bridge Far Away is the solo project of Krystian Taylor, in association with various friends. This four-song EP of electronic music has the arpeggiated, gurgling track Antarctica. As to the background for the track Krystian said: “The EP which Antarctica is on has a theme of nature and its extremes. That’s the only reason really.” www.myspace.com/abridgefaraway

KALEIDE by Sky Larkin (2010)

Leeds, U.K.-based Sky Larkin is an up and coming pop-rock trio, fronted by vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Katie Harkin. Their second CD of energetic musical hooks has the track Guitars and Antarctica, an unusual literary combination of words. Lyrics: “The rain’s locked in. The ice is smooth. Keep your calm. Absolute zero approaches. The white expanse is the last place I can picture infinite space. Where zero approaches and absolutes have room to grow. Drift off on the crest of what’s accumulating. Drift off on the crest of thought coagulating. It’s like the ice solidifying, like the ice solidifies. I’ll never go to the last blank. Keep my calm from afar. Leaning on guitars and Antarctica. Leaning on guitars and a distant page of snow.” While we may never master the understanding of the lyrics, Katie provided us with a few comments about the track that she had written for the on-line music site, drownedinsound.com: “This song grew from thinking about guitars, sleep, Antarctica and the moment that thought becomes communicable (and sometimes eventually tactile). The keyboard solo at the end of this song was referred to as “the arrival of the penguin choir” during the recording process, though I can’t remember if that was intended to be complimentary.” Wichita Recordings Ltd. WEBB260CDL; www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin; www.weareskylarkin.com

ELECTRIC MOURNING BLUES by the Scrapes (2010)

The scrapes are a Brisbane, Australia-based instrumental duo consisting of Adam Cadell on violin and Ryan Potter on guitar. As befits their band name, at times they scrape on their instruments in styles that vary from classic minimalist drones to psychedelic sound workouts. Their first CD has the 10-minute track Antarctic Beach, whose title Adam explained to us in 2010: “It is a play on words in a way. In a massive rainforest in the Gold Coast hinterland about 200 km from where we live there are some ancient trees called Antarctic Beech. These trees have lived for thousands of years and are sacred to the indigenous people of that country. From where the trees live, there is a massive lookout that looks straight out over the south-eastern coast of Queensland and out on to the Pacific Ocean. Basically it is just a piece of music that we just came up with and it sounds like ice to us and it conjured images of this landscape and of masses of ice. So instead of calling it Antarctic Beech we called it Antarctic Beach. It’s apocalyptic in a sense. Think of large sheets of ice colliding with coastline and you’ll get the picture. But at the end of the day it’s whatever you want it to be. That’s the joy of music!” The CD cover and back have a painting of two large sheets of ice being separated by what seem to be two unearthly creatures – maybe the Scrapes? www.myspace.com/planetofthescrapes; planetofthescrapes.blogspot.com

WITH EMPEROR ANTARCTICA by Boy & Bear (2010)

Boy & Bear is a Sydney, Australia-based pop-rock group formed in 2009. Their debut 5-song EP of melodic rock doesn’t have any Antarctic songs on it but Dave Hosking, lead vocals and guitarist told us about the unusual band name: “It’s a bit weird, but our bass player found this old photo in a random magazine. It was of an old man and an Emperor Penguin. It became our tour mascot and half way through the tours we realised that on the back of it...it said: “With Emperor Antarctica 1992”, hence the name.” Universal Music Australia 2739922; www.myspace.com/boyandbearmusic

THE HABITABLE ZONE by To My Boy (2010)

Jack Snape and Sam White are a duo of energetic guitarists and electropop musicians based in Liverpool and Chesterfield, U.K. Their second album has the bubbly and bouncy track Antarctica. Choruses: “Oh Antarctica, You were so cold, I used to think that I were bold, I always wanted to hold you close, but the second I did my heart froze…Oh Antarctica, you made me feel so very old, These ancient bones were once so bold, I always wanted to hold you close, but the second I did my heart froze.” Jack Snape explained to us: “I decided to write the song initially because (phonetically) I really like the word ‘Antarctica’. Then the song turned into a kind of open-ended metaphor for something that is beautiful but remote and unwelcoming…something whose beauty is best appreciated from a distance. I should also mention that the album, ‘The Habitable Zone’ is about the earth’s precarious position in a narrow hospitable layer of space around the sun and that a song called Antarctica seemed to fit well into that set of imagery.” VB01CD; www.to-my-boy.com; www.myspace.com/tomyboy

LEAVES by Big Round Spectacles (2010) (Web site download only)

Originally a duo, the group is now the solo project of Texas, U.S.A-based pianist/vocalist Matt Terrill. His latest indie-pop album has the track Antarctica. Matt told us: “The story behind the song is that when I was a kid, I thought Antarctica was the biggest continent in the world because of the phenomenon of polar distortion. It looks humongous on a flat map, but only so-so on a globe. When I found out that it was not even close to being the biggest continent in the world, I had an epiphany: you can apparently be wrong when you thought you were right. So the song is about that, basically. Some people never have that epiphany, sadly. The song ends by saying that I may be wrong about a lot of things, but I have strong faith in God. That’s one thing I know for sure. That’s sorta the concept of the song, anyway.” www.myspace.com/bigroundspectacles

ANTARCTICA by Eric Solomon (2010) (Web site download only)

This is a 7-track EP by Vancouver, Montreal and New York-based Eric Solomon, a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter who has performed internationally. His funky electro-soul/pop recording has the title track Antarctica. Sample lyrics: “I confess, I’m a mess, been alone since you left, and all that remains is snow and frozen sunshine. And it’s cold in the Pole, without someone to hold, I’m a floating iceberg on your Pacific Ocean…I was proud, way too loud to heal anyone, try to stop me from falling off the edge of the world…” Eric told us about the track: “Hey…it was just the feeling of being frozen from the world and defrosting back to reality.” www.myspace.com/ericsolomonmusic

GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD by Admiral Byrd (2010) (Web site download only)

According to their Web site, “Admiral Byrd is not a typical rock band. In fact, the chance of you seeing them on a local stage is very slim indeed. Instead, they are a group of writers, studio musicians and film makers who believe that the recorded album is still a viable art form - capable of expressing infinite beauty and violent dissent.” Their record has two tracks with Antarctic references, Little America I and Final Flight of the Josephine Ford. Little America I was the Ross Ice Shelf location of Admiral Byrd’s camp for the preparation of his successful first flight over the South Pole in 1929. Josephine Ford was the name of the airplane used for his controversial (and now disclaimed by many experts) first flight over the North Pole in 1926. Both tracks have lush, dramatic synthesizer and guitar drenched instrumental backings overlain by an announcer’s voice of the many feet of snow accumulated over the original Little America base. www.admiralbyrd.com; www.admiralbyrd.bandcamp.com

HOMAGE TO ANTARCTIC AND FREEDOM by Antarktīda (2010)

Antarktīda is a joint project of three Latvian-based experimental musicians, including a psycho-shamanic folk singer and two industrial-noise artists. This instrumental disc of electroacoustic music is described in the liner notes as a “trip toward the Unknown, overpassing different margins of music like ambient, noise, world”. Included is the 7½-minute title track Homage to Antarctic and Freedom, an unusual word pairing that begins as industrial noise but eventually develops into a haunting, mournful dirge that is so hypnotic it demands to be heard in full. Imants Daksis, one of the three composers, based in Riga, told us: “The reason for the main song and also for the title of album is the Ice Age’s ending time in Antarctica. So, this place soon will be free and we were making sounds and noise about it. I feel it even physically.” A previous CD by Imants, IN THE TEMPLE OF UNBORN RELIGION (2007), has two other Antarctic-themed tracks, Girl from Antarctica and Antarctica. Sturmmandat 30; www.myspace.com/antarktida; www.imantsdaksis.lv

COWBOYS, DUNES & DESERTS (2010)

Mother Goose Time is an American professionally designed multidisciplinary educational program for preschool use, which includes music CDs. This record, with lyrics and music by Leslie Falconer and Brian Steckler, is about cowboys and typical hot deserts, but has an upbeat ditty about the world’s largest cold desert, South Pole Desert. Sample lyrics: “In the coldest place where no one will go, a desert hides beneath the snow. Antarctica, goin’ down, down, down to the desert at the South Pole. Brrr, it’s cold. No bush, no tree, as far as I can see, the only sound I heard was a snow petrel bird. Antarctica, goin’ down, down, down to the desert at the South Pole…It’s a desert at the South Pole, I said, a desert at the South Pole.” Mother Goose Time. www.mothergoosetime.com

ANTARCTIC ANGEL by Giant Mushroom (2010) (Web site download only)

Giant Mushroom is a Melbourne, Australia-based hard rocking band, whose music combines layers of grand melodies, dynamic instrumentals and serious subjects. ANTARCTIC ANGEL has remixed vocal versions of four instrumentals from their previous disc, KURU (2008) MGLP006, and one from RAILS (2003). We asked the group about the title and Craig Fryers, the bassist, said that “the reference to the Antarctic is only symbolic, it’s from a line in one of the songs, Autumn Leaves the Drifting Dead: “... Antarctic Angel with wings for the dead”, which portrays a story about a young man becoming entangled in a fatal drug addiction (hence the background symbol (of the record cover) pertaining to chemistry). Coincidentally though, we have a track called Sirenthia from our instrumental album (entitled KURU) that conjures within us a feeling of Antarctica.” www.myspace.com/mushroomgiant; www.mushroomgiant.com; www.thesixtyone.com/mushroomgiant

MECHANICAL RENAISSANCE by Psyborg Corp. (2010)

Psyborg Corp. is a Bogota, Columbia-based electro-metal, beat-heavy trio, formed in 2008. The members are p5YbORG!, Miss Pixel and User:X86. Their themes of a technocratic society include the track Starbeam Antarctica. Lyrics: “Freeze to death, in another land of no return. White snow, below zero, raw winter storms, technological climate: lies ahead ice age in the 23^rd century! A hundred years ago, they found the way to control the weather, thus planet Earth paled, corporations in control, turned it on, satellite activated, ice base of cold…Frozen industries, Antarctic industries, cyberconspiracy to freeze humanity, frozen industries, lost! Antarctic industries, cyberconspiracy to wipe out the humanity.” p5YbORG! explained to us that “Starbeam Antarctica talks about a high tech base-complex, in Antarctica, where malicious experiments on climate manipulation take place in order to control mankind and shape Mother Nature at will. We will expand the Antarctica theme on our next record. I think it’s important to mention that the themes used in Psyborg Corp. are Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk stories, just to give more context on what we write about, and why we end up writing various stories including Starbeam Antarctica.” NoiTekk NTK 037; www.myspace.com/psyborgcorp

SURPRISE INSIDE by Neal (2010)

Neal Anderson, from Indiana, U.S.A., is 17 years old and this CD of eclectic keyboard-anchored/vocal pop was made as his “high school best of” album. Included is the attention-grabbing title National Anthem of Antarctica. The lyrics were a little puzzling at first: “During the great war of meat vs. sweets, General corned beef would one day change the heat. The Popsicle, the tender beef, the better choice to eat? Battled for the closet box where everything would freeze. Who would consume all space? Both sides devised a plan. The attack was soon begun. Oh, how the meat was overdone, The ice cream had melted in the sun, And only children did survive but had not yet developed eyes. Left all alone. Not far from home. Collard greens and strawberries, the only elders left, Would raise young rivals to live free and share a shelf. An anthem was created (for a nation far from hell) (and it sounds like this): Children raised in a place, For their good minds replaced. History, History. Won’t be retraced. Be retraced.”

We asked Neal about the background to the song and he provided the kind of answer that only comes from gifted and visionary musical artists who are able to simplify complex issues into understandable layman terms in song: “Well, that song was actually made for a multidisciplinary class I took last year. I had to incorporate the two classes I was taking (Music Theory/Composition and U.S. History) into one year-long project, and multiple little projects along the way. The song was made as a composition for the requirement of the Music Theory portion. The actual inspiration for the lyrics/content started off after I made all the instrumentals. I thought it sounded and felt like the story of war; how it starts, who it affects, the aftermath, and ultimately a question - did we learn our lesson? I liked the song title National Anthem of Antarctica, and found it semi-comical and contradictory in a couple ways. But I wanted to make an actual war story make it about Antarcticans…but alas, there are none. I thought it’d be too cliché to write about penguins that inhabit the area. Then it hit me: Antarctica suddenly represented a freezer. Of course, I’d make a metaphor war! I thought, who inhabits a freezer? Meats, ice cream (sweets), frozen fruits and veggies. Each category started taking on different personalities and represented parts of society to me: Meat - good in moderation, but easy to get carried away; Sweets - very easy to get carried away; fruits/veggies - good for you, a wise choice. So basically, the Meats and Sweets battle it out and kill each other off (except for the young). The wise, untouched fruits/veggies replace the taught hatred and teach love and compassion.”

Antarctica’s climate has often been said to act as the refrigerator of the world, but Antarctica as a real refrigerator with a metaphor war inside? – that wins a prize for cool! www.myspace.com/nealiumhelium

REBORN by Taboo (2010)

Norwegian rock band Taboo was formed in 1968, released two singles and soon disbanded. They reunited for this 40^th anniversary new release. It’s a great disc of melodic rock, backed with soaring guitar and has the heartfelt track, Antarctica, about the danger of global warming. Sample lyrics: “Two thousand islands in the Sun, two million people on the run, from the tide, two thousand islands in the Sun, to the sea; Father Noah, he knew, the great flood was due, now we got our eyes on you, Antarctica. Six million years of Paradise, six billion tons of cold blue ice, to the sea, six million years of Paradise, to the paste.” Asa Krogtoft, composer/vocalist/guitarist told us about the track in 2010: “I wrote Antarctica after having seen a program on Norwegian TV in 2008, where a senior member of a Norwegian scientist group “admitted” that his scientific research in the arctic area had been nothing but a waste of time and that the “knowledge” he had gathered thru more than 20 years was worthless. What I remember the most about the “worthless research” was that this guy claimed that the “basic model” they had been using for years, now clearly had turned out to be too simple. Also the data they had been collecting thru the years were too “little” and too “random” to make any scientific conclusions at all. They would have to start this research all over. The next model, he claimed, would have to be much more complex. I felt that his key point was that studying “isolated parts” of nature will prove useless. His message, I felt, was: “We have to look at our planet as one ecosystem in order to gather real knowledge about our environment.” - Some data model!” Asanova ANCD1001; www.taboomtown.com

EMPEROR OF THE SOUTH POLE by RW and P.38 (2010)

Two hip hop producers from Albuquerque, New Mexico have a good record title and a variety of interesting musical styles but nothing cold and polar on their CD. P.38 told us about the song title: “It actually is from the movie Emperor of the North – that’s where we got the name but RW wanted to put “Pole” in the title so people who didn’t know the movie would understand. It was just one of those things he decided to change at last minute.” Manchromatic; www.myspace.com/rwp38

FIVE MOUNTAINS OF FIRE / ANTARCTICA ENDS HERE by Cindytalk / Robert Hampson (2010) (Vinyl mini-LP only)

Robert Hampson is a British guitarist and experimental musician who started recording in the mid 1980s with the bands Loop and Main and later as an electroacoustic solo artist. This well-paired, two-track, 10” record has Antarctica Ends Here, an ambient, minimalist instrumental work with piano and background wind recordings, dedicated to fellow British musician John Cale, a former member of iconic band The Velvet Underground. Hampson’s title is based on Cale’s song Antarctica Starts Here, from his album PARIS 1919 (1973), later redone on PARIS S’EVEILLE (1992) and on ANTARTIDA (1995), a movie soundtrack. The other side of the LP goes to a far-removed side of the globe with the instrumental electronics/guitar/percussion of Five Mountains of Fire by veteran British ambient noisemeisters Cindytalk. Cinder (a.k.a. Gordon Sharp), a co-founder of the group in 1982, told us that “our track relates to Kyoto’s (Japan) Obon Fire Festivals - quite the opposite of Antarctica, I’d imagine.” Editions Mego 105; www.myspace.com/roberthampson; www.roberthampson.com; www.cindytalk.com; www.myspace.com/cindytalk; (See also the “Non-Classical, all Antarctic or with significant Antarctic content” section for the John Cale recordings.)

ANTARCTIC DREAM by Dexter Ward (2010) (Vinyl mini-LP only)

Dexter Ward is an Athens, Greece/Venice, Italy-based heavy metal band. Their first release (a four-track LP) has the tough but melodic Antarctic Dream. Sample lyrics: “Icebergs, bright white mountains, In a frozen realm of stillness, Silent I wield the sceptre, And cast a spell of ancient might. Ruler of this Antarctic dream, hear my calling, Lead me on to savage shores. Vast ruins of ageless kingdoms, They are waiting my arrival, I raise my axe and black shield, Mystic prophet from the stars. Ruler of this Antarctic dream, hear my calling, Lead me on to savage shores. Warriors of Crom, bleeding with fury, Icons of violence and force, The sword of command will shine ’cross the land, Hyperboreans cry out, We are the children of blizzards and storms, Born of ancestors Atlantean, Out of the fire and into the snow, Fighting on and on.”

Mark Dexter, the lead singer of the group told us: “The inspiration for Antarctic Dream came mainly from a story written by the American author H. P. Lovecraft called “At the Mountains of Madness”, which takes place in the Antarctic continent in the ’30s when a team of explorers discovers specimens of a mysterious alien race among the ice and an ageless alien city full of mysteries and supernatural perils. Generally I’ve always been fascinated with the Antarctic continent, since when I was a small child. My dream is to be able to visit it one day.” Iron On Iron Records IRON001; www.myspace.com/dexterwardband

ONE by Mountain Man (2010) (Vinyl LP only)

Mountain Man is a hardcore punk band from Massachusetts, U.S.A. Their limited-pressing LP has the track Antarctica is Everywhere, as angry and musically furious and desolate a track as to be found anywhere. The lyrics were written to accompany music composed by and in memory of a deceased former band associate. Sample lyrics: “The world is loaded, hope against hope. Ghost sick for a god at the end of a rope. Hide your habits, littered with rot. They’re wasting away and then falling apart.” As an oddity, one side of the LP is at 33⅓ rpm, the other side at 45 rpm. Mightier Than Sword; www.mtsrecords.com; www.myspace.com/mountainmanhc

ESCAPE FROM ANTARCTICA by Luke Terry (2010) (Web site download only)

Luke Perry is Newcastle, U.K.-based electronic music producer, record label owner and DJ who has issued numerous recordings of instrumental club/trance/dance music. The present title includes four remixes of the original theme with various degrees of subtleties in the pounding drums, bass and melody. Luke’s song title did not escape our attention and he told us about the origin: “The title just relates to my time studying the southern geographic ice cores such as Vostok whilst at university, and my wanting to get away from reading about them and get in the studio instead.” Available from iTunes and other download sites. Unearthed Records Red 016; www.luketerry.com; www.myspace.com/luketerry

MIDNIGHT SNACKER by Oded Nir (2010) (Web site download only)

Amsterdam-based Oded Nir is an electronic musician, producer, DJ, radio host and international performer. His current record of chillout and trip-hop dance vibes has the track Antarctica Girl. Oded told us in 2010 that “I hope I don’t disappoint you by telling you I wrote it about a girl that was so cold that she reminded me of an iceberg in Antarctica. That’s what I saw in my mind.” Available from iTunes; www.myspace.com/odednir

MOVEMENT by Earthsound (2009)

Earthsound is a Boston, U.S.-based improvisational jazz quartet, led by classically-trained bassist Jason Davis, who is also an environmental researcher. According to Davis’ CD booklet notes, “Just as natural processes are inseparable from the fabric of modern civilization, the sounds of nature are inextricably woven into global music culture. To some, the idea of mixing music and natural sounds may conjure up a bland new agey-ness. I have nothing against meditative music, but I hope to show that while nature can be tranquil and peaceful, it is also dynamic and full of energy. How could it be otherwise? The natural world is in us and we are in the natural word.” Included on this CD of jazz and natural sounds from a variety of locations, is the track The Seals, which has a bowed bass accompaniment to the underwater sounds of Weddell seals, recorded in Antarctica by sound recordist Douglas Quin. Quin’s own natural Antarctic sound recordings are also included elsewhere in this Discography. Jason explained his composition of the track to us in 2011: “I chose the Weddell seal sounds because they sound electronic in a way, and I like to use sounds that people don’t usually think as “natural”. I improvised the bass solo in a way that I thought went with the seal sounds and imagining being underwater with them.” www.earthsoundonline.com

GYRE by Ian Tamblyn (2009)

Ian Tamblyn is a veteran Ottawa-area Canadian musician, playwright and educator/guide on nature cruise ships, who has travelled to both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Many of the songs on this CD of folk rock were written about places around the world, including the track In Wonder, describing Antarctica’s Gerlache Strait, one of the picturesque channels between the Antarctic Peninsula coast and the Palmer Archipelago, used by cruise ships that pass along the Antarctic Peninsula. Previously recorded on his CD ANTARCTIC SONGBOOK (2008), this is a newly recorded, tougher edged version. Lyrics: “In the distance hear the thunder, A mountain full of snow, In silence and in wonder, we will go. Out towards the icefields, Out towards the white, In silence and wonder, And in light. Big ice, so small, In the wonder of it all, We walk on.” North Track Records NT-30; www.tamblyn.com

TRAIN IN A RAINBOW by Solar Camel (2009)

Solar Camel is the solo project of electronic musician Agostino Mascarello, based in southeastern France. His first CD of bright, energetic and melodic instrumental synthesizer music, in a variety of styles, has the track Antartica. Agostino told us in 2011: “Antartica is the only track for which I was inspired by somebody’s work when I made it: I was thinking of one of Jean Michel Jarre’s most famous pieces, but I don’t remember the name. The name Antartica doesn’t have a real meaning, it’s just something the piece made me think of while composing it, nature, large landscapes, etc. And it’s a very fascinating part of the world.” Agostino also records under the name Polar Camel, with music in a New Age/classical style. www.mysoace.com/polarcamel

ANTARTICA by Sami Wentz (2009) (Web site download only)

Sami Wentz is a Valence-Drome, France-based DJ and producer of techno/electronic dance music. His 4-song EP has the track Antartica, a lively 7½-minute piece, notable for its arpeggiated background, sounding like water dripping off a perpetually melting glacier. Sami told us about the background to the name of the track in 2011: “Oh, you know as a producer, it was the first name I thought of.” Cupido Records; www.myspace.com/samiwentz26

SUMMERHOUSES by Craig Vear (2009)

Craig Vear, a British electro-acoustic composer and musician, won an Arts Council England Fellowship, in conjunction with the British Antarctic Survey’s Artists and Writers Programme, to spend three months over 2003/04 on British bases in the Antarctic Peninsula area. The result was the multi-media package Antarctica, which included a small book of his diaries and other commentaries, a CD of recorded Antarctic wildlife sounds, ice breaking and glacial melting, and a DVD.

This CD of manipulated sounds includes natural sound sources from various locations and has the 9½-minute Crevasse Blue, a 10-minute electro-acoustical piece made from recordings at the British Rothera Base on the Antarctic Peninsula. According to Vear’s liner notes, “Environmental found sound has held a long-term fascination for me either as acoustic ecology, phonographic art or soundscape. On one level they are complex studies in sound, shape, quality and time; untouched by human thought and ego. But at this micro level of study, the subject captured within the audio transforms into an evolving textural composition divorced from its ‘human time’ twin. By that I mean familiar gestures lose their shape in time, together with any perceptual connotations. As such the listener’s expectation of the sound of, say, ice creaking on a frozen river, loses any tangible point of reference. It is here that the music enters a minimalist digital world exploring the interrelationships between texture, time, focus, nature and the creative act of listening.” MPCLU001; www.ev2.co.uk; www.myspace.com/craigvear; (See also ANTARCTICA - Musical Images from the Frozen Continent by Craig Vear (2005) and ANTARCTICA by Craig Vear (2011) in the “Non-Classical, all Antarctic or with significant Antarctic content” section.)

TOTAL ECLIPSE by Rob Michalchuk (2009) (cassette only)

Rob Michalchuk is a Brantford, Ontario, Canada-based experimental electronic musician/saxophonist. This cassette has the -minute track Antarctic Basement. We wondered about this track, which sounds as if the recorder had been accidentally left on, with casual conversations, saxophone bleats and flushing toilets and asked Rob about it. He told us in 2010: “It was recorded in early March. The house was cold. The track sounds cold. The artwork was clipart from Antarctica. I enjoy far away places. So in this tape it finds itself all together…brrrrrrr!” Poor Little Music Plm-063; www.myspace.com/quiekyfood

DON’T SAY YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT by Elephant Island (2009)

Elephant Island is a low-keyed indie folk/pop/roots Canadian band from Victoria, B.C., with their third CD since 2004. We asked Galen Hartley, singer/songwriter and guitarist about any connection of the band name to that of the island made famous in Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition of 1914-16. He told us in 2010: “Yes, we did actually get the name from the Antarctic island. It was a pretty last minute decision, and the music isn't particularly Antarctic but...there you go. It gives the sense of being a last bastion.” Aaargh! Records ARG 112; www.elephantisland.net; www.myspace.com/elephantislandvictoria

JBK EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE by Jumping Bacteria Kids (2009)

Various light jazz-influenced instrumental tracks named after aspects of science and geography, including Antarctica. Available from iTunes. CD also manufactured on demand by Amazon.com

ICELAND by Bark Cat Bark (2009)

Paris-based multi-instrumentalist Josh Todd has recorded many records under his solo project Bark Cat Bark, in styles covering neo-classical, folk ambient and post rock. Subsequent to this album, his music seems to have disappeared from the Internet and seems unavailable. This collection has the New Age-style solo piano track Antarctique.

SMALL GROUP PSYCHOSIS by Vostok Lake (2009)

Vostok Lake is the solo work of Auckland, New Zealand musician, writer and political activist Daphne Lawless. The upbeat, electropop songs don’t have any direct Antarctic connection but according to the project’s Web site, “Lake Vostok lies under four miles of ice in Antarctica, heated by underground streams. No one knows whether life exists in it or not. Daphne Lawless adopted this name to reflect the themes of her music - “the cold of the electronics meets the subterranean warmth of the songwriting, and the whole thing is very mysterious.”” Random Static RSM009001005; A previous EP of comedic songs, MAGICAL INTERNET (2008) was issued under the name of Vostok Lake Auxiliary Choir. www.vostoklake.org; www.myspace.com/vostoklake; www.daphnelawless.com

THE STARS OF NEVER SEEN by Crescent Shield (2009)

Los-Angeles-based heavy metal band Crescent Shield’s second CD has the 9-minute, four-part opus magnum The Endurance, which passionately pounds out the story of Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance Expedition to Antarctica. Sample lyrics: Part I: A Third Gathering: “Brave men wanted, For hazardous journey, Low pay, bitter cold, Months of complete darkness, Constant danger, Safe return doubtful, Great recognition in case of success...More seasoned and well prepared, The continent again I dare, To reach the pole again I drive, Let it be the end, This time alive!”…; Part II: To Stab the Sole of the World: “South! We sail with pride, Our keel will slice the ocean’s heart with anger once more, Feel the wind at our backs, and our faces…Already charred with frozen black! We meet once again, My old foe South Atlantic, Spawn of jigsaw ice all around, the cracks closing in, Till there’s no more, Imprisoned in this icy hell!”... Part III: Run on Water: “North! We run to save our lives, The albatross and emperors, Have sung our dire dirge, Warmth will keep our souls alive, We move with haste through jaws of cracked bergs, We haul small boats that carry life, We only have necessities as Bare as our skin, Vile, the hide of ocean’s dead, Flesh of the dogs, A pleasure filled sweet meat!”…Part IV: The Endurance Within: “Two years of death yet all survived, Endurance has to be the key, On painted waters we awake to find, A day of wonders so divine, The Yelcho awaits on the silent sea…the Endurance we have left behind, Endurance we will always find.”

Daniel DeLucie, guitarist and one of the main songwriters for the band, told us his reason for the track in 2010: “I read many adventure stories. Shackleton has become somewhat of a hero of mine. As I was reading book The Endurance, I was inspired to write the music for the song. I passed the book onto my singer (Michael Grant) and he read it and wrote the lyrics to fit in with the music and the story it told. It all just fit together in the end.” Cruz Del Sur Music cruz35; www.crescentshield.com; www.myspace.com/crescentshield

A STORY YET UNTOLD by Soulcaged (2009) (Web site download only)

Soulcaged is a Montreal (Chateauguay), Canada-based progressive metal band, which began in 2004 under the name Dreamcatcher. This album of melodic, orchestral metal rock has the track Antarctica. We asked the band about this song and they said: “The song is written from the perspective of a person who has placed undue importance on his career and/or material needs or social accomplishments. In the end, that kind of man feels like a stranger to himself, and his own inner self looks like a barren place, an Antarctica of sorts. In other terms, the time and effort we invest in the outside world is meaningless if we do not take the time to get to know ourselves, our limits, and find our own purpose. That is the general meaning of the song.” Available from www.cdbaby.com; www.myspace.com/soulcaged

ENDLESS RAIL by Lakme (2009)

This is an Italian-produced CD of contemporary jazz/New Age/world music, all written or co-written by veteran Rome-based keyboard wizard Francesco Gazzara, who has had international recording and performing successes with his band Gazzara. He has able assistance on the CD from musicians on vocals, strings, flutes, percussion and electronics. One of the tracks is Antarctica, an electric piano-based shimmering, upbeat excursion to the Ice. Francesco told us: “The Antarctica track has been inspired by a (never released) documentary on the early expeditions of the 1900s. Lakme is a project mostly dedicated to music libraries and soundtracks, so is often inspired by TV and image work.” Terresommerse CD; www.gazzara.org; www.myspace.com/francescogazzara

MARCY & ZINA - THE ALBUM by Marcy & Zina (2009)

Marcy Heisler, lyricist and Zina Goldrich, composer, are two New York City-based major award-winning artists for both Broadway and off-Broadway productions. In addition to their work together since 1993, Zina has been a Broadway production keyboardist and conductor and Marcy has also written lyrics for many Disney projects. Together they have presented their music at various North American showcases. Their Web site says that with their first joint CD of musical comedy, “these hopeless romantics invite listeners to join them on their search for love from Antarctica to Baltimore, with a big stop smack in the middle of Manhattan.” Antarctica gets recognition from the duo in the track Los Pinguinos, about penguin romance. Sample lyrics: “Way down south in Tierra del Fuego, Near the tip of the Antarctic sea, Lived some penguins – in Spanish, pinguinos, And they’d frolic in the snow happily. But one penguin was not like the others, she was terribly, terribly shy. While the others would spoon, she’d just look at the moon And watch penguin parades pass her by…But one day, as she lay, Staring up at stars above, Another penguin looked her way, and fell in love…When I looked in your eyes of yellow, How my wildest dreams unfurled, And now that I’ve got ‘em, I’m here at the bottom, But sitting on top of the world!...” Marcy told us about the track in 2010: “It’s basically just a funny love story. I have a friend who’s father gives Antarctica cruises every year and I guess that inspired me a bit. One never knows exactly where these ideas come from!” Yellow Sound Label YSL 566493; www.marcyandzina.com

VIDEO GAMES & POPSICLE STICKS by 28-200 (2009)

Denver-based Mister L and Aimee are the members of this alternate punkish rock duo. Their first full CD has the ecological-minded track Antarctica, which prompt humans to make more responsible decisions in their daily activities. www.28-200.com

ANTARCTIC by Antarctic (2009)

Antarctic is a Jacksonville, Florida-based group. Its first CD, with a picture of pancake ice on the cover, is a collection of guitar-led melodic, progressive hard rock instrumentals. Despite the group name, there aren’t any tracks on the disc named after The Ice, so we asked Chris Jackson, guitarist, about the band name. If truth is better than fiction, he replied with a reason better than any imaginable: “Well, I used to work at a health food store in Jacksonville called Native Sun. One night I was doing the dishes in the backroom (this is when we were first forming as a band) and I looked at the dishwater in the sink and it made me think of the icy waters of the Antarctic. I thought to my self…that would be an interesting band name. So then we decided on the name, Antarctic. Not a terribly interesting story, unfortunately, but it’s how I thought of the name.” Hello Sir Records SIR 022; www.myspace.com/antarcticsounds

ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD by Mr. I, Gary Q & the Rainbow Singers (2009)

British Columbia, Canada-based teacher and musician-entertainer Mr I (Yurgen Ilaender) has produced many CDs about geography and science for kids and has worked in Montessori pre-schools for many years. His current CD has the bouncy track, with children’s chorus, Antarctic Territories, which impressively touches on the politics, history, geography and wildlife in just over 3 minutes. Lyrics: “Does anyone own Antarctica? No, they don’t. Does any one country own Antarctica? No, no, they don’t. But if you look you will see many territories, and a territorial claim or two. From Mt. Erebus, to the Southern Sea, Seven sovereign states have made claims on eight territories. Do people live in Antarctica? Yes, they do. Do scientists work in Antarctica? Yes, yes, there are a few. From all over the world, Many different nations have built a research station or two. Did Robert Scott, in 1912, Have a sense of the importance of the ice shelves? Did Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian man, Have a sense of discovery, as he travelled across this icy land? Six months of winter, six months of summer, Six months of winter, six months of summer. Do fish live in Antarctica? Yes, they do. Ice fish live in Antarctica. And they’re super cool. They have anti-freeze so they won’t ever sneeze. And the ice doesn’t form and their blood doesn’t freeze. It’s the highest, driest, coldest, windiest continent on earth. Ninety-eight per cent is covered with ice - Antarctica! - Brrr, I’m cold. I’m hungry. You’re hungry? What do you want to eat? Let’s get an ice cream. Oh, my goodness, I’m freezing!” Facts & Fun AC-1; www.childmusicmri.com (See also ANTARCTICA REVISITED by Mr. I, Gary Huntbatch and Anise Abdulla (2002) in the preceding “all or significantly Antarctic” commentary.)

FROM THE ROYAL ARCADE by Rego (2009)

Rebecca Rego is a Chicago, Illinois-based singer-composer who leads her own performing band. Her first full CD of folk rock has the track South Pole. Sample lyrics: “I missed my life at the South Pole, Clean snow and a hundred below, You’ll never know that you were the last one alive.” Rebecca told us her inspiration for the track: “About two years ago I heard a story on Weekend America. People were sharing their favorite songs and a man was talking about how he loved the song Heart of a Saturday Night by Tom Waits. He was saying how he used to listen to it when he was living in the South Pole in a science research community. He talked about it and how much he loved it there, and how amazing it was to realize that when he went outside he was stepping on earth that no humans had ever stepped on before. Unfortunately he started to get seizures while there and had to be evacuated out. Even now he can’t go back because of his medical condition. He lives in St. Paul now. I ended up contacting him on Facebook. He’s very nice.” RWIM 001; www.rebeccarego.com; www.myspace.com/regorego

THE DEVIL’S HANDBOOK by Metro Manila Aide (2009)

MMA is a Liverpool, U.K.-based band whose debut release is a massive 4-CD set that covers ballads to hard and metal rock. Together since 2002, the group spent four years in the production of the CDs. Included is the track Deception Island, as well as a small map reproduction of the island in the CD package’s cover wrapping sheet. The song is a quiet one and has the perfect description of the surface rock colours that are visible when passing through the entrance of Neptune’s Bellows to the inside harbour. Lyrics: “A camera pans across the ocean, Midnight blue to grenadine green, Burning bushes billow, Blankets of grey-brown. This could be bloody hell or the holiest heaven. Not a woman or child will be left. Not a woman or a child will be forced to suffer.” Paul McBride, vocalist and guitarist, told us in 2009: “When we wrote this song I had no idea Deception Island was a real place. It was just the name I had in my head for this island I could see vividly in my mind and the narrative that accompanies it...I found the map by chance, doing my Googles. We would love to visit there ourselves one day and maybe have a gig?? Here’s dreaming!!!” www.metromanilaaide.co.uk; www.myspace.com/metromanilaaide

STINK BAIT by Rube Waddell (2009)

The San Francisco, U.S.-based quartet has taken on the name of one of the most dominant and eccentric pitchers in Major League Baseball in the early 1900s and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The group combines Americana music, blues, Vaudeville, ethnic, folk and whatever else the cat dragged in, played on traditional and homemade instruments, with performances in clubs and on the streets. According to their Web site, “When we walk through the forests, the birds around us become incontinent with fear.” The current CD was originally recorded in 1998 and was re-released in 2009 “with extra sauce”. It has the track Mawson’s Will, which tells the famous story of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson’s harrowing escape from near death after a crevasse accident that resulted in the deaths of his two sledging companions, Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz. All were members of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-14. Freddi (Mahatma Boom Boom) Price, the group’s vocalist, guitarist, trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, told us in 2009: “Have you read the story of Mawson? If so, I can hardly give a better reason for wanting to tell the tale. It’s the very picture of despair and perseverance. What nobler topics to sing about are there? Sure, we could have sung about the glory of Scott and Shackleton or the success of Amundsen, but everyone knows those tales. We are more into the doomed voyages of the dismal and forgotten.” www.rubewaddell.org; www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomrubewaddell

OLD & NEW - Vol. 2 by Atopica (2009)

Atopica is the solo project of Finland-based Tomi Antikainen, who has produced many CDs of various types of music over 10 years. This CD is a compilation of his music composed over 1999-2009 and contains the track Antarctic Dream, a percussive synthpop instrumental tune that Tomi told us “was composed in autumn 2008 and I got inspiration from the movie Eight Below”. This was a 2006 American movie, updated from the original 1983 Japanese movie Antarctica, about a team of sled dogs that was stranded on the continent over a winter season. www.atopicamusic.net; www.myspace.com/atopica

PULSES ARE PLUSES by Jacob Vanags (2009)

Vanags is a young New York City-based piano rocker, currently studying at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y. His second EP, as part of a trio beefed up by horns and strings, has the wistful piano-based track Antarctica. Sample lyrics: “I head as far south as I can surely go, leave behind me all that I know, know, know. I stop when up is the only way to look back, to the place from which I just came. I shout, I shout out, nothing will hear the sound, it is swallowed by silence, it rings so loud…I beg, I plead please isolate me now, from the fury that pins all of us down but when the winds sweep and the glaciers break, that’s when I realize I need to see your face.” Jacob told us: “ Antarctica was the product of being alone in a room with a piano with the lights off…you might be able to tell? I am extremely proud of this song mostly because it was something I couldn’t explain to my bandmates before we recorded it. I explained how I would get string players to play the bulk of the sound and incorporate a choir at the end to bring it to a new level. They played along, and I think they now understand what I meant. I got the idea of writing about Antarctica after watching that amazing show called “Planet Earth.” It is somewhere I’m dying to go…a place to seclude you from your worries and the world’s worries. It’s an epic landscape with very little human interference. Imagine a cloudless night on the bottom of the world with the whole universe laid out above you. But the main point is that although it can open your eyes and free you from your stresses, it means nothing unless it’s shared with someone else.” In an interview with enochmagazine.com he said: “I’d have to say my favorite line is tucked within “Antarctica.” Right before the chorus I say, “I stand upright and upside down / at the same time to shake my thoughts out.” The whole song is about going to Antarctica to escape the troubles of one’s life and the troubles of the world itself…it’s about erasing stresses and hate and finding clarity on one of the most desolate places on Earth…Antarctica. So if you think of Antarctica as being the “bottom of the world” you would be standing “upside down” per se and also upright at the same time. All the thoughts that need clearing out filter “down” through the top of your head as if you were “standing upside down”. www.myspace.com/jacobvanags; www.myspace.com/jvnewyork

TERROR by Valutan (2009) (Web site download only)

Valutan is a Malmö, Sweden-based electronica/vocal duo consisting of J. Woulf and C. Manhattan. It’s murky, dark pulsing 40-minute EP has the tracks Terror, Mt. Terror, Erebus, Mt. Erebus. When asked about the Antarctic references in the titles, the group told us: “Well, it is Antarctica related in the sense that Erebus is used as a metaphor. Both the god, but also the ship and the mountain.” www.myspace.com/valutan; www.pitch9.com

ON MANITOU ISLAND/IN HOT DOG CITY by John Roeser Avenue (2009) (Web site download only)

John Roeser is a Chicago, Illinois-based musician whose debut record has the track Shackleton. Sample lyrics: “She went down in November, she sank beneath the waves, to the bottom of the sea. Mr. Shackleton, yes you, you knew your men and you led them through, now you’ve nothing left to prove. Thirty days on the icefloe, we didn’t lose a man, but we had to eat the dogs. One hundred days, Elephant Island, thought it was the end, but a miracle instead.” John told us: “I’ve always been a fan of the Shackleton story, and there was a great exhibit at the Field Museum here in Chicago a few years back. There was a period when I was into writing “history” songs, and I thought Shackleton would make for a good topic.” www.myspace.com /johnroeseravenue

WISTFUL WONDERS by So Shush (2009) (Web site download only)

So Shush is a veteran indie duo from Manchester, U.K. (Carole Smart and Ian Drumm), with strong melodies and instruments against ethereal vocals. Included on their album is the track Antarctica, their comment on the precarious state of the continent. Sample lyrics: “Ice crystals are falling, in shards of blue and grey, Lookin’ through my window, far across the bay, A pristine desert, untouched by human waste, A place for consecration, a place so far away, Ooh, it’s just begun, ooh, it’s just begun…The ice is really melting, life has gone away…Ice crystals melting, there’s nothing left to say…” The group told us: “With regards to the song - for us, our music and instrumentation seemed to evoke images of somewhere icy and pristine - Antarctica. Given the times we’re in, the song inevitably pays lip service to melting ice sheets, threats to ecosystems and the continent’s huge potential for damaging mineral and oil exploitation, even though it’s currently protected by Treaty. Hope this doesn’t sound pretentious.” Available from various Internet sites including iTunes. CD also manufactured on demand by Amazon.com. www.myspace.com/soshush

RUNNING OUT OF MINUTES by Dan Levy (2009) (Web site download only)

Based in Los Angeles, U.S.A, Dan Levy is an up and coming comedian who has performed at clubs and college campuses, mainstream comedy festivals and on TV. His first and live comedy album has the short track Shackleton, a hilarious rip about the stiff upper lips of the old explorers. Dan told us “I thought of the joke after taking a documentary course in college. One of the films we studied was one about Shackleton.” Our transcription of the track: “Crazy guy I learned about recently is Shackleton. You guys know who Shackleton was? He was, like, the first explorer ever to go to Antarctica. He got stuck in the ice and he survived. And he kept a journal and they read the journal on the Discovery Channel and I was listening, you know, and he was, like, “DAY 1, we are stuck on the ice, but WE WILL SURVIVE!” And I was thinking, that’s like, awesome, you know, cause if I was on that boat, like, I’d have a totally different journal, it would be, like, “DAY 1, screw that s..t, I’m freezing my b..ls off!” But he kept them going, you know, and made them hunt penguins to survive, which is so not fair because penguins are, like, cute and little and wobble, you know, is that really hard to hunt penguins?” www.danlevyshow.com

BIRD WINGS IN THE BLEAK by Libbie Linton (2009)

Libbie Linton is a folk singer/songwriter/guitarist and student at Utah State University, Utah. Her debut full record, following a 7-song home recorded disc called The Shackleton EP (2006), has the full band version of the mysteriously worded track Shackleton, I’m Solid , which was also featured on the EP in an acoustic version. Linton has been reported in media interviews as saying the track is not directly related to polar explorer Ernest Shackleton but has not revealed the reason for the title or the meaning of the ambiguous lyrics, which are left open for interpretation. The CD front and back covers bleak black and white images of Shackleton’s ice-stranded ship Endurance. Sample opening lyrics: “Shackleton, I’m solid only bored out of my skull and these two big wandering eyes they lie I’ve no one here at all make me out to be the one I wanted to be strong and sturdy for you not what you’ll never need.” MV-001; www.libbielinton.com

SOMERSAULT SEASON by Laura Freeman (2009)

Freeman is a Texas, U.S.A.-based singer/songwriter/performer. One of her specialties is the creation of children’s music and educational programs to involve their imaginations, for which she has won awards. Her current CD includes Antarctica, a mandolin-driven continental European-sounding song that has the harsh climate and dressing requirements down pat. You can almost imagine Tevye from the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof now singing this song as Tevye of the Antarctic in the Antarctic version of Fiddler on the Ice. Sample lyrics: “Today we are going to the bottommost part of the globe that we live on, way down south below Australia, to the South Pole, in Antarctica. So put on your warmest pants and your thickest socks and pull your hats down over your ears. Grab a scarf around your neck, put on a big parka and zip it up and put on some mukluks. Are you ready? Let’s all go to Antarctica, to Antarctica, to Antarctica. It’s very cold in Antarctica, oh I hope that we don’t freeze. Let’s look for penguins in Antarctica, in Antarctica, in Antarctica. I hear there’s penguins all around down in Antarctica. Oh, I hope that we don’t freeze. Because it’s cold, so cold, so cold, so very cold. It’s cold, so cold, oh I hope that we don’t freeze.” www.laurafreemanmusic.com.

BABY EINSTEIN WORLD MUSIC (2009)

The Baby Einstein Company specializes in developmental media and products for very young children and the CD cover bids us to “Bring the joy of music from around the world to your child.” This double-disc CD of musical themes from around the world, based on regional folk or classical tunes, includes the instrumental track Bonnie (references melody My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean) – An Antarctic Soundtrack, arranged by Bill Weisbach. It’s an interesting idea to use this old traditional Scottish folk song, believed to originate from Bonnie Prince Charlie’s era of the mid 1700s and lately repopularized by Tony Sheridan and the Beatles in 1962, as a representation of Antarctica. While the tune is barely recognizable in the 2-minute synthesizer track, it’s nevertheless a spooky, haunting and warmly appealing visit, complete with the background seal and whale sounds. Walt Disney Records D000358002; www.babyeinstein.com

YOU ARE THE SKY, AND I’M JUST THE PILOT by Ports of Aidia (2009)

Michigan’s hard rocking quintet ranges in style from pop to metal. Included on their CD is The Sky // Antarctica, apparently about a deep freeze being what it will take to save the world. Lyrics: “Open your eyes, Look behind the film, I can feel you through the wind, I can see you in the wind, I can see you in the wind, This cold winter air is freezing my bones and coating my lungs with a thin layer of hope, Hope to make it through the night, The sky will start its rebellion against all mankind, A planet frozen in time to cleanse us of all our sins, There must be a way out of this world. And if I don’t make it home tonight, You’ll find me under a city of ice, Buried in a tomb of a frozen sea, Now the clouds breathe for me. Bring on the cold fronts, Fix what we’ve done, Bring on the cold fronts, To fix us.” www.myspace.com/portsofaidia

HUMAN ACTIVITY SUITE: Sounding a Response to Climate Change by Brad Shepik (2009)

Shepik is a Brooklyn, U.S.-based jazz guitarist and has augmented his regular trio with two other musicians for this themed work, written for each of the continents. The CD includes the track Stir (Antarctica), a slow, meditative tune underlain by a sustained organ pad. Brad told us, “For the other continents I had very much in mind indigenous musical ideas as well as images and other reflections. For Antarctica, since there is no indigenous music I carried an image of ancient water being slowly but surely released, drip by drip, as in waking from a deep slumber.” According to the CD booklet, “With Stir, I thought about the Antarctic ice being infinitely old – this ancient ice that’s in motion, melting and moving. I see icebergs breaking apart when I hear this piece.”

The booklet further explains: “One of the many unfortunate aspects of the 2008 presidential campaign was a tiresome bout of obscurantism on the root cause of global warming. Hopefully, enough people are aware by this point that the cause is clear: human activity. Halting and reversing the effects of climate change, once the goal of a committed few, is by now a broadly shared concern. People have a way of waking up when scientific consensus shows that the planet’s future hangs in the balance. And the solution lies not just with world leaders and captains of industry, but with ordinary citizens of every nation. To remedy harmful human activity, in other words, we need different, better human activity, and we’re starting to see it happen. Music won’t solve the problem, but as one of our most elevated mechanisms of communication, it can raise awareness and spur us to action. Few seem better suited to this task than Brad Shepik, an American jazz guitarist who has traveled the globe and learned from a wide array of musical cultures. With Human Activity Suite: Sounding a Response to Climate Change, Shepik extends a long tradition of composers, in jazz and beyond, who have brought social consciousness to bear on their art.” Songlines SGL SA1576-2; www.bradshepik.com; www.myspace.com/bradshepik

THE YEAR OF THE ALIEN SOLDIER by Jon Sorensen (2009)

Scottish-born and U.K.-based Jon Sorensen has had a long career working on visual effects in major films (including Alien, The Empire Strikes Back, Superman 2, Time Bandits, Excalibur, Dragonslayer, Outland, The Watcher in the Woods and Moonraker) as well as directing commercials. He produced, directed and wrote his own independent science fiction debut film, Alien Blood, in 1999. Further work in sound design developed into music composition and in recent years he has completed 14 albums of atmospheric original music, which have been used in films and commercials internationally. His current CD includes the track Arrival in Antarctica, a multi-faceted otherworldly electronica instrumental. Jon told us in 2009 that “After many years of vivid colour dreams about Antarctica, I visited the continent in 2007. I flew to the Patriot Hills landing strip and the cross-wind landing was very dangerous and set my imagination going! The sheer drama and wonder of Antarctica! (I’m a great believer in following one’s dreams as a sign). The place has a cosmic sense of wonder and fascination. I used the diaries of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Mind Over Matter, as a motivator when making my movie Alien Blood whenever I felt like giving up. He is a fascinating explorer and many good philosophies come out of his life and connections with Antarctica. When I was there, I shot some footage for my “ambient feature film” Seeker, which we may finish one day! Another short Antarctic piece of mine, On God’s Eye incorporates sounds of field recordings made when I was there. It wasn’t all peaceful and calm! It hasn’t appeared on any album as yet, but will appear on the Seeker movie soundtrack. It was composed as a companion piece for Arrival in Antarctica.” www.jonsorensen.co.uk;

KLANG by the Rakes (2009)

The Rakes are a British post punk indie rock band, formed in 2004 and have earned touring and recording success. Their third CD has the track Shackleton, which according to the band’s interviews, is about endurance. The song is about escapism and dissatisfaction with regular life and seems to express the essence of an explorer’s soul (“We’re all pawns in someone else’s business”) and “Dear God!! I will drink and I will smoke like no man before me has or ever will…I’m gonna run nude in Spain for the bulls, bounce the earth like a basketball for the animals, like Shackleton before me.” V2 Records International VVR701574; www.therakes.co.uk

VISIONS OF MODERN LIFE by Interface (2009)

The fourth CD from New York-based programmer/produce/vocalist Eric Eldredge’s electronic/techno music project includes the short 1½-minute track Antarctica. It’s a chilling, alien soundscape unlike the other beat-heavy tracks on the disc. Eric told us, “I created the wind sweep effects and the echoing noises as an interlude piece, and thought the name fit it rather well. It sort of reminded me of a windy, snowy, barren place.” Nilaihah records nr038; www.interfacemusic.net

KAP FARVÄL by Stiko Per Larsson (2009)

This Swedish disc of very melodic rock contains the track Antarctica, an ode to the coldness and isolation of lost love. Our very rough translation of the Swedish lyrics: “Through tunnels you can follow my tracks, I mix the ice with my last frozen tears, I claim this land as mine for my sorrow, victory and all the blood I have spilt. Through the silence you can sense a roar, it came from the soul which I left a long time ago, I know my plans were for two but here in oblivion there is only one place to be had. If you see me, then I let tears and ice become my castle, a new Poseidon. I stand here as a statue on the world’s floor. My lungs wonder why they are, as frozen air makes breathing so difficult. I swear at the stubborn flight, that my body never will find something safe. My fingers have not forgotten where they are going to live. Although the hand is a clumsy ice cold claw, I demand that my life will become a poem about how a man can win without any tricks.” Marley Produktion AB MACD941; www.stikoperlarsson.se

MOLECULAR HEINOSITY by Derek Sherinian (2009)

California-based Sherinian is a 20-year music veteran and keyboard ace who has toured and worked with acts such as Alice Cooper, Kiss, Dream Theater, Billy Idol and Buddy Miles. His latest solo CD is a forceful instrumental album, which includes the track Antarctica, which is part of a trilogy. According to Sherinian’s liner notes, “This pompous epic had to be worthy of a title grand as a continent, I think that we more than hit the mark with Antarctica.” InsideOut SPV 28142 CD; www.dereksherinian.com; www.myspace.com/dereksherinian2008

THE NAME OF SOMEONE by the Hafler Trio (2009)

This double CD is a Dutch reissue of British ambient sound recordings originally released in 1986/1988 and 1995/1996. The Hafler Trio was formed in the early 1980s as a duo with the U.K.-based Andrew Mackenzie and Christopher Watson (a co-founder of the Cabaret Voltaire group). It later became a Mackenzie solo project and in collaboration with other musicians over the years, he has produced many avant-garde recordings of ambient, conceptual sound art. One of the present CDs includes the 28-minute, 2-part track From (Antarctica) Brahma, (which was issued in 1995-1996 as a CD and book) and consists of mysterious drones and pingings. No information given with the CD as to the background of the tracks. However, we make reference to the 1999 Brazilian beer war/merger when one leading brewer, Brahma, acquired the other, Antarctica, with its popular brand of the same name. Korm Plastics paragraph 0.3, subsection 111 and paragraph 0.7, subsection 111; www.kormplastics.nl; (See also AMAZONICA by Bobby Brazil (2004) in this commentary section.)

ANTARCTICA by Maarten de Jong (2009) (Vinyl LP only)

De Jong is a Dutch electronica trance music producer, DJ and radio broadcaster. This record has three different mix versions of Antarctica, each track pounding and dancing its way to the core of the continent. Maarten told us that “I was watching a TV series about Antarctica on Discovery about ice melting and stuff…I was impressed and was still searching for a new title, that’s why I used Antarctica as the title for my song.” Oxygen Recordings OX039; www.myspace.com/djmaartendejong

ANTARCTIC BLUE WHALES by Oliva (2009) (Web site download only)

This is a collection of synthesizer-based instrumental New Age Music with whale and water themes that includes the 7-minute track gurgling but serene Antarctic Nights. Available from several Internet sites, including iTunes.

FIELD GUIDE TO THE WILDS by His Orchestra (2009) (Web site download only)

The Los Angeles, California-based multi-instrumental group, formed in 2006, has a tongue-in-cheek, joyful pop sound and a few of the members even act in mainstream TV shows. Their first recording has the track Antarctica, about a girl who “was the story I read to the people in bed, Who needed fantasy to sleep through the night, She was the feeling and joy of every girl and boy, when the end of school year arrived. Antarctica, I’ll take you to the South Pole, Antarctica, when you’ve got no place to go, Antarctica, I’ll take you to the South Pole, Antarctica.” Beware - this is one of the catchiest of Antarctic choruses, will take hold of you and not let you go. Available from several Internet sites, including iTunes. www.myspace.com/hisorchestramusic; www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYJASuDqtSk has a video of the song.

TRAPPED IN THE ICY SOUTH POLE by Sam Jones (2009) (Web site download only)

Sam Jones has written many children’s songs for SongsForTeaching.com, a major online source for educational music, lyrics, sound clips and teaching suggestions. One of his songs is Trapped in the Icy South, a waltz about Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance Expedition to Antarctica. Sample verse: “A ship that was called the Endurance, Was trapped in the snow and the ice, That hulk of a ship was left by its men, Just lying upon its side. Oh, Just lying upon its side. The horizon was barren as it could be, As far as the eye could see. But harnessed like horses the men pulled boats, With supplies and some rations to eat. Oh, with supplies and some rations to eat.” In 2009 Sam told us: “I am a teacher in California and I began writing songs to go with the stories that we read in second grade. God has blessed that, so I went ahead and wrote songs for the first and third grade stories as well. One of those third grade stories was about Ernest Shackleton’s trip through the South Pole - fascinating!!! That is the reason why I wrote that song.” www.songsforteaching.com

THE TROPIC RAT by Poison the Well (2009)

West Palm Beach/Miami’s Poison the Well is a hardcore rock band with six CDs since 1998. Their latest includes the track Antarctica Inside Me, about a constantly moving ballerina, dancing circles around the singer’s head, apparently leaving him very nervous and unsatisfied. “I sit under rain gathering the courage to do what my mind tells me? But I’ll just lay around. I’ve become a joke, a disrespectful being.” Come on guys, is Antarctica really like that? www.myspace.com/poisonthewell

NEW ZEALAND LANDSCAPES – Northland to Antarctica by Rhian Sheehan (2008)

The coffee table book of the same name, by Grant Sheehan, contains a collection of outstanding landscape and nature photos of New Zealand as well as its subantarctic islands and the McMurdo Sound/Ross Sea area of Antarctica. His son, Wellington-based Rhian, is an award-winning producer/composer/electronic musician who has written for U.K. television programs, a planetarium documentary and TV dramas. Rhian’s accompanying music CD for this book has eight tracks of beautiful, rich ambient instrumental music. The last track, the 3-minute Scene 8, backed with blowing winds, conveys the sense of solitude and bleakness that may be found on the coasts of Antarctica. Phantom House; www.myspace.com/rhiansheehan; www.rhiansheehan.com

I AM LARGE; I CONTAIN MULTITUDES by Dog Gods (2008)

Little Rock, Arkansas-based Dog Gods’ first CD of folk/roots rock is a masterpiece of restrained multi-instrumental backing and melodic songs with quirky, tongue-in-cheek lyrics. One of these is the track Antarctica, about unrequited love. Sample lyrics: “…Why all this pain? It’s just another heartbreak, another cut, I should jump that train, And head down to Antarctica. Watch the ice grow, And learn that lonely song of the whales, Sleep out in the snow, ‘til every last nerve ending fails. Down in Antarctica, I won’t even think of her, I won’t even waste my time, I’ll think of Shackleton, Wonder how he might have done, If he’d had a heart like mine. Down in Antarctica, I won’t ever speak of her, I won’t even waste my breath, I’ll sing the penguin blues, Hide from the tourist cruise, And hold out for a long, slow death.”

Marck Beggs, the group’s singer/songwriter and guitarist, told us about the origin of the song in 2011: “Well, the idea planted itself when I committed a portion of my Advanced Composition course (I am an English professor in Arkansas) to Antarctic literature, where we read Gretchen Legler’s On the Ice: An Intimate Portrait of Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, along with Shackleton’s memoirs and other books. A lot of my own poetry has to do with solitude and such, so Antarctica is a dreamland for me. Anyway, the theme of Legler’s book was that many of the workers and artists who retreat to McMurdo do so, partially at least, as the result of something so distinctly nonscientific as a broken heart: they are running away from emotions. As the son of an Air Force pilot, who grew up moving every couple of years, the concept of geographical change as therapy makes perfect sense to me. I was going through a terrible break-up of my own when I was writing the song. And I still want to visit Antarctica.” www.myspace.com/doggods; www.marckbeggs.com

DESERTI DELL’ANIMA (DESERTS OF THE SOUL) by Aldam Projet (2008)

This is the solo project of Naples, Italy-based Alphonso Aldam, an electronic musician who mixes rock, fusion and electropop. Included on this record of instrumentals is the 4-minute track Antartica, which Alphonso told us in 2011, “was inspired by wide horizons of ice and a wonderful sense of mystery.” www.aldamprojet.netau.net

ABOVE THE CLOUDS by Rolf Jaeger (2008)

Rolf Jaeger is a California-based retired physicist, computer consultant and semi-professional musician who has recorded ten CDs of tranquil synthesizer music for yoga and meditation since 1991. This CD has the 9½-minute Over Antarctica and the spiritually and musically related 5-minute Albatross Dreams. A previous CD, SONIC METAMORPHOSIS (1995) has the 8½-minute track Spring in Antarctica. Rolf explained to us the source of his Antarctic inspiration, in 2011: “I have always been awestruck by the vastness of the uninhabited regions of our planet. Many of those regions are also quite uninhabitable, but that doesn’t take away from their inherent beauty. Antarctica clearly is one of those regions. Although I have never visited (yet?), I was struck by the beauty of the motion picture Antarctica (directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara, 1983), which combines brilliant imagery of Antarctica’s endless icescapes with daunting soundtracks by Vangelis. From the moment I saw this motion picture, I wanted to create similar music with similar landscapes in mind.” www.pacificsound.us

RESERVOIR by Computer vs. Banjo (Web site download only) (2008)

This is a Nashville, Tennessee-based duo of Beau Stapleton and Johnny Mann, who play roots music, mixed with electronica (folktronica). Their current second record consists of remixes and outtakes from their first CD and has the 2-minute melodic banjo-based instrumental track He Was Antarctica. www.computervsbanjo.com; www.myspace.com/computervsbanjo

IN DUST REAL DAZE by Kenny Maloney (2008) (Web site download only)

Kenny Maloney is an Oregon-based musician/vocalist/composer who has made numerous records with eclectic songs. Included on this one is Radio Free Antarctica, a musically quirky but bouncy number with children’s vocal accompaniment, in which penguins use radios, which were lost by the Navy and floated to Antarctica, to broadcast to the world their plea to avoid an ecologic mess. Kenny told us about the track in 2011: “I feel sorry for Antarctic creatures in light of global warming. We all need to share this wonderful planet. Thus the song.” www.kennymaloney.com

DERRAMIDEA – Musica Contra El Cambio Climático (2008)

This is a 4-CD Spanish compilation disc of various Spanish rock groups for Music Against Climate Change. Funds raised from the sale of the record were to go to conservation and CO2 initiatives. Included is the heavy rock/metal track Antártida by the group Elvandar. Santo Grial Records SG/235/CD; AS/3431/2008

59.59 by Sian Alice Group (2008)

The London, U.K.-based group is a trio, aided by other musicians, formed in 2006 and fronted by vocalist Sian Alice Ahern. Its experimental music runs from ambient minimalist piano stylings to heavier percussion and guitar-based light rock, overlain by dreamy vocals. One of the tracks on their debut CD is Larsen B, named after Antarctica’s disappearing Ice Shelf. Rupert Clervaux, co-founder, drummer and pianist told us in 2010: “The lyrics for that song were written shortly after the collapse of the Larsen B Shelf, which I had read a couple of interesting articles about. I wanted to find a seemingly arbitrary title for the song, but one which specifies the more general themes of the lyrics: that the damaging changes we make on a global scale, particularly to the wilderness, are imperceptible and hard to incorporate into our own sense of time. Although this is slightly more ambiguous than a straight ecological, anti-global warming message, Larsen B’s collapse seemed a perfect singular example of what the track attempts to imply.”

MAJESTIC-12: A HIDDEN PRESENCE by Space Mirrors (2008)

According to their Web site, “Space Mirrors are an international psychedelic space metal band consisting of Alisa Coral (Russia) and Michael Blackman (Australia) plus special guests”. Their third CD of progressive metal rock deals with themes of aliens and UFOs and includes the track Neuschwabenland (Flying Disks in Antarctica), a reference to the 1938-39 secret Nazi Antarctic expedition led by Alfred Ritscher, today known largely for the swastika darts dropped from airplanes to claim sovereignty.

Sample lyrics: “Secret fleet of submarines, Has left the haven, They headed South, To the frozen land, To build new Heaven. With their insane tests, And freak inventions, They tried to rule the World, They made a contact with the forces, They didn’t understand. They rode the seas, They rode the skies, They met their death, In the sands of time. They’re in command, In this frozen land, They’re in command, In Neuschwabenland, Neuschwabenland, Neuschwabenland). With silent approval from, the politicians of the World, They could live on and on, And end their days peacefully, In this frozen mould…But they’ll never return, From this land of ice, Forever forgotten, for their crimes.”

To explain the track, Alisa Coral, the band’s multi-instrumentalist told us in 2010: “Antarctica was always something mysterious and while working on the concept for the album, I came with these stories about the German Nazi base founded in Antarctica as a refuge for them at the late part of the WWII. There was a rumour that a fleet of German submarines went over there and also all their latest technologies were taken with them. Such as Flying Disks. Later there was a strange American military expedition to Antarctica which mysteriously failed. And some sources claim that they saw Flying Disks over there. They could be what other people call UFOs. I also have another project, Psi Corps, whose first album is based on Poe’s novel about a trip to Antarctica.” Sleaszy Rider Records SR-0082; www.spacemirrors.com; www.myspace.com/spacemirrors; www.myspace.com/psicorpstekelili; (See also TEKELI-LI by Psi Corps (2009) in the “Non-Classical, all Antarctic or with significant Antarctic content” section.)

OSIRIS by Anaemia (2008)

The Russia/New York-based heavy metal group’s first CD has the track Antarctic Lights but the desolate lyrics don’t shed any illumination on the reason for the polar title. Apocalypse Now!!! Music ANM 08-001; www.myspace.com/theanaemia

WE SHALL INDEED TURN DIZZY THEN… by the Greenland Choir (2008)

The London, U.K.-based Greenland Choir is the duo of Adrian Hill and Davey Edwards on vocals and an assortment of instruments such as glockenspiel, xylophone, recorder and music box, augmented by various associates on vocals and instruments. Their first recording is an EP of light flavoured indie pastoral pop-rock. One of the tracks is Mount Erebus, which is also pictured in a drawing of a whale and icebergs on the front cover. The dreamy track does not seem to be too Antarctic but does say, “Let’s surround all the seas in the world. Let’s go to the South Pole.” Asyet 004; www.myspace.com/thegreenlandchoir

SELF TAUGHT MAGIC FROM A BOOK by Je Suis Animal (2008)

This is a quartet from Oslo, Norway with two female Norwegian vocalists and two males from Britain. Two of them met in art school in the U.K. and have been based in Norway since 2004. Their CD of dreamy, light pop-rock has the track Amundsen, a light hearted take on the famous Norwegian polar explorer. Lyrics: “Amundsen collected snowflakes, it was so nice, but I doubt his knowledge, of snow and ice. Who spoils the weather in June? Was it four-leaf clovers that stole his powers? I found Amundsen in the grass, Drinking snowflakes from a glass. Roald Amundsen, Roald…Amundsen collected snowflakes until 1928. They tried to freeze them but it was too late. Snowflakes are fragile, Moments they last, Heat from a finger, Beauty is past. Who scatters snowflakes? Who melts the ice? Who spoils the weather? Who makes it nice? www.myspace.com/jesuisanimal

EARTH SCIENCES by Laura Barrett (2008)

Laura Barrett is a Toronto, Canada-based indie pianist/singer/songwriter who has become known for her solo work as a vocalist who accompanies herself on the kalimba, a thumb piano. Her first solo EP record contains the track Deception Island Optimists Club, which was a finalist for the 2006 ECHO songwriting prize, sponsored by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publisher of Canada. The inside of the CD booklet reproduces a large map, titled Deception Island, New South Shetland, drawn by Lieut. E. N. Kendall in 1829. Kendall was the expedition artist on board the HMS Chanticleer of the British Naval Expedition of 1828-31, under Henry Foster, which mapped the volcanic Deception Island, took pendulum and magnetic observations and charted other parts of the Palmer (Antarctic Peninsula) Coast. The old sealers’ harbour at Deception Island, Port Foster, is named after him. The track itself is hard to fathom since it seems to have no direct Antarctic references. Sample lyrics: “Living in paradise on Earth, No matter, no matter what you do, All of your dreams come true only to be, Replaced. So wish again. The sun is smiling. But always above you the idea raises its head. What would I do if the Earth fell apart? What would I? And we can't find our way out of here. Just sit back and wait for the answer to appear. And you'll say the end is near…” Maybe it does hint at future volcanic eruptions after all. Paper Bag Records paper 031; www.laurabarrett.net; www.myspace.com/laurabarrett

NOT EVEN DUST by Sleepout (2008)

This is the Chicago, Illinois indie rock group’s second CD and was inspired by Graceland Cemetery, which is the resting place of many of Chicago’s founders. Included is the track Ross Sea Party, a title associated with the under-heralded expeditioners who were to lay supplies from the Beardmore Glacier to Ross Island for Shackleton’s Endurance Expeditioners on their return to the Ross Sea from their planned Antarctic crossing over 1914-16. While Shackleton and his group never made it to the continent and became famous for their heroic survival and eventual rescue, the Ross Sea party had its own difficulties in being stranded with limited supplies. They provided their own stories of heroics in completing their supply-laying tasks. The song itself does not touch on this history and we asked Quinn Goodwillie, guitarist, vocalist and lyricist about the title in 2009. He told us: “The inspiration for the title came from a book I was reading when we were writing songs for Not Even Dust. The book was called “The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackelton’s Ross Sea Party” (by Kelly Tyler-Lewis). I really enjoyed the book and the way it depicted the party’s willingness to survive against impossible odds. The desolation they encountered seemed to go hand in hand with some personal feelings I was dealing with while writing the album. I thought the title was fitting and descriptive of the overall mood of the song although the lyrics stray from the original source of inspiration.” Two Thumbs Down Records TTD 028; www.sleepout.net; www.myspace.com/sleepout

IN THE CIY OF DREADFUL NIGHT by Sunday Driver (2008)

Sunday Driver (named after a gene commonly found in mice) is a London/Cambridge, U.K.-based perfoming band whose first CD is an eclectic fusion of influences from Indian raga and tabla music, indie folk and light rock. Fronted by lead singer Chandrika (Chandy) Nath, the band has provided the soundtrack for an award-winning BBC radio show and has appeared on other radio shows and festivals. Chandy is a former physicist who spent four years with the British Antarctic Survey as a glaciologist, including five months in the field in Antarctica studying crevasses. Included on the CD are two of her Antarctic songs, Snow Song and Spindrift. A third song, Trip, while not on the CD, is found on a collection of live performances by various artists, including Sunday Driver, recorded at the Living Room in Cambridge: Living Room…Live, from Hope Street Music (2006), available by download only (see iTunes). Chandy told us about her Antarctic songs in 2009: “I used to be an ice scientist and the motivation for all three songs was from personal experience. I spent five months in Antarctica on a field trip at the turn of the century (1999/2000) and spent about 70 days in a tent on the Rutford Ice Stream. The songs are partly about the Antarctic itself and partly about the emotional impact of being so isolated.” Bakul Bagan Records BBR001; www.myspace.com/sundaydriverinuk

SOLDIERS’ SONGS: The Irish Abroad and Soldiering by Captain Mackey’s Goatskin and Stringband (2008)

Jimmy Crowley and Máirtín de Cógáin, veteran musicians specializing in Irish ballads, were originally from the County of Cork, Ireland and now reside in the U.S.A. Their first CD collaboration as a duo contains songs about the Irish in various wars and endeavours overseas. Included is The Ballad of Tom Crean, written by Cliff Wedgbury, with the catchy chorus: “He ran away to join the Navy when he was about 15, The farmer’s son from Anascaul the brave, the young Tom Crean.” The booklet notes state that “Much has been written about this legendary Kerryman recently as his star seems to rise; and Londoner Cliff Wedgbury, happily exiled in Cork City, has paid him this fine ballad tribute. The great explorers like Shackleton and Scott said they wouldn’t attempt a trip to the Antarctic without Crean whose instincts for survival were prodigious. History has recorded his berth in one of the most daring small-craft voyages of all time in the 23 foot James Caird across the forbidding Weddell Sea to alert the whaling station in South Georgia of their stranded shipmates’ plight.” Freestate Records CRO 009; www.captainmackey.com; www.jimmycrowley.com; (See also THE ANTARCTIC BALLADS by Cliff Wedgbury (2006) in the preceding “Non-Classical, all Antarctic or with significant Antarctic content” section.)

LEFTOVERS by Art Paul Schlosser (2008)

Art Paul Schlosser is a Madison, Wisconsin-based artist and street musician who specializes in novelty songs and parodies, sung in a monotone. With over 30 records in his catalogue, this CD of songs left over from other discs presents a kitchen sink full of oddities and ditties. One of the tracks is It’s Spring Time in Antarctica, based on Art hanging out during spring break in Wisconsin, watching a PBS program about Antarctica and dreaming about spending spring break in Antarctica. Art replied to our question in 2009: “Well, you may wonder what inspires me? Well, lots of stuff. TV can sometimes and one winter on PBS they ran two different documentaries, one about a family, some of whom froze to death on the Rocky Mountains looking for a short cut to California. The other was the British trying to make it to the center of Antarctica. But there is more to it than just the two PBS documentaries. Spring Break was quite cold two or three years ago when I was outside playing my guitar in 45 degree weather. Also there is a song in the movie “The Producers” that starts out “It’s Spring Time for Hitler and Germany”. Also another thing that maybe was part of the inspiration of the song, was a long time ago. I read about The Buddy Holly Plane crash and the airplane had faulty equipment. I have often watched documentaries about penguins being in Antarctica. I hope I did a good job on the song. I know it doesn’t get that warm in Antarctica, so I hope my song was written right.” Sample opening lyrics: “It’s spring time in Antarctica, no one’s at the beach, lots of penguins and the penguins are laughing at you, icicles growing on your nose, wish you had a postcard you could send your mother but who would be dumb enough to sell postcards in Antarctica?...Brrrr...brrrr...” If he only knew that postcards are big business at the scientific bases, he would no doubt be down there, greeting the tourists with his guitar and songs as they came off their ships for shore landings. www.myspace.com/artpaulschlosser

TWEAK OF NATURE by Rampant Egos (2008)

Three electronic/ambient music composers and performers from New Mexico and California, U.S. (Dwight Loop, Arnold Bodmer and Justin Parker) collaborated over a few fall days on this CD of experimental, electronic beat-driven world music. Included is the track Antarktika melting, a gurgling alien soundscape dripping with mystery. Justin told us in 2009: “ My memory of that session is that we decided to make a sparse landscape-type piece, and decided to select a place in the world to focus our thoughts on as we made it. I suggested Antarctica partly because of my fondness for the Vaughn Williams symphony (7th). It was originally a 10-minute or so piece, completely improvised, and Arnold and I later selected the most dramatic segment of it. I suggested calling it Antarctica melting , since I don’t know what an ice shelf collapsing sounds like, but whatever we’re doing sounds fairly ominous and awesome; it’s not really a political comment, just going along with the principle that what I create reflects my world as it is today. Arnold did the final layout and I don’t know why he chose to spell it with k’s. I wouldn’t have, as misspellings without clear intent kind of annoy me.” Justin further explained: “I wrote around 1983-4 a song called Antarctic National Anthem, which I finally recorded with a friend in New Jersey in 2003 (I wrote the lyrics; Peter McClard wrote the music). It’s never been released. I kind of like it, it’s a sort of symphonic-rock thing, with lyrics that more or less re-imagine a classic Jungian hero’s journey, with a penguin guide thrown in.” Justin provided us a copy of the piece, written in an anthemic progressive rock style that would do justice to any theatrical presentation and deserves a wider audience. Opening lyrics: “Hail Antarctica! Your darkest nights are bright, Hail, we carry forth your light. We hereby pledge allegiance to your flag of perfect white. Hail, Our welfare lies with thee, Hail, Stand firm on frozen sea, Our compass points unerring towards your land of liberty.” Last verses: “Hail, breathless on your shores, Hail, Open wide your doors, For your sparkling mountains’ majesties, We steer our hopeful course. “Hail, They slice you up like pie, Hail, You teach us how to die, Stark, inaccessible and dark, As in our dreams you lie.” www.thirdear.org

I WOKE WITH PLANETS IN MY FACE by Peter Adams (2008)

Cincinnati-based Adams’ second CD is a magnum opus of lush multi-instrumented folk/pop which, according to the record booklet, was inspired by “things growing, various celestial bodies, continental drift, evolution and the confounding wonder of the end.” One of the songs on the CD is Antarctica, a mini epic, which tells the tale of its transformation from tropical to polar through continental drift, from the point of view of the continent itself. Adams’ substantial notes on his Web site explain the track:

“Antarctica used to be green and warm. Now it’s icy and cold. An unfortunate player in the lottery of continental drift who came up short. It was a long, slow, gradual descent into the southern polar region for Antarctica, and she deserves a nice long song for her journey. Yes, I said “she,” as it’s my right as a songwriter to assign gender to landmasses when it suits my needs. So consider it a favor that now you know Antarctica’s a she.”

Lyrics: “I can recall the waves on the shore, that battered the beach with water and more, Full in the air and deep in the ground, I was not alone for miles around. Eyes in the greenest jungles of mine, would wander around the vines, And in the plains the wind and the rain with seasons would come and go. Oh, and how my gardens grew, How they would twist all through the air! But gone is the fire that warmed me at night, that kept me alive and kept me bright. I’ve drifted far from the colors above, the faces of friends and the ones that I loved. I cry for the mountains, sing for the shore, and sway for my lost allure. The cold and the darkness have swallowed me up, and famished my love for this life. So I moan in this desolate home and sing my sacred songs again. Let the grinding stones come feast on my bones, I’ll cry for more!”

“The first line is a reference to a common way by which organisms reach new shores – namely, by floating there on driftwood or some other kind of makeshift vessel. Of course, this isn’t entirely accurate for a good portion of Antarctica’s history when she was still connected to the other continents in the form of Gondwana, but there must have been a time when, during her southward voyage, new life was arriving on her shores even as her polar fate had been sealed. The two preceding verses might exist as a dialog; you can imagine her talking to some visitor (maybe a penguin?) and telling them about her past. But the chorus – and I think it is the “and how” phrase – seems to me to be completely inward pointing. I can imagine an old lady (think Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard) giving an interview to a young disinterested reporter:

REPORTER: So, Antarctica, tell me what it was like to be part of Gondwana.

ANTARCTICA (Happily): Oh, it was simply grand! I remember little friends arriving on my shore every year, scurrying around in my forests, the magnificent thunderstorms that-

REPORTER (Interrupting): Yes, yes, I see. And your forests...do you mean to tell me you used to have forests, like on the other continents?

The reporter gives Antarctica a look of condescending disbelief. He thinks she is delusional.

Antarctica stops smiling. She slowly lowers her head and gazes at her glass of gin. Her eyes close and her lips slowly purse, and she sits motionlessly until the reporter begins to think something is wrong. She opens her eyes, still looking downward, and whispers to herself.

ANTARCTICA: Oh, how my gardens grew. How they would twist all through the air. . . .

End scene!

After the more nostalgic passages, Antarctica begins to reflect on her current state. The “colors above” is supposed to refer to the increasingly monochromatic palette overtaking her, as ice and snow appear where there used to be grass and fields and trees….Antarctica is getting a bit angry, and masochistically calls for the further decimation of her landscape by erosion.

The story of life’s evolution on this planet is so overwhelmingly awe-inspiring and epiphanous that I truly feel cheated at not being taught anything about it in school. Artists in my opinion should be more interested than anyone at the story of evolution and science in general, but unfortunately for many, there is a strange barrier between art and science.” subcircle 000-3; www.peteradamsmusic.com; www.myspace.com/peteradamsmusic

PRECIOUS EARTH (2008)

The Solitudes label is a Canadian record line started in 1981 by Dan Gibson, which specializes in nature sounds that are frequently combined with thematic original instrumental music in many styles. It has grown to be an international distributor of its therapeutic and relaxation music. Dan Gibson (d. 2006) was honoured by his country in being named to the Order of Canada in 1994 for his work in creating Canadian public awareness of conservation, wildlife and its natural heritage. According to the disc’s back cover, which has a serene picture of an Emperor penguin with three chicks, “Featuring the wild sounds of endangered species and spaces, this musical portrait hopes to inspire a deeper appreciation of our Precious Earth”. All the music was composed and arranged by Michael Maxwell and played by an eight-piece orchestral group and is based on animal or nature themes and sounds from the world’s major ecological regions. Included is the 8½-minute three-part track Antarctic (Iceberg Break Off / Surf /Emperor Penguin), as relaxing a musical piece as could be imagined for the icy continent. According to the CD booklet, “Despite its reputation as the coldest place on Earth, the Antarctic is home to such marine life as penguins, fur seals, orcas, and even an active volcano (Mount Erebus.) The continent with the highest average elevation, 98 percent of this frozen, primordial desert is covered with mile-thick ice - comprising 90 percent of the Earth’s ice and 70 percent of its fresh water. Although the Antarctic belongs to no country, there’s been worldwide alarm about the ozone hole above it caused by a build-up of CFCs, and about rising sea levels as global warming causes ice shelves to collapse. These concerns led to adoption in 1989 of the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty banning the production of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances; and in a global appeal to halt the causes of global warming.” Solitudes 40968; www.solitudes.com

VOICES OF TRANQUILITY (2008)

A triple-CD collection of interesting and varied sounding instrumental New Age music with relaxation and world regional themes, composed by Stewart and Bradley James. One of the many tracks is Antarctica, a 3-minute droning, sombre piece with background chorale and bells, lightened by a pan flute melody. EMI Gold 50999 5 18785 2 8

ANTARCTIC TRIBE by PAS (2008)

PAS (Post Abortion Stress) is an experimental audio/video collective led by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Robert L. Pepper, who began it as a solo project in 1999. According to the group’s publicity, its name is a “metaphor that defines all of those people aborted from society from one place or another. Some people have different views of how the world works apart from mainstream cultures and more people should realize there is more than one way to accomplish anything. Using this term personally for PAS means how it applies it to music. Music can be any sound that can be heard by the human ear. It doesn’t have to sound like ‘rock’ or ‘pop’”. The present CD, originally released in 2004, contains the title track Antarctic Tribe, a 4-minute incursion into blips and alien sounds that could be underwater or in the cosmos. The rest of the CD is equally filled with what could be called ambient industrial and mechanical sounds. We asked Robert about the reason for the track and he told us: “I have always been intrigued by ancient societies, the Mayans, the Egyptians, and Assyrians. But I have often wondered, when the world was a smaller place and it was one continent, (I believe it was called Pangea), that there may have at one time been some tribes or civilizations that have existed, that we do not know about. Mainly because there are huge chunks of ice covering them in Antarctica. Maybe these places were the original Atlantis or Lemuria. We may never know. I have also read Plato’s Timaeus and Critias, which are supposedly accounts of the ancient city of Atlantis. With these thoughts, I have wondered what was acceptable music to these people, if they did exist. If there were tribes on the continent of Atlantis what sounds did they make to listen to? So I decided to make what I thought could be some tribal sounding compositions from these places. I made half analog and half digital sounds but still kept the raw mixing so the compositions would sound primitive.” www.myspace.com/postabortionstress

ANTARCTICA by Simon Wilkinson (2008) (Web site download only)

Wilkinson is a Brighton, England-based musician and film and TV soundtrack composer. His website includes the demonstration track Antarctica, described therein as “seven and a half minutes of ambient music and soundscape with minimal piano. A chilly trip through Antarctic waters, passing huge glaciers. An atmospheric and visual soundscape, ideal for dramatic underscore for nature documentaries and films or for relaxation, yoga, meditation or ambient music for sleep.” Simon told us in 2009: “A lot of the music I write for film and TV has to be very structured in timing, sometimes down to milliseconds so it can almost approach a mathematical structure at times. I won’t say laborious as I love the challenge, but quite draining in the details nonetheless. So in between projects I often write more free-flowing, impressionistic music just for the pleasure of trying to make the other worlds in my head more tangible. After all, that’s really why I started writing music for visuals in the first place. Antarctica was one of these pieces - I used the BBC footage you can see in the video clip as a springboard to jump-start my inspiration, but continued the track after the visuals had finished. I always think visually when I’m making music anyway, but themes of nature/geography/weather/space, etc. (the usual suspects in ‘atmospheric’ music!) aren’t usually far from my mind. I think it’s helped by living right on the south coast of England - the sea is five minutes from where I live and I often find myself magnetically drawn to the beach. There’s something about vast structures and areas that I find fascinating, whether it’s the seventh continent, Bryce Canyon or Olympus Mons. They tend to quite literally put things in perspective for me. I suppose a shorter answer is, I like to see music and hear visuals (although that sounds a little too New Age-y to me.” www.thebluemak.com

THE LOST AGE by Next Life (2008)

Next Life is an Oslo, Norway-based keyboard and guitar recording and performance duo, started in 1999. Their instrumental music is a heavy sounding blend of computer game music and metal electronica. This CD includes the one-minute ear-assaulting track Antarctic Blade. Fysisk Format FY008; www.electricdungeon.org; www.myspace.com/next_life

FROM THE EARTH – drumming with the Hang by Rolando Morales-Matos (2008)

Rolando-Morales Matos is a distinguished percussionist who is assistant conductor of Disney’s New York The Lion King production on Broadway, as well as being adjunct music professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. His solo instrumental CD presents peaceful, thematic music of the sounds of the earth that he both composed and played. Based on fundamentals of nature such as air, earth, fire, water and ice, it includes the track South Pole. The music is all played on percussion instruments from around the world, highlighted by the Hang Drum, a versatile relative of a steelpan drum, which consists of two tuned resonating shells that are clamped together. RMM Music

GEEK DREAMS by the Primate Fiasco (2008)

Massachusetts-based Primate Fiasco is a Dixieland/pop music band with clarinet, tuba, banjo and other instruments. Their fun-time CD includes a poke at global warming with the track Global Warming. Sample lyrics: “You can blame it on your tail pipe at the end of the world, but I know why it’s getting hot in here. I blame global warming on that girl…I blame global warming on the girl who gave no warning that her smile in the morning would make the sun forget its way. Admitting that they have a crush, the polar caps begin to blush. The ocean stalks her closer every day.”) Another track is titled South Pole and the Pyramids. Sample lyrics: “All I have is the sunrise on the beach. The South Pole and the Pyramids are all within reach. All I have is the history of Rome and the sense to know when I’m home. I got signs to read and a brain to feed and that’s all I need.” Dave DelloRusso, the band’s main composer, guitarist/banjo player and a vocalist has a great interest in the unexplained mysteries of the world. He told us that the cryptic lyrics “have to do with my own crazy theories about the history of humanity, past and future. Those who carry the same knowledge and theories tend to pick up on it.” www.theprimatefiasco.com

UTOPIA DELETED by Trimetrick (2008)

This Antwerp, Belgium-based industrial electronic music duo, consisting of Catherine Jane Robinson and Michael Mampaey, describes itself as a “non-profit freeware audio music project.” Their current CD has the spooky, arpeggiated and propulsive track Antarctica. Lyrics: “Frozen in, I’m left behind, I’m the origin, taken from you. Strapped in the back of your mind, For in here I am, Hiding the truth. Aeons of sleep in the ice, For desiring is, My will seeping through. Fallen I am, For the idle, And I might be, Looking for you. You drew down my borders, Set foot on my shore. You drilled in my layers, Walked up to my core. No place for disorder, Survival and nothing more. No God for your prayers, Too cold for a throne. For history’s waves I am blind, No loss within, My icing so blue.” Michael told us that “I always wanted to make a song about this fascinating continent, so I started to create a sound base with cold, harsh synths and rhythmic layers. The lyrics are written as if it were a person that is given voice. In the booklet of the CD, the lyrics are written on a satellite photo of this huge glacier of Antarctica. I dedicated the song to my grandfather; it was played at his funeral.” Sex Elite Recordings SER001; www.trimetrick.be

THE HOUSE OF ILL REPUTE by Mary Coughlan (2008)

An Irish music veteran with 14 albums, this one is a forceful musical and emotional epic that follows the end of a long personal relationship. With musical styles ranging from music hall to heavier folk/rock, the songs cover the psyche from bitterness to almost a celebration of losing one’s way. Included is the dirge-like track Antarctica, which may be the one of the bleakest personal references in this discography to the coldest of continents. Lyrics: “My heart is in Antarctica, Ice water chills my veins, My disembodied voice calls you, A hundred thousand names. You lying bastard, whoring fraud, you rotten stinking cheat, I thought you were my haven, Now I drown in your deceit. I’m cast adrift to wander, Through the memories of that life, Recalling a game, In which I was your wife. Now I am tossed and battered, By the Katabic wind, And constantly reminded, You’re no more my next of kin. My heart it is Antarctica, So deep beneath the snow, And under miles of crushing white, Where no mortal man can go. Beating once in every year, Sending shock waves through the ice, An occasional reminder, Of my suspended life. And in the still of evening, Of an everlasting day, A parade of icebergs goes on its way. And as I gaze upon them, They retreat into the blue, And paint a pretty picture, I no longer think of you.” Rubyworks RWXCD69; www.marycoughlan.com; www.myspace.com/marycoughlanmusic

CRYOGENIC CLEANSING// FOUR ELABORATIONS OF COLD by Orb of Torture (2008)

The Brussels, Belgium-based death metal band has included the track Antarctic Frequency Catharsis on its debut 4-track extended play CD. Sample heavyweight lyrics hint of uncontrollable gale forces to thoughts of muon particle physics: “Thunderous low-frequency arguing, only to prevent unconscionable deeds, ventilate to prevent, unbearable stress must be released in throe sonancy, how powerful must it be, enough to free stuck souls, enough to touch, antarctic frequency catharsis. transforming sounds into matter, into actual deeds, surrendering feeling catches you and dissects your troubles, crystal clear solution that was always there… now makes sense to you, antarctic frequency catharsis. let the sound waves throb and you may try to sieve, fail you will, you never felt intense powers like these, sandblasting feeling only created with infiltrating frequencies, it will cleanse your soul, sanding the filth, sanding useless…it will cleanse your soul, sanding the filth, sanding useless memories. small movement with an immense force, sent out to clear you from all the stress particles, bound with your karma, sounds reprogram your soul. fluffy small particles, enter they will, decompress your thoughts, distress you, travel through anything, leave nothing unchanged. why would you persist through a heavenly rite such as this? maybe it’s unknown to you, hard to comply with standard thinking, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong, let the sound kiss you. let the sound waves throb and you may try to sieve, fail you will, you never felt intense powers like these antarctic feelings.” We asked Tristan Van Dorsselaer, the band’s guitarist, about the reason for the track. He told us that “the lyrics of that song are about ‘cold’ emotions and the releasing effect they can have on a person. We tried to bring a cold vastness in our music for this CD and the Antarctic theme fitted that quite well.” www.myspace.com/orbof torture

OVERFLOW by Tom Prayne (2008)

Prayne is a Hamburg, Germany-based electronica artist. His CD of instrumentals contains the gurgling, throbbing bass-heavy synthesizer/guitar track Antarctica. www.myspace.com/tomprayne

7 CONTINENTS – Global Jams by Maurice Gainen (2008)

Maurice Gainen is a multi-faceted Los Angeles, U.S.A.-based jazz musician, producer and arranger with his own studio. In particular, he has worked for 12 years as music director, performer and sound engineer with the Hues Corporation, who had a #1 hit in the 1970s and who appear on one of the tracks on this CD. The music here represents a journey to the continents and is played and sung by various musicians from their homelands, in collaboration with Maurice on a variety of flutes and saxophones. The continent of Antarctica is represented by Antarctic Sunrise, a track with Maurice’s tranquil flute melody superimposed over real recorded sounds of penguins, skuas, seals, cracking glaciers and winds. The natural soundscapes were recorded by Douglas Quin, who has spent many seasons in Antarctica. Empyrean EM-754-5; www.mauricegainen.com; (See also ANTARCTICA by Douglas Quin (1998) in the above “Non-Classical, all or significantly Antarctic” commentary.)

KILLING THE PAST by Knockout Theory (2008)

Up and coming New Jersey, U.SA.-based Knockout Theory is an accomplished young punk band with unbounded energy and melodic hooks. Their debut CD includes the track Miss Antarctica. Sample lyrics: “I’m the best of the best but my social life’s a wreck, I got a Ph.D. in cosmetology and I’m about to crack from the stress. I see fifty beauty queens on the screen and I’m really quite perplexed cause I’m throwing up twenty-four-seven and I still don’t look like that…I said, ‘I wanna be, I wanna be Miss Antarctica’...I could want world peace, I wanna be Miss America, sorry, ‘Antarctica’…” We asked Brian Strelko, vocalist/ bassist about the unusual Antarctic references. The gracious punker and social critic told us, “Firstly, I’m sorry if you accidentally purchased our CD for the sole reason that the track might be actually about Antarctica! The motivation for the track’s title stems from how outrageous and degrading beauty pageants like ‘Miss America’ really are, so much that they might as well be named ‘Miss Antarctica’ for their obscurity. Also, I believe the phrase ‘Miss Antarctica’ was used in a commercial from the 90s in which John O’Hurley sings for a penguin walking down a runway.” Antarctica – beauty pageants – runways – sounds like a great Antarctic cultural theme worthy of further field research! www.knockouttheory.com; www.myspace.com/knockouttheory

DAN-O Guitar, Lyrics and Cutups by Dan O’Connor (2008)

Dan O’Connor is a New York City-based singer/songwriter who has performed in the Northeast U.S., following educational degrees in Music and Music Business. His debut CD of various rock & pop songs includes the track Antarctic Moon, a bluesy song about a “voodoo girl cooking soup in a broth of hearts… And her potions came over me like the sea, Under an Antarctic Moon. Yeah that voodoo girl was blind, But she could see right through me every time.” Since Antarctica and voodoo are unusual pairings, we asked Dan about it and he said, “it’s about the stories of ‘voodoo’ death brought on by supernatural powers in New Zealand and how maybe it’s more than coincidence that the tides in the Ross Sea are one of the few places in the world that have no relationship to the Moon and the tide can even vanish.” www.danosongs.com

SECRETS OF THE NEW EXPLORERS by Glen Phillips (2008)

Glen Phillips is a Santa Barbara, California-based veteran musician and a founder, in the late 1980s, of the alternative rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket, which found commercial success with two platinum CDs and movie soundtracks and TV programs that included their songs. Since 1998, Glen has recorded and performed in a solo career as well as in periodic reunions of the band. The present six-track concept EP, inspired by private space travel, includes the cryptic, melodic track The Spirit of Shackleton, which hints at Shackleton as space explorer. We asked Glen about the background for the track and he told us, “I love the story of Shackleton and the Endurance. In my song, the spacecraft is named The Spirit of Shackleton. Unfortunately, my small crew seems to have had a few issues with either manslaughter or murder (I’m not entirely sure, as I wasn’t there and there were no 3rd party accounts of what took place), which is entirely un-Shackleton in its nature, aside from extreme cold and a very remote location.” The lyrics are: “This is no exaggeration, I truly am alone a hundred million clicks and eight long months from home.
But I’m holding to my promise, I’ll land and plant the flag for God and corporation and the greater good of man. There’s no law that can touch me, my sins are mine to keep, I’m a rocket, I’m an island and on my shore she sleeps. I’m not coming back from here, I’ve been too far now, I’m cold but I’m not scared, in the Spirit of Shackleton. Pretty droplets of crimson surround me as they drift, bonding together or bursting into mist, so I open up my mouth to them and offer out my tongue. They are salty and sweet like the memory of love. I’m not coming back from here, I’ve been too far, I’m cold but I’m not scared and I’m unshackled. I’m not coming back from here, I’ve been too far, I’m cold but I’m not scared in the Spirit of Shackleton.” Umami Music; www.glenphillips.com; www.myspace.com/glenphillips

THE NAVY LARK Series Four Volume 2 (2008)

The Navy Lark, the longest running comedy program in British radio history, was a concoction about the antics of the crew of HMS Troutbridge, on the BBC airwaves from March 1959 to July 1977 with 15 series. This box set of six CDs from Dec. 1961 to March 1962 includes the bonus item Calling the Antarctic, recorded on Dec. 4, 1962 and broadcast on Dec. 25 1962. This was a special Christmas Overseas Service Broadcast for their “frozen friends” in the Antarctic, the 85 members of the British Antarctic Survey serving in seven bases along the Antarctic Peninsula. It was heartening news that the British Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Protector was on its way from Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands with 16 turkeys, 45,320 tots (2.5 ounces) of rum, 38,000 cans of beer, 30,000 packets of sweets and 12,000 ice creams, to brighten the lives of the “chaps” on 2 years’ service in a “man’s world” with “no feminine touch”. BBC Audiobooks; www.bbcshop.com; (See also NAVY LARK Volume 18 (2006) and NAVY LARK Series Two Volume 1 (2004) in the following commentary.)

SONGS FOR EXISTENCE by Houston Davis Jones (2008) (Web site download only)

Houston Davis is a West Palm Beach, Florida-based singer/songwriter, sounding at times remarkably like the 1970s-era British folk artist Nick Drake. According to Houston’s myspace.com commentary, “Music is deeply rooted in mathematics. All concepts of harmony, melody and rhythm are represented by ratios and patterns. Mathematics is the language of the universe. No matter what societal language you may speak, a mathematical law will ring true in any country or known part of space. Music is the auditory manifestation of the language of mathematics, and is a powerful communicative device that can convey many different ideas and emotions to individuals of any background. The world is a beautiful, terrifying, and complex place, but when framed inside of a piece of music, reality becomes a little easier to handle.” His debut album contains the track Antarctica/The End of a Great Cycle. Lyrics are: “ I can see no shelter, I can’t see no place to hide from the storm, Shoreline slowly rising, Dry land getting hard to find, There were these clues, Warnings written on the wall for us to find, Left behind by a people time forgot, What did they know? How could they see what we were blind to, with all our research and technology? Now the time’s come to dance in this great ballet, to play our part in this play, the cosmic orchestra is nearing the coda. Let’s pray.”

We asked Houston Davis about the Antarctic theme of the lyrics and he explained: “There are three layers of meaning in the song: Level one is just about global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps. Level two treats many of the lyrics metaphorically in reference to human emotions. The third and primary reason is more complicated... there is a book called Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock, which is about the forgotten knowledge of the Egyptians and South American civilizations such as the Olmecs and Mayans. One of the bodies of evidence used to support the presence of advanced technology in these cultures is a set of maps from the 1500s (including the Turkish Admiral Piri Re’is map) that accurately chart Antarctica and its surrounding waters, despite the fact that Antarctica was not known of until 1773 and unexplored and unmapped until the mid 1800s. The cartographers of these 16^th century maps claim to have merely transcribed the maps from even earlier copies, which were supposedly recovered from the Egyptian libraries from Greeks. Accurate cartography wasn’t developed until well after the rise of western European culture and wasn’t even perfected until around the time of Columbus and the invention of the chronograph. The book suggests that due to these maps’ existence, we can assume that ancient cultures were mathematically savvy and able to achieve things that took our own culture thousands of years to accomplish. Of course the subject is very controversial and like much of history, is hotly debatable and indefinite. I do not necessarily believe that the maps are truly evidence of ancient technology but I do find the subject fascinating. The rest of the book talks about ancient mythology, the Noah flood, sunken cities, etc., and all those silly New Age things. It then proposes that the ancients are attempting to warn us of impending disaster, which they then relate to 2012 and all that. I hope that helped you out, though I can understand if it just obfuscated the song title’s theme even more.” www.houstondavisjones.com

LUNETTES NOIRES POUR NUITS BLANCHES/ ANTARCTICA by Rock City Sixteen (2008) (Vinyl 45 rpm single only)

Rock City Sixteen is a five-member London, U.K.-based indie group (ex Havana Guns), which has been playing together since 2004. The flip side of this 500-issue 45 rpm single is Antarctica, a guitar-driven, edgy pop tune. According to the Internet-based music site, Von Pip Musical Express, “The single’s stark black and white art work is, as with previous releases under the Havana Guns moniker, stylish, cinematic, and cooler than Marlon Brando in an ice cream parlour in Antarctica, discussing the weather with Martin Scorsese in a snow storm” – a description sure to be a strong candidate for ranking highly in any list of classic Antarctic phraseology. Cigarette Music (no record # issued); www.myspace.com/rockcitysixteen

PIANO MANO by the Drill Feat, Firetruck & Antarctica (2008) (Vinyl LP only)

Matt Schwartz is a London-U.K-based composer and producer of dance music who uses various group names, both alone and with collaborators, including Antarctica, a co-project with Mark Gilbert. The swinging piano/synth track on this single-track LP has become an international club favourite. DESTO33DJC1; www.destined-records.com

REINVENTING THE HEARTBEAT by E For Explosion (2008)

Led by California/Kentucky-based Jamison Covington, the group’s CD of strong, big sounding melodic rock has the depressive track Antarctica. Lyrics: “Aren’t we leaving today? Abandoning the world, No more cities, We’ll kill technology, No more boys, No more girls. I’d prefer the snow, You and I, drown in the blue and cold, We’ll fall, So alone, Teach me how to whisper. Aren’t we leaving today? We’re learning to die, Learning to solve everything through beautiful goodbyes. I’d prefer the snow, We’ll fall, So alone, Teach me how to whisper.” Eyeball Records EYE20089; www.myspace.com/eforexplosion

HIDEAWAY by the Weepies (2008)

The Weepies are a Topanga, California-based married duo who have garnered acclaim with their brand of melodic folk-rock/pop tunes, a number of which have appeared on mainstream TV drama programs. Their current third CD includes the wistful song Antarctica. Lyrics: “Left behind everything I knew, All the colors but bone-white and sky-blue, Hit the continent running, Engines were humming just to break through. Antarctica, my only living relative. Antarctica, I can’t wait anymore. Under ice there’s a world moving slow, Carnelian stars and the bars down below, Serve only vodka and gin, I try to stay drunk so nobody knows. And then there’s morning, Each one feels like the first one. Ah morning, so clean, so pure, Nothing so clear, now that I’m here. When I get back to the city, Everything’s cluttered and pretty. I won’t regret my return, I’ll just remember the wind and snow, And the howling so loud, That it alone drowns out the inside of me.” Nettwerk Records 0 6700 30777 2 9; www.theweepies.com

ANTARCTICA by Tactile, Spinline, Munk + Naibu/BREAK by Liveevil (2008) (Vinyl LP only)

The 7-minute drums & bass track Antarctica, a collaboration between a trio from Budapest, Hungary and a Parisian, has some icy chants and floating musical effects. Levitated Recordings LVTD 009; www.myspace.com/spinlinekru; www.levitated.org

FOR OUR PLANET by Kelly Newton-Wordsworth (2007)

Kelly Newton-Wordsworth, is a veteran award-winning Australian singer/songwriter and environmental activist who has also been an international performer for more than a decade, including an appearance at one of the Live Earth concerts in Los Angeles in 2007. She is now based in New York. This CD has the song A Whale for the Killing, a protest song to stop whaling, used by Greenpeace in 1981 for the film The Last Whale, which called on the international community to establish a whale sanctuary in the Antarctic region. Finally in 1994, the International Whaling Commission established the Southern Ocean Whaling Sanctuary to protect the feeding grounds of many species of whales. Commercial whaling is banned in the Antarctic region but Japan continues, very controversially, to hunt minke and fin whales under the guise of permitted research whaling. For nearly thirty years, the American-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has conducted their campaigns to enforce international conservations rules on the high seas, including its now very public annual encounters with the Japanese Antarctic whaling fleet. Newtone Productions CDNT005; www.kellynewtonwordsworth.com; www.myspace.com/kellynewtonwordsworth

CHRISTMAS EMERALD ISLE by Danny Doran (2007) (Web site download only)

Danny Doran is a Newry, Ireland-based veteran singer/songwriter/entertainer Danny Dugan, who had an anthemic hit in 1991 about Irish footballers, The Boys in Red and Black are Back. This mini record has the uplifting track, The Ballad of Tom Crean, about one of the giants of the Heroic Era of Antarctic Exploration who was on three major British Expeditions with Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton. He was honoured with three British Polar Medals and retired in Annascaul, Ireland, to run the South Pole Inn, which has remained and is still open for business today. Our transcribed lyrics: “A mighty man, an Irishman, his likes are rarely seem. You may not know of whom I speak, his name, it is Tom Crean. He left his net of Annascaul, sailed away to sea. Born to adventure and a place in history. Captain Scott and Shackleton would not have reached their goal, they needed men with hearts of steel to take them to the Pole. Ice and snow, fifty below, he set out all alone, to save the life of his companions, no thought of his own. Thirty-five miles of Arctic winds cut him to the bone, eighteen hours of torture, Tom Crean and God alone. A mighty man, an Irishman, his likes are rarely seem. You may not know of whom I speak, his name, it is Tom Crean. HMS Endurance, Terra Nova, Discovery, three ships sailed to Antarctica, Ton Cream sailed on all three. Some say the Arctic winds and snows we never would have seen, if not for men of destiny like Ireland’s own Tom Crean. Back home to County Kerry, to retire and settle down, he did not talk about himself but word soon got around. His life cut short at sixty-one, his story must be told. Walk down the street in Annascaul and visit the South Pole. A mighty man, an Irish man, his likes are rarely seen, now you know of whom I speak, his name, it is Tom Crean.” Available on iTunes.

THE FRED ALLEN SHOW- Life at the South Pole (undated collection)

Fred Allen was a vaudeville comedian who appeared on Broadway and became one of America’s most popular humorists in the classic radio era in the 1930s and 1940s. During that time he hosted and starred in long running half or hour-long topical satire radio comedy shows. The program of Feb. 28, 1940, Life at the South Pole, had an 11-minute Admiral Byrd spoof about Admiral Allen at Little Brooklyn Base at the South Pole. Being very cold and running out of food, the camp managed to get a radio transmission to Irving’s delicatessen in New York, which offered to deliver cold cuts to the base. Many of the Fred Allen programs have been digitally preserved and are available for purchase from the Web sites listed below. We obtained this CD in 2008. FA-014; www.originaloldradio.com; www.radioshowcds.com; www.oldclassicradio.com; www.otrstreet.com

BOB & RAY: The Soap Operas, Volume 6 (2007)

Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were Boston broadcasters who became American national radio comedy icons over the late 1940s to the 1980s. Their deadpan form of interviewing spoofed the medium in which they worked. This box set of 4 CDs contains the 5-minute track Bob visits Harold Haskell’s home in Antarctica, in which a member of Admiral Byrd’s last expedition decided to remain and had made Antarctica his home for 30 years and was just adding some weather-stripping as the interview began. No information given on the date of the sketch. RadioArt RACD 5031-4; www.bobandray.com

THE HEATHER AND THE SAGEBRUSH by Tom Wilson (2007)

Wilson is a Wyoming, U.S.A.-based, Celtic-influenced, multi-instrumentalist and folksinger. This CD has a collection of superbly down to earth, Rocky Mountain, Scottish and Irish-influenced tracks, largely instrumentals, played on a variety of acoustic instruments. Musical accompaniment is provided by numerous local friends and musicians. One of the tunes is The James Caird, with an unusual and interesting mixture of tuba, fluegelhorn, whistle and various percussion instruments. It’s named after Ernest Shackleton’s lifeboat from the 1914-16 Endurance Expedition, on which he and five others sailed to South Georgia in their famous voyage from Elephant Island. According to the booklet notes, the track was “A tune inspired by the great rescue voyage of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer, leader of men, survivor extraordinaire. “Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all.”” www.cdbaby.com

RIPPED ECHO by Eric Dahlman (2007)

Eric Dahlman is a Massachusetts, U.S.A-based musician/trumpeter whose CD of roots/jazz/world music covers a wide variety of styles and influences. The disc has the track Antarctican Dream, with listed instrumentation being trumpet, Antarctican choir, ice loops, snow drum, ice flutes, ice bass and accordion. The shamanistic chanting with trumpet-led invocation/processional was a puzzling and original-sounding piece of Antarcticana and we asked Eric about the track in 2010. He replied: “Well, I believe Antarctica is wide open for mythology. So I was imagining Antarctican indigenous folks long ago singing together in their giant igloo-like structure. Could they be singing for a successful whale hunt? For a blizzard to end? I guess we’ll never really know...I also, on a previous CD, have a track called Antarctican Penguin Herders (ERIC DAHLMAN (2000)) and I wrote a suite entitled The Antarctican Walrus Hunt Disaster (unrecorded), which in a nutshell was about escaped psychiatrists from a mental hospital in Patagonia who fled to Antarctica and did an elaborate dance for a successful walrus hunt but alas...there are no walruses in Antarctica!” Space Walrus Records; www.myspace.com/ericdahlman

PLACES – An Instrumental Journey by Mike Davis (2007)

Mike Davis is a veteran Florida, U.S.A.-based composer, keyboardist and performer in a variety of styles. He has played at theme parks, convention centres and in 2009 performed a solo piano concert at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center for the Atlantis space shuttle astronauts. According to his Web site, Mike is “committed to helping raise consciousness and prosperity for all” and has been music director for several New Thought churches for many years. This CD of upbeat New Age instrumental tracks, about physical and psychological places, has the track Amundsen’s Cairn. We asked Mike in 2009 if this was related to the polar explorer. He said, “You’re right; it is inspired by the story of Amundsen. I just kept hearing some sounds and rhythms in my head that gave me a mental image of movement in a very cold landscape. I had read a bit about him when I was a kid, and I guess it just all connected.” There is a rock cairn at Mount Betty, Queen Maud Mountains, Antarctica known as Amundsen’s Cairn, erected by the explorer in January 1912 when he was returning from his famous trek to the South Pole. Another cairn was erected by Amundsen at Gjøa Haven, Nunavut, Canada in honour of his mentor, German polar scientist and explorer Georg von Neumayer. Amundsen stayed for a lengthy time at Gjøa Haven, learning from the Inuit, on his historic journey through Canada’s Northwest Passage. To celebrate the centenary in 2003 of the start of Amundsen’s Northwest Passage journey, the governments of Canada and Norway jointly unveiled a new cairn/monument for the occasion. www.mikedavismusic.net

SIMPLY ENTITLED by John C. Wiseman (2007)

Wiseman is a Chicago, Illinois-based singer/songwriter/guitarist with almost fourty years of performing experience in music and theatre, with a current interest in Celtic, Maritime and Renaissance/minstrel music. His first CD has the unaccompanied vocal track The Voyage of the James Caird, about Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition of 1914-16 and its famous lifeboat. Sample lyrics: “It was Elephant Island which Antarctica points to, Where in nineteen hundred sixteen came the brave Endurance crew, A miracle had got them there, another they’d require, For on this isle was not a scrap of wood to make a fire. They had a leader by the name of Ernest Shackleton, And he’d explored the polar lands since nineteen hundred one, When icy floes destroyed their ship, they salvaged some supplies, And three small lifeboats dragged along until they crossed the ice. They’d have to send a lifeboat out to see if help would come, the man to lead the voyage out was Ernest Shackleton, Del Fuego was the closest land, but o’er the harshest sea, And so South Georgia was the place that they would have to be… Now when you talk of heroes, you’ll never find a one, As worthy of the title as Ernest Shackleton. He never once forgot his men and never once was scared, To make the daunting voyage in the little boat, James Caird. John told us in 2009 about the song: “I was very much inspired by a PBS special I saw about the voyage of the Endurance, and also by researching on the internet about the expedition. I was especially struck by the fact that they were able to rescue ALL of the men, with no more lasting damage than a couple of fingers one man lost to frostbite. This was impressive because of the severe difficulty of the rescue mission - no sea traffic, difficult weather conditions, and all of it in a lifeboat that wasn’t originally intended for such a long trip anyway. It is interesting that, within about a year after they got home, many of the men died in World War I. I am a frequent volunteer at the annual Chicago Maritime Festival, which celebrates all aspects of life on the water but which mostly concentrates on maritime music. I suppose I was partly inspired by this as well.” www.johncwiseman.com; www.merrymeasure.com

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC EP by Joelle Zigman (2007)

New Jersey, U.S.A.-based singer/songwriter/pianist Zigman was 16 when she recorded this promising 6-song CD of snarky, full-of-beans, self-deprecating romantic angst in her basement. Included is the instrumental track Nobody Lives in Antarctica, a piano solo with an unexpected, and all-too-short organ accompaniment. In 2010, Joelle told us: “I honestly have no idea why I named that song Nobody Lives in Antarctica, by the way. Just seemed like a good idea at the time. That CD is so far removed from the direction my music has taken since my University composition studies, but hey, I like how it leads to cool little references like this.” Ammonium Records; www.myspace.com/joellezigman

SLEEPARCHIVE / ANTTI RANNISTO (2007)

A CD of electronic music with separate tracks from two artists, Germany-based Sleeparchive (aka Roger Semsroth) and Finland’s Antti Rannisto. While there is no Antarctic-themed music on the disc, the cover has a sleepy looking face photo by Frank Hurley of Lupoid, a sledge dog from Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition of 1914-16, named for his wolf-like looks. Antti told us in 2009 that “The cover photo was chosen by Sleeparchive. There’s no direct relation to the music, at least on my part of the CD; rather, I think he just thought that it would fit the whole aesthetics of our music. And I agree that it does fit quite well.” Roger told us that “I really like the story about Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to the South Pole. My first record was named “Elephant Island.” The picture of Lupoid (the dog) was just one of the best photos of one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen!!!!” ZZZCD1; www.sleeparchive.de; www.myspace.com/anttirannisto; (See also ELEPHANT ISLAND EP by Sleeparchive (2004) in this section.)

CECI N’EST PAS LE CLUB DE JAGUAR by the Jaguar Club (2007)

Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Jaguar Club is a young post-New Wave pop/rock trio. This EP of melodic tunes includes In Antarctica, apparently a tale of yearning and lost love, with the polar reference, “This rooftop’s like a glacier, a mountain and a sea, a cold and boring land.” www.jaguarclubofnyc.net; www.myspace.com/thejaguarclub

TAGAP - Original Soundtrack of The Apocalyptic Game About Penguins by Petja Heiskanen (2007) (Web site download only)

This is the musical soundtrack to a computer game developed by Jouni Lahtinen and is available for free on the game’s Website. The two collaborators are based in Finland. The soundtrack has 33 battle-oriented musical selections of various lengths, largely rock oriented with a few novelty scenic interludes. In addition to some penguin-themed tracks (Funky Penguin, Penguin’s Retirement, Penguinator, Rogue Penguin), it includes the 3-minute Antarctic Suite. In the Web site, in response to the question, “Are you trying to ride on Hollywood’s penguin boom or something?”, the composer said that “My ‘penguin boom’ has been going on for over 15 years and I love those waddling birds more than life itself. I just adore them, they’re the supreme beings! But it’s nice to notice big masses are finally realizing the same thing and have rewarded these flightless birds with Oscars two years in a row!” www.tagap.net

ZILLION CD15 – OBSCURITY by various artists (2007)

This Dutch three-CD compilation of various electronic instrumental dance tracks includes Antartica by Aqua Nova, which alternates between pounding beats and quiet interludes, much like the nature of the Continent itself. Digidance DIGI 226-2; www.digidance.cc

LEGENDS NEVER DIE by the Dreadnoughts (2007)

Vancouver, B.C.’s Dreadnoughts are a superbly talented quintet playing a mixture of loud, punkish, modern Celtic-flavoured pub rock, laced with sea shanty influences, fiddles and other traditional instruments. One of the tracks is Antarctica, about a ship off to the Southern Ocean, likely on a whaling expedition - but it’s hard to make out the lyrics from the loud music and tough vocals. www.thedreadnoughts.com; www.myspace.com/vancitydreadnoughts

POP.VOX.CHRISTMAS Volume 2 by various artists (2007)

This is a compilation of traditional Christmas carols and a few original novelty songs, played in wondrous and quirky arrangements by indie rock bands or folk artists. Pop.vox bills itself on its Website as a California-based label for a community of artists “to integrate their feelings, beliefs and faith into their work in an innovative way...we hope to see artists who are Christians, rather than Christian artists.” Included is The Antarctic Circle by Racing at Nineteen, the only instrumental on the disc. It’s a stately churchlike organ/synth track, underlain by a resonant cathedral bass but is the only one without a Christmas title or evident seasonal connection. A representative of the record label told us that “We included the song because we thought it was beautiful and a perfect conclusion to our compilation.” Christopher Bright, the composer, told us in 2008 that “the song was initially based on pictures I’d seen of different parts of Antarctica. I was really interested by them and wondered how landscapes like that would translate into music. I wanted something that would feel cold and fairly isolated, but would have a little bit of mystery and adventure to it.” VOX 7; www.popvoxmusic.com; www.myspace.com/popvoxmusic

HYPNOTICA Compilation 2007 by various artists (2007)

This Swiss compilation CD of electronic dance/trance music contains the forceful, percussive track Antarctica by Tux-Edo, which starts with the ominous spoken introduction, “Antarctica is the one continent where humans may forever be strangers.” Room31 Records R31001; www.arabesque.co.uk

THE LESS THAT WE ARE by Patient Patient (2007)

The Seattle, Washington indie band has the hard rocking track Antarctica, with no apparent connection to The Ice. The lyrics nevertheless leave some food for Antarctic thought: “Those things you can’t contain, love, just let them out…We are all rational people, don’t you push us to the edge.” www.patientpatientband.com; www.myspace.com/patientpatientband

EXPANSE by Graham Elks and Phil Crewe (2007)

Elks and Crewe are veterans of various British bands and studio wizards. Since 1999 they have collaborated as a guitar duo and multi-instrumentalists on six instrumental CDs of atmospheric progressive rock. Their latest disc includes Antarctica, a sublime 13-minute searing cauldron, rather than a cold, bottomless crevasse, of a guitar blowout. Graham told us about the track in 2011: “It all stems from the album title really - all the tracks have titles, which have a Big! feel - Conquest, The Titan, Answers, Searching, all these give rise to something that is big! - a great expanse of knowledge to think about! Of course, Antarctica is one of the greatest expanses on earth! - it’s dramatic, powerful and yet beautiful. I like to make music with a big feel to the sound!” www.grahamelks.com

GRYNINGSFOLK I SKYMNINGSLAND by Biljardakademien (2007)

Biljardakademien was a literate Swedish postpunk, light rock group from the early 1980s. This collection of their 1982-1985 recordings and demo tracks includes the jazzy, fluffy, folk-rock track, Shackleton mot Antarktis (Shackleton to Antarctica) from 1985. Bendi Recycled BEN-RE-002; www.bendirecords.com

UPPEHÅLLSVÄDER BILJARDAKADEMIEN Live 1984 (2009) is a recording of the last live performance by this line-up, made in late 1984 and also includes the above track, Shackleton mot Antarktis. Bendi Recycled BEN-RE-003.

SEB PIPE’S LIFE EXPERIENCE by Seb Pipe (2007)

Seb Pipe, a prizewinning British alto saxophonist, has recorded a live CD with his jazz trio, including the multi-hued 12-minute track Antarctic Twilight. Seb told us that, “the music in Antarctic Twilight was inspired by images of Antarctic landscapes. It is my group’s expression of those images through the medium of sonic expression. The music contains both pre-composed and spontaneously composed (or improvised) elements based upon the pre-composed themes.” 5060080790838; www.sebpipe.com

ANTARTIC ABYSS by the Deep Blue (2007)

This is a largely instrumental heavy metal CD by a British trio, apparently about the perils of an ocean tyrant, frozen in the ice, rising to the skies. One of the tracks is called Under the Ice. The CD cover has an outline of Antarctica as a sun radiating forth over icebergs. the Church Within records CW006; www.myspace.com/thedeepbluewizard

L’ANTARCTICA by Madee (2007)

Madee is an established indie Spanish rock group. Despite the title, their latest CD includes only the track L’Antarctica, a slow burning and moody piece with just vague hints of The Ice: “Promises are gone, to a frostbitten place, and you didn’t notice when your dilemmas broke us up.” www.bcore.com

EVRIPIDIS AND HIS TRAGEDIES (2007)

Barcelona, Spain-based Evripidis (Sabatis) and his group of largely female back-up singers have an interesting CD of piano-based art rock, theatrical songs embellished with the occasional do wop and Beach Boyish harmonies. Included is the allegorical Antarctica. Sample lyrics: “Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice, millions of years old, and all around an ocean full of life, krill and fish and penguins and seabirds and seals and whales, So much life around a cold empty heart. Don’t try to heat me up baby, it’s dangerous, the atmosphere is getting warmer, the ice melts, an iceblock was parted from the icecap and collapsed, and 10,000 penguins met death, in the cold water. Venice is drowning! soon Holland will be under waves, and what will come next. I’ve been sleeping a cold sleep for about a billion years, I’ve been calm and alone for about a billion years, I’ve been without dreams for about a billion years, now what will come next if you keep heating me up like this, with your love?” Touchmerecords TMR 01; www.myspace.com/evripidisandhistragedies

HEAT by Marusha (2007)

Marusha (Gleiss) has been a prominent German DJ, media performer and award-winning recording artist since the early 1990s. Her latest techno/dance CD has the track Antarctica, long on groove and short on lyrics: “Water, emptiness, silence enlight life of Antarctica – untouched nature creates existence.” ElectroMotor MOTO8152; www.marusha.de

SPIRITUAL CATHARSIS by Striborg (2007)

This is a re-release of an original 2004 CD, which was limited to 500 copies, by the elusive solo black metal artist Sin Nanna (aka Striborg), who lives near Hobart, Tasmania. It contains the sludgy instrumental track Dicksonia Antartica, which led us to the reference books. Dicksonia Antarctica is also known as the Soft Tree Fern or Tasmanian Tree Fern and may be the best known of all the tree ferns. It is native to southeastern Australia and Tasmania, but has also been grown in Britain for years and is found in western North America and is reported on a few subantarctic islands. It was named in 1807 after James Dickson, a Scottish nurseryman and “Antarctica” refers to “southern.” In a review on his record company’s web site with online magazine Terrorizer, the artist says that his only “spiritual connection lies within Gaia… The true spirit of Mother Nature is my only source of enlightenment and can only be felt when free of mankind. And I do not care if anybody thinks I’m being politically or ecologically incorrect as this is the way I perceive the world on a spiritual level.” The CD liner notes introduce the track with “Majestic plants among the moss and water, Towering towards the mysterious sky, Metres of bear-like trunks braying over the rocks upon my tread...Many ferns grow in this wilderness, Untouched land of magic proportions, Only the creatures of nature dwell here, Native to its glorious land.” This heavy metal track has succeeded admirably to put us in the frame of mind of a steamy, smoldering, prehistoric Gondwana/Pangaea supercontinent, to thoughts about a tropical Antarctica, Antarctic dinosaurs, Glossopteris fossils and whatever else may be lying preserved and hidden for countless eons beneath the horrendous weight of interminable miles of compressed ice, waiting to unleash its secrets with the onslaught of Global Warming. Whew! Displeased Records D-00171; www.displeasedrecords.com; www.myspace.com/striborg

NEXT STOP ANTARCTICA by the Green Mist (2007)

The title of their first CD is appropriate for an Australian rock band collective that had its beginnings in Tasmania. The music starts out as instrumental roots rock and then veers to a harder sound with vocals. Unfortunately, their trip hasn’t reached anywhere near The Ice yet and the journey does not include any Antarctic songs. MIST001CD; www.myspace.com/themysteriousgreenmist

ANTARCTIC SUNRISE by A Hundred Times Beloved (2007)

Formed in 2003 as a solo project for Regensburg (Bavaria), Germany-based Felix Neumann, the group now includes Christian Winklhofer and others for live shows. As there are no specific Antarctic tracks on this CD of melodic vocal guitar electronica rock, we asked Felix about the Antarctic influences. He told us that, “After finishing the recording of our CD, we gave the tracks to a friend. He told us that he liked the atmosphere of the CD because the production had a strong contrast between warm and cold sound elements. And so we chose this metaphor for cold (Antarctic) and warm (Sunrise).” Alison Records AL-102; www.ahundredtimesbeloved.de

WATERS RISING by Lillian Axe (2007)

Lillian Axe is a long-established (1983) heavy rock/metal group from New Orleans. Their melodic seventh CD has the track Antarctica. Lyrics: “I climbed the mountains and scaled the ice. Released defiance. My blood ran white, cold and numb. I saw the shadows of demigods. Whispering answers that time forgot. Forever true. I’m frozen blue. There’s not much time. I died for you. A true believer, the king of lies. We all betrayed you. Your blood ran white. I’m frozen blue. There’s not much time. I died for you. Antarctica.” Steve Blaze, original member and lead guitarist told us, “This song was written to correlate the vastness of Antarctica to the isolation and emptiness that we experience in our lives. When I imagine the infinite whiteness and desolation of that area, it overwhelms me. It’s beautiful yet frightening.” Locomotive Records LM493; www.lillianaxe.com

STRAWBERRY T. V. SHOW by the Smiles (2007)

The Smiles are a Korean septuplet with a CD of light, breezy, polished pop rock that has the track South Pole Sunset. We’re not sure whether this refers to the real thing, or their mixing studio, called the South Pole Lab. Sample lyrics: “I love you south pole’s sunset glow, Toll is free, come on down tomorrow, I love you south pole’s sunset glow, Free as they’ll ever be… Hold my hand I’ll take you to my greatest viewing seat, Call my name you’re welcome to my south pole picnic spree.” Beatball Records BEAT33

SÜDPOL by Reuber (2007)

Timo Reuber is an analog synthesizer musician from Cologne, Germany, with four CDs. This latest one contains the tracks Amundsen and Südpol (South Pole), two interesting instrumentals with plenty of arpeggiated bubbles, gurgles and beats. Staubgold 75; www.staubgold.com

DES COBRAS, DES TARANTULES by 3 Gars Su’l Sofa (2007)

The band of three guys on the sofa are a trio from the Montreal area with their first CD of melodic, acoustic folk music, just pickin’ and singin’ in Quebecois slang, known as joual. The songs have a sunny, everyday disposition and include L’Antarctique, which at just over a minute, might be the shortest Antarctic song recorded. The lyrics are pure minimalism (our translation): “In Antarctica everything is always cold and white. There’s no road, you just go straight ahead in front. When it’s dark, it’s because it’s time to go inside, and play cards, for a longtime.” PIXCD 7499; www.3gss.ca

PEAR & SISTER PINECONE by Page France (2007)

The Baltimore, Maryland soft folk rock group, led by Michael Nau, has a reputation for putting on vibrant, homey live shows. They include Antarctica (My Beloved Home) on this 2-disc CD. “When did your eyes’ glaze dull, my Antarctica, my beloved home, they treat you like a dog, my Antarctica, my beloved home, they treat you like a dog, I’m sorry if I joined along.” Fall Records FR93442; www.fallrecords.com; www.pagefrance.net

IRISH LIFE AND LORE SERIES - KERRY COLLECTION - FIRST SERIES - with Padraig Begley (2007)

Jane and Maurice O’Keeffe began recording the oral history of Irish counties in 1990 and have an archive of over 1500 recorded CDs of interviews covering history, livelihoods, folklore and storytelling. This CD is based on Maurice’s chat with Padraig Begley, who was 93 years of age at the time of the interview. In it, he tells a few first-hand stories about Tom Crean, one of the giants of the Golden Era of Antarctic Exploration, who served in Scott’s 1901-04 National Antarctic Expedition, Scott’s 1910-13 British Antarctic Expedition and even more famously as part of Shackleton’s 1914-17 Endurance Expedition team. Crean was part of the team that made the journey in the James Caird from Elephant Island to South Georgia, and then struggled over the mountains to rescue. Crean retired in 1920 to run a hotel at Annascaul, County Kerry, Ireland, which he called the South Pole Inn. In the interview, Padraig tells about an incident at the pub in the inn and how Crean carried Shackleton on one of the polar journeys. For the non-Irish, the accent may be a bit hard to follow. CD No. 55; www.irishlifeandlore.com

IRISH LIFE AND LORE SERIES - TIPPERARY COLLECTION - with John Knightly (No. 1) (2006)

Jane and Maurice O’Keeffe began recording the oral history of Irish counties in 1990 and have an archive of over 1500 recorded CDs covering history, livelihoods, folklore and storytelling. This CD is based on Maurice’s chat with John Knightly, who was Tom Crean’s godson. Tom Crean was one of the giants of the Golden Era of Antarctic Exploration, who served in Scott’s 1901-04 National Antarctic Expedition, Scott’s 1910-13 British Antarctic Expedition and even more famously as part of Shackleton’s 1914-17 Endurance Expedition team. Crean was part of the team that made the journey in the James Caird from Elephant Island to South Georgia, and then struggled over the mountains to rescue. He retired in 1920 to run a hotel at Annascaul, County Kerry, Ireland, which he called the South Pole Inn. In the interview, Knightly talks extensively about Crean and his domestic life at the Inn, (“a real character…he was great at the gardening…it was an amazing thing, he never discussed his travels…attached to the sea”). Knighly chuckles that he was always hoping to see his Crean’s frostbitten toes: “we never saw them, never got the chance.” CD No. 23; www.irishlifeandlore.com

ANTARCTIKA EP by HiFlyer (2006)

HiFlyer was a Bristol-U.K.-based quartet, including a brother/sister songwriting team, Elle and Henry Williams, who later transformed into Studio Arcade. Their second album, a 4-song EP of bright, energetic pop rock, unfortunately has no Antarctic content, any way you spell it, despite the intriguing title. www.myspace.com/wearestudioarcade; www.wearestudioarcade.co.uk

ANTARCTICA by Equinox/SURVIVAL by Kensal Rise (2006) (Vinyl LP only)

Drums & Bass music from a British club music label. The multi-faceted 9-minute track Antarctica captures well the harsh winds, blizzards and moods of The Ice. The cover photo has an interesting, smudged map outline of the continent. Inperspective Records INP13; www.inperspectiverecords.com

MAO-BIBEL by Melodic Abortion Orchestra (2006)

This is a limited-edition CD issue of demo sessions recorded live at a theatre from an Erlangen, Germany-based experimental/industrial/noise band. Included is the 6-minute hypnotic but noisy guitar, vocal and heavy percussion-driven Fiesta Antarktika. Gruss & Kuss Pervere of the group explained the origin of the track title to us in 2010: “Well, that’s a long story. In short, Fiesta Antarktika is based on the parodistic idea of a “banana republic” situated in the hostile environment of eternal ice under the autocratic leadership of a Castro-like figure, longing for the ultimate destruction of the western world symbolized (of course) by the U.S.; it’s totally nuts, I know.” Empty Room Exploration ERE001; www.myspace.com/melodicabortionorchestra; umbkollektif.com/mao

ARCHIPELAGO by Va Va China ((2006) (Web site download only)

This is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based jazz group, specializing in improvised live music. Their double record contains various live performances including South Pole, a cacophonous cold blast of horn power not unlike the forceful katabatic winds blasting off the polar plateaus. www.myspace.com/vavachina; www.vavachina.com

CENT MILLIONS by François Staal (2006)

François Staal is a French singer-songwriter and music composer for television and theatre. He has issued three CDs of his own performances and this disc of soft rock has the track Antarctique, with lyrics by French writer Elvire Murail, which is a moving tale of Scott’s South Pole Expedition of 1910-12, written from the point of view of Scott. Lyrics (our translation from French): “Sun, a brilliant prism, on the indigo of the glacier, I loved this cold beauty, of crystallized snow preceding the South Pole, we only had fear, facing the solitude, we only had fear. But tell me, tell me, I didn’t perish for naught, my skin is blue from the cold, not even good for the dogs, my hallucinating eyes see only the white, and my gaunt hand no longer feels the present, tell me, tell me, I didn’t perish for naught. We have walked so much, sixty-nine frozen days, Evans, his bones broken, and Oates too exhausted, let me go alone, standing in the blizzard, facing solitude, we have only fear.” François told us in 2010 that “I fell in love with the lyrics, for me they are a metaphor for artistic creation: beauty, the goal, the work of art, the masterpiece (the Antarctic) / pursuit and defeat, hopes, the artist’s life, creation (the expedition).” Delabel Éditions; http://web.mac.com/Lestaal

UNNAMABLE by Aklo (2006)

Aklo (aka Eric Sandberg) is a San Jose, California-based sound artist whose eerie instrumental soundtracks are based on the literary themes of early 20^th century famed American horror/suspense writer H. P. Lovecraft and the authors he inspired - works known as the “Cthulhu Mythos”. Aklo’s second CD has the track Antarctica, as chilly and creepy an auditory experience as anyone would want to have alone in a dark tunnel. Aklo told us in 2009: “The music on the CD is based on the works of author H. P. Lovecraft. Antarctica is the setting of his novel At the Mountains of Madness, which was the inspiration for the track.” At the Mountains of Madness, written in 1931, is about 1930s Antarctic researchers encountering long dormant beings in vast underground cities lost to history. www.aklo.net; www.myspace.com/aklomusic (See also DARK ADVENTURE RADIO THEATRE PRESENTS H. P. LOVECRAFT’S “AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS” (2006) in the preceding “all or significantly Antarctic” section.)

…THE LOST SPACES…RECONSTRUCTED…by Layne Garrett (2006)

Layne Garrett is a Washington, D.C.-based artist, activist and experimental, improvisational acoustic guitarist. He has made several recordings, performed regionally and nationally and received grants from the American Composers Forum and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. This double CD has the haunting 8-minute acoustic guitar track, accompanied by brief vocals, The Oil Execs Are Building Summer Homes at the South Pole (With Your Gas Money). In 2009 we asked Layne about this intriguing title and he said: “Let’s see, that song is basically about our civilization being on kind of a runaway path to self-destruction. The title was kind of a tongue-in-cheek insinuation that the people leading the charge (represented by oil execs) maybe are well aware of what’s going on, and are hedging their bets by building vacation houses at the South Pole, where the weather will soon be relatively tropical. The “with your gas money” part is to imply everyone’s complicity in the situation. The song isn’t specifically about climate change, but I used that as a trope for what I see as a more widespread collective self-destructive bender we are in the midst of...the title is an exaggeration to make a point, I guess.” Sockets scdr21; www.questionthetruth.com/noise

PLANET IN A DAY by Alphaterra (2006)

Alphaterra comprises two Italian instrumental wizards who have collaborated for many years on their compositions, Gianni Viaggi, on keyboards and Giorgio Gabriel, on guitars. Their CD of progressive New Age and sophisticated jazz-tinged instrumentals journeys takes us over many landscapes across the globe. One of the tracks is the 5-minute Antarctic Sunglare, which includes synthesized vocal phrases by Flora Sol Accursio (“I come with you, into the blue”). She told us in 2009 that “I worked with Alphaterra on the non-musical part (that’s titles, the few lines of lyrics and so on. To answer your question about Antarctic Sunglare, that specific title came from me, the song already existed but still missed a proper title. Since the album theme was a view of the Earth from the point of view of a first-time visitor, not spoiled by clichés about the different countries and territories, I tried to imagine what kind of landscape would fit in with the music, which to me evoked visions of bright morning sunlight on a cold, endless plain of ice, the crispy brightness of sunglare at extreme latitudes. That’s why that specific song was thus titled. I’d like you to tell me if you think the inspiration was correct, and if the song evokes in your mind the same sensations it did in mine. Please let me know!!” With bright, breezy and shimmering keyboard and guitar set over a heavy bass bottom, suggestive of miles of massive underlying ice, the inspiration and the performance soar over the Antarctic landscape. Maracash Records MRC 011; www.alphaterra.it

DEFIANTLY UNCLASSIFIABLE by Surviving the Odyssey (2006)

STO is a Pittsburgh, U.S.A.-based electro/synthesizer pop/trip-hop band led by Indigo and Odd. Their first CD includes the impressively-named track Marooned on Elephant Island - The Biography of Positive Despair. Sample phrases that float throughout the track: “So many times I almost gave up hope…so many times I almost questioned myself, all the sacrifices…there is hope.” We asked the group about the title and if it was related to Shackleton’s Endurance Antarctic Expedition. Odd (Nick) told us: “To answer simply, yes! I wrote that song as an anthem for overcoming obstacles - never giving up. I read an article about this and was very inspired by the true life experience of these explorers.” www.stoband.net; www.myspace.com/survivingtheodyssey

WASHINGTON ARMS by Matt Turk (2006)

Matt Turk is a Hudson Valley, N.Y.-based veteran musician with three solo CDs plus several collaborations with others. In 1992 he teamed with iconic Pete Seeger in a group that taught folk songs to New York City-area schoolchildren and currently runs the folk song segment of a social program in N.Y. State. The present disc of melodic rock music has the track Endurance. Lyrics: “Feeling like exploring the old, far from all I know, wedged between the ice at the bottom of the world: Endurance. Love is like this quest for the grail. Doomed from the start from the moment we set sail, caught in a sea of ice: Endurance. Rescue me I’ll rescue you. Senseless love masquerades in blue. Rescue me I’ll rescue you Endurance. Time is what you want good things to take. Love is not a race to reach the highest peak or find the southern pole, sailing on Endurance. Rescue me I’ll rescue you. Senseless love masquerades in blue. Rescue me I’ll rescue you sailing on Endurance.” Matt explained the lyrics to us in 2009: “I was going through a very challenging time in a personal relationship. After an afternoon at the Natural History Museum exhibit on Shackleton, I was inspired by Shackleton’s devotion to his crew and his ability to rescue them against all nautical and natural odds and drew upon that inspired commitment in my composition. And relationship. At least that’s a part of it. Shackleton was an unbelievable man.” Turktunes 1398-2; www.turktunes.com

WHATISWILLBE by Dave Owens (2006)

Dave Owens is an independent Australian rocker and his third CD of melodic rock includes the tongue-in- cheek track Antarctica. Lyrics: “I wanna go down to Antarctica, Where I’m told, The folks act real cool, Down all the way to Antarctica, Where you’d think, There’d be just nothin’ to do. Well I know Mother Nature’s fine, ‘Cos I heard overhead, Ice-bergs last night, Sayin “Let’s collide sometime”, So let’s get away sometime today, Watcha say, Baby let’s go all the way. Down in Antarctica, They’ve got plenty of bars, There’s bars fulla rich, bars fulla poor, And bars fulla folks, Who wanna spend a little more. And so I met a man from Antarctica, Who shared a little bit, Of his life with me, I was told in no uncertain terms, That Antarctica was the place to be. He said, “You could raise your kids, On a pittance you’ll see, On a tree-less plain for miles around, There’s nothin’ else, like what I’ve seen, White landscape before me”. Down in Antarctica, They’ve got no need for cars, There’s sleighs for the rich, Sleds for the poor, And skis for the rest, Who wanna live a little more. So let’s get away, Sometime today, Whatcha say baby, Let’s go all the way. Plant a tree then a grove, Fringe a city and watch ‘em grow, No complaints with all that snow. Let’s beat the rush buy a block, Have some kids and then we’ll rock, Get our name on an avenue. Let’s play in the snow.” Soundvault SV0527; www.dave-owens.com

NEW AGE SENSITIVE GUY by David Friedenberg (2006)

Manchester, N.H.-based singer-songwriter David Friedenberg’s first solo album contains a variety of musical styles, much of it humourous. Included is the track Antarctica. Lyrics: “People brag about New York, Canada and Rome, but I’m so proud I’ll sing out loud about the place I call home. Antarctica, Antarctica, land of glaciers and snow. And there’s only one girl at the end of the whole South Pole that owns my heart and that’s a woman that’s named Antarctica, Antarctica, same as the land that I love. I’ll mush my sled to where she waits for me, under the Southern Lights high up above. In the winter we camp out on the tundra, down where the huskies go. In the summer we cuddle on the beach, even though it’s 20 below. Antarctica, Antarctica, me and my frost-bitten girl. I’ve got my love to keep me warm and I’m sittin’ on the bottom of the… The gasoline may gel in my fuel line, there’s a hole in the ozone above. It may snow and drop to 80 below, but no one can put the freeze on my love. Antarctica, Antarctica, land of glaciers and snow. I’ve got my love to keep me warm and I’m sittin’ on the bottom of the world, I’m sittin’ on the bottom of the world. Yeah, I’m sittin’ on the bottom of the world.” David told us in 2009 that “When traveling, people always ask where you’re from. My kids noticed that no one was particularly impressed when we would tell them “New Hampshire”. So we decided to come up with an answer that was at once exotic and absurd: Antarctica. I just decided to have some musical fun with it. I hope you enjoyed it!” www.myspace.com/davidfriedenberg

ANTARCTICA by Mooncoin (2006)

Mooncoin is a German violin-led rock group. Despite the title and the colourful satellite cover photo of an Antarctic coast with sea ice, there is no apparent Antarctic lyrical content. GEMA LC 5558

AUSSIE CHRISTMAS WITH BUCKO & CHAMPS Volumes I & II (2006)

Colin Buchanan and Greg Champion are each veteran Australian musicians and performers on Australian radio and TV and individually have many CDs to their names. They collaborated on these two CDs of largely their own comedic Christmas songs, some of which have a particularly pointed but lighthearted Australian slant on matters. The songs were recorded or remixed over 1994/97/98/99 and reissued in 2006 as a double CD, which includes bonus karaoke sing-along music tracks. Volume I, nominated for an Australian comedy record award, contains the track Santa’s Moving to the South Pole. With references to two Australian Antarctic base names in a Santa song, it is clear that Australians take their Antarctic heritage seriously.

Lyrics are: “It was in the middle of last July, When Santa jumped out of bed, He said I’ve had enough of this old North Pole, I’m headin’ South instead. His accountant said it’s risky, There’s a likelihood of failure, But Santa said, “I need a Pole that’s closer to Australia!” Chorus: Say goodbye to the Northern Blizzards, And the bitter Arctic cold, Hello sun and surf and sand, Santa’s movin’ to the South Pole./ He’s got the suntan oil, Hawaiian shirt, He’s shifted operations, All winter long he’s gonna surf The break at Casey Station. The palm trees and the nightlife, Happy days are here, His mail’s been redirected to the Southern Hemisphere. /Chorus/ It’s a little far from Amsterdam, And Moscow’s many a mile, But down at the Mawson Reef Hotel, He’s kickin’ back in style. Cos when the Christmas rush is really on, Come December 24, Santa loves the South Pole best, Cos Australia’s right next door!”

Greg told us in 2008 that “Here in Australia, we experience a lot of Northern Hemisphere Christmas imagery and music: songs about snow, winter, cold, etc, that do not correspond to our hot Southern Hemisphere Christmases. So Mr. Buchanan and I, in writing songs about the Aussie Christmas, took traditional Northern Hemisphere ideas and ‘morphed’ them into Southern Hemisphere concepts: we took Santa out of the North Pole and brought him closer to Australia.” At the same time, one of Colin’s associates told us that she “just spoke to Colin, who has a fantastic sense of humour, thanks to God. He said Santa comes from the North Pole so he thought he would try the South Pole and see Santa’s experiences.” Wanaaring Road Music & The Greg Champion Group OR 088; www.colinbuchanan.com.au; www.gregchampion.com.au

TANGERINE DRAM PLAYS TANGERINE DREAM (2006)

Tangerine Dream is an internationally successful German recording and touring synthesizer/electronic music group formed in the late 1960s. This CD contains re-recordings and re-mixes of group pieces, performed by the original composers or by musicians associated with the band over its 40 year life. Included is the opening track South Pole Crossing, a forceful, rhythmic piece performed by Paul Haslinger for the Japanese documentary production Mandala. He co-wrote the track with the founding and only remaining original member Edgar Froese. Eastgate Music and Media; www.tangerinedream-music.com

F**K THE FUTURE by Foot Village (2006)

Foot village is a post apocalypse world-rebuilding drum quartet, with members from various Los Angeles, California underground groups. The tracks on the CD are largely named after countries of the world and consist of the name of the country being shouted out and followed by demonic percussion, with occasional chants or vocals. Included are two separate tracks entitled Antartica. The first one follows the general trend of massive pounding primitivism, while the second one is completely atypical of the CD, being an ambient-like drone, accompanied by various percussive sounds that do much to create a frozen continental sound impression. Deathbomb Arc DBA073; Excite Bike EXBX005; NGWTT; Olfactory Records OF008; www.myspace.com/footvillage

RUINING EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE by 24 Hour Taco Shop (2006)

24 Hour taco Shop is a ska, rock and reggae sextet of high school seniors (as at 2008) from Pittsburgh, PA, showcasing a trumpet-driven happy-time musical sound. Their debut CD contains the track Antarctica, which may lay claim to be one of the jolliest Antarctic tunes recorded. It begins with the announcement, “All Antarcticans please enter the baggage claim.” Sample chorus: “Antarctica is the place for smiles, no phone service, no speed dial...there’s no sand, there’s only snow.” Drummer and co-lyricist Justin Culotta told us about the lyrics: “In all honesty, I felt like making a song that was about Antarctica for no real reason, but if you listen closely to the lyrics, half of them are intended to not make any sense, and we also have a song called the North Pole that is similar.” www.myspace.com/24hourtacoshoppa

RADIO SWAN IS DOWN by Laura (2006)

Melbourne’s rock group Laura was formed in 2001 and has attracted critical success with its second CD of largely instrumental, dense, atmospheric rock. Included is the slow, moody track Lake Vostok Beachfront. Andrew Chalmers, guitarist, vocalist and noisemaker with the band told us in 2008 that “I read about Lake Vostok in Scientific American or something. It’s amazing...isolated for such a long time, but sooner or later, somebody will open it up, or the ice over it will melt...not as spectacular as the ocean rushing through the Straits of Gibraltar and filling up the Mediterranean Sea, but still a pretty big moment. I think I like the idea of Lake Vostok because the immediate reaction is, “it’s so ancient and isolated”, but on the other hand it seems so precarious - the thought of an underground lake encased in ice makes me instantly think, “it’s perfect, so what will it take to ruin it? Who destroys it? Why? Is it intentional? Is it a consequence of human action? Are humans even around?” At some point, there may well be a Lake Vostok beachfront, and it might be a nice place to have a house. Or at some point there may be ash on Lake Vostok, and an end might have been put to life on earth. All very melodramatic, huh? What am I, twelve years old?” Alone Again Records Day006cd; www.lauratheband.com; www.myspace.com/lauranoise

HARLEM HOMECOMING by Salim Washington and Harlem Arts Ensemble (2006)

Led by the New York-based Washington on tenor sax, flute, oboe and vocals, the nucleus of the ensemble performs regularly in Harlem. The horn section has been together for nearly two decades. In addition to his own group, Washington plays with numerous other groups throughout North and South America and Europe. He has been a college musical educator and participant in committees and panels on behalf of jazz. The current energetic CD of original tunes has the short free-form track There is Now Grass Growing in Antarctica. Salim told us in 2008 that in the track, “I was trying to call attention to the problem of global warming and the fact that we pay too little attention to the preservation of our planet and its wonderful variety. That the global warming trends are showing up even in Antarctica is cause for alarm, and in my small way, wanted to bring attention to this fact.” The liner notes explain that the track was “sparked by my good friend and brother, Kobinah Abdul-Salim. He explained to me one day that there is now grass growing in Antarctica, and it occurred to me that this was more important than the political and economic devastation that so many face. What does it profit us, even if we win our political and cultural battles, if we destroy our world?” Ujam Records 126; www.ujamrecords.com

THE BRIGHT DAY IS GONE by Children of the Stones (2006)

Children of the Stones are a collective of Irish musicians, led by David Colohan, who is also involved with several other rock group endeavours. The present CD has a very mystical feel to it with the sounds ranging from ambient instrumental tracks to plaintive piano-based folk music, including Poor Scott, a plaintive and melancholy ode to Robert Scott’s ill-fated South Pole march in 1911-12. The song ends as abruptly and as ominously as the journey. Lyrics: “With a sailboat bound for McMurdo Sound and winter-long nights behind, and our last few miles under frozen skies across the inland seas tonight. Heading south the last post lies across the ice, we’ll stick it out until the end. This most travelled scene where the ice shelf leaves and drifts off into the mists, and Mt. Erebus looms before us like a gravestone for our trip. Heading south the last post lies across the ice, we’ll stick it out until the end. January took us to the South Pole, found a flag standing in the snow, and there were storm clouds building in the southern skies, across the inland seas.” Shane Cullinane told us in 2008: “The song was co-written by myself and Dave Colohan of Agitated Radio Pilot about 5 years ago. I can no longer remember why we decided to write about Scott but I do remember us each going through the World Book encyclopedia looking for lyrical ideas, I’m not sure if the idea came from the book or if we had the idea and then looked up the books. The new United Bible Studies album, to be released soon on Camera Obscura Records, has a song called Death in the Arctic, which is a section of a Robert Service poem set to music. Wrong pole for you though, I suppose.” Deserted Village DC026; www.desertedvillage.com

I WANNA PLAY by Bill Harley (2006)

Bill Harley is Massachusetts-based Grammy award-winning children’s entertainer, author, story-teller and public radio broadcaster. The booklet of his current CD says that his “original work combines song and story to paint a vibrant, humorous and meaningful portrait of American Life.” The track To the South Pole answers the age-old question of where a young lad is to seek refuge when in trouble with his mother. As one of Bill’s production company representatives told us, “When a kid is in trouble he thinks of the furthest place to run.” Sample lyrics: “Dear mom, please read this letter, Before you walk inside, I think you’ll feel just a little bit better, If you’re not too surprised…I didn’t know about the carpet, I didn’t know about the sink, I didn’t know that the cat would do that, I didn’t know the paint was pink, You know I tried to make things better, I thought I could fix it still, Next time I won’t use the hammer, Or the glue gun or the drill…It’s a long way, I’m bound to travel, To where the snow falls and the cold winds blow, Where the penguins play on the icebergs, to the South Pole, I must go…Please don’t cry, Don’t shed no tears, I’ll be back when things are better, In twenty-seven years.” Round River Records 121; www.billharley.com

LOVE, PEACE, JUSTICE by Martin Jeremiah (2006)

Martin Jeremiah is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from West Sussex, England. His current CD has the track Twenty Forty Two, about his concern for the future of Antarctica. It is one of the most heartfelt and empathetic Antarctic songs we’ve encountered. The lyrics are: “Up above a virgin snow-white land, is a hole so big and round, and comes piercing through that empty space. The sun it’s beating down, as her big blue ice heart melts. Her white face sheds its tears. Where a footprint that’s in the moss can last a hundred years. And the twisted metal of machines spoils the land of people’s snow-white dreams. Children where are you in 2042? Children where are you in 2042? As the seals all in their white beds lie, the hunter strikes his blow, and where once the emperor penguins played, there’s red tracks in the snow. As man pursues his blackest gold, explosions under sea. As longest day, it turns to longest night, the whale and dolphin flee. And the oil slicks they do impress an ugly stain on Nature’s wedding dress. Children where are you? And the tangled metal of machines spoils the land of peoples snow-white dreams. Children where are you?”

In 2008, Martin told us: “I wrote the song after seeing a talk by a guy called Robert Swan who walked to both Poles. He ran a programme in the last few years called Mission Antarctica which concentrated on cleaning up Antarctica (debris from previous bases, etc.) with young people as volunteers. The international treaty protecting Antarctica against commercial exploitation is due for renewal in 2041 and so Robert Swan named the boat that took people on the trips ‘2041’ to highlight this fact. The logic behind raising awareness amongst children and young people is that they might one day be the people who are still around to see the treaty protecting Antarctica renewed. It is the last unspoiled place on this planet, but the fear is, that it may not remain so after 2041.

I therefore wrote “2042” mainly as an apocalyptic vision of what might happen if the treaty is not renewed. However the song is also partly a tribute to a young woman called Pip Gregory who tragically died of medical complications on one of the Mission Antarctica trips. The song hopes to highlight the grave responsibility for our children in the chorus “Oh children where are you, in 2042”, i.e. please don’t fail in your mission to continue to protect Antarctica, because this is what is likely to happen and there is no going back.” Red White & Green Records RWG CDR0601; www.rwgrecords.com

THE NAVY LARK Volume 18 (2006)

The Navy Lark, the longest running comedy program in British radio history, was a concoction about the antics of the crew of HMS Troutbridge, on the BBC airwaves from March 1959 to July 1977 with 15 series. This double CD of four episodes includes Back from the Antarctic, broadcast on July 2, 1967. This caper has the Troutbridge, apparently returning from Antarctica, with a flotilla of various ships in tow. The program theme music was composed by harmonica virtuoso Tommy Reilly and by James Moody. BBC Audiobooks; www.bbcshop.com; (See also NAVY LARK Series 4 Volume 2 (2008) and NAVY LARK Series Two Volume 1 (2004) in this section.)

RESISTANCE: 2012 by Stereomotion (2006)

Stereomotion is the Goth electro/industrial solo project of German Florian Jäger. This disc includes the drum-heavy track Antarctica. Florian told us, “The inspiration for the track rests upon a strong yearning for loneliness, pureness and serenity. A strange feeling…a cold shelter. I was mesmerized by the Antarctic-theme when I wrote the song. The whale samples in the background emphasize the feelings which I wanted to convey with the track.” e-noxe nx048; www.stereomotion.de

SLIMMER DAN DE ZANGER by Bart Peeters (2006)

Peeters is a Flemish composer/TV personality/perfomer with a CD of interesting Euro rock and continental cabaret style songs, complete with accordion and mid-eastern instrumentation. Included on the CD (English title: Cleverer Than The Singer) is Pinguin Op Antarctica. His management company told us, “The song text is about all the things we have to communicate, but conversation and language itself is often a problem. So, you can chat with a penguin in Antarctica, you can send an E-mail to the moon.....” As the lyrics ask: “With three billion channels and TVs everywhere, why can’t we understand each other?” EMI 0094637696521; www.bartpeeters.net

THE PENGUIN LEAGUE by Antarctica Takes It! (2006)

This CD is by an exuberant indie group with kitchen sing-along appeal, from Santa Cruz, California, complete with accordion, glockenspiel, cello, violin, trumpet and ukulele. One of the best songs is the joyous, image-filled Antarctica. Sample lyrics: “We stole away from the crown of flame, For a cold land without a name, We had our maps and our compass set for the long journey ahead…We traced shapes across the starry skies, made our way through each tender night, We heard the weary whales too, And sang along ’neath the silver moon, Antarctica you stole our hearts…We felt the madness shake our souls, And grew our beards down to our toes…” The CD front cover shows a bearded scientist talking with a penguin and the back cover has a picture of a lopsided Sno-cat with attached crevasse detectors. Dylan McKeever, lead vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist told us in 2010 that “I got the name Antarctica Takes It! from looking at an old National Geographic from the 1970s that featured penguins and scientific expeditions. Those old photographs have a very nostalgic quality to them and that has a lot to do with where the name came from.” www.myspace.com/antarcticatakesit

EMPIRE OF SILENCE by the port fish (2006)

The port fish are a synthesizer duo from the Slovak Republic, with a CD of bubbly, atmospheric instrumental music, including the eight-minute track Antarctic. One half of the duo, Flow, explained for us the motivation for the track: “Well, I really don't know - the idea just came, and as we were working on the track we fell into the kind of mood like someone being alone in some deserted, frosty place. That’s how we came with the track title “Antarctic”. We’re usually trying to create some picture or short story from what we feel from our music, just for ourselves, to find the best title for every track. Sometimes it is fun, sometimes a torture... that’s how it goes.” iam-por-001; www.portfish.net

SHERBET by Newbie Brad (2006)

This is a solo CD of experimental electronic music by Tennessean Newbie Brad. Together with Pantha under the name 3 Pups Music, they either work alone, with each other, or with other artists, using electronic wind instruments, fretless electric guitar, software and other noisemakers to make rock, noise, ambient or orchestral music. The CD contains the track Salaam Antarctica and Newbie Brad told us, “My recollection is that Salaam Antarctica and Pengy were recordings I made on a challenge from another musician to make some compositions or recordings with Antarctica in mind. I made the compositions and recordings with my fretless electric guitar and manipulated the guitar’s signal through some software. I know the recordings are very odd, but I was happy with them. We produced a video called “Medley’ that includes the audio from Salaam Antarctica and Pengy" and the audio from another selection called “57 Midnights”: (www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Kofc-kNig).” 3PC-32006; 3pupsmusic.com

KAUAI by Chet (2006)

Victoria, B. C. band Chet offers a CD of haunting tunes and very idiosyncratic vocals by crooner Ryan Beattie. Included is the tropical-influenced Antarctica, with sample lyrics, “There’s some white bones out on the ice, and on a desolate night, when there’s no hope in sight, there are Hawaiian skies…You man the oars for a while. You talk yourself to sleep in the cold. You pull the heartstrings (of the men). You talk yourself to sleep in the cold…and out on the ice, there’s a lingering vice. If we don’t die of exposure, we’re bound to die of failure. A small taste of victory will soften your memory. There’s no beaches, no palms. Just the music of Hawaiian love songs.” Ryan informed us that the motivation for the track “is determination in spite of great nostalgic temptation, Ernest Shackleton being a prime example. Hawaii being his (in this story anyway) temptation/romance/will on such desolate terms.” ARG105; www.aaarghrecords.com

XENOPHOBIA by Rob Astor (2006)

Michigan-based synthesizer artist Rob Astor has made numerous instrumental CDs. This double disc includes the track Topic of Antarctica, with a floating 12 string guitar sound and a bass thundering like a falling glacier. www.myspace.com/soloartistrobastor

CENTURIES BEFORE LOVE AND WAR by Stars of Track and Field (2006)

The debut CD by this upcoming indie band from Portland, Oregon includes the wistful guitar-driven anthemic Movies of Antarctica. Wind-up 60150-13124-2; www.starsoftrackandfield.com

MOTION PICTURE MUSIC ’94 -’05 by Mick Harvey (2006)

Mick Harvey is an Australian rock musician, solo artist and member of the group, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. This CD is a collection of his film soundtracks, which include the 2004 Australian Simon Nasht-directed documentary, Frank Hurley - The Man Who Made History. Frank Hurley was Shackleton’s esteemed photographer on the Endurance Expedition. The eight short, spare Frank Hurley tracks include three Antarctic themes: Setting Sail, Antarctica, and Things Gone Wrong. Mute Records 0094537749425; www.mickharvey.com

PROGRESS · REFORM by iLiKETRAiNS (2006)

Only a British group (this one is from Leeds) could open their debut disc with a track called Terra Nova, named after Robert Scott’s 1910-1912 South Pole expedition and ship. The music for this song (as well as for the entire disc) is slow, heavy and brooding, reflecting the deep subjects of thought. A special inclusion is the video of the Terra Nova soundtrack, portraying the fated South Pole march. It is complete with a miniature ship, expeditioners and styrofoam ice. Especially moving is the scene of the group climbing up through the Beardmore Glacier to the ice cap and the later scene played out by Titus Oates as he struggles out the tent to his death. fierce panda canada fpc nong43cd; www.iLiKETRAiNS.co.uk

GARDEN CITIES OF TOMORROW by Lullaby Baxter (2006)

From her singing career beginnings in Montreal almost a decade ago, Baxter’s second CD is a treasure of melodic pop with various instrumentation and breathy vocals. It includes the track Antarctica. Boompa BPA015; www.lullabybaxter.com

ANTARCTICA a storybook record by the Never (2006)

This is a combination CD and small, illustrated book about a small boy, Paul, and his misadventures with a witch. When he gets scared, he “closes his eyes and goes to Antarctica just in his mind.” The CD is by a North Carolina rock group, one of whose members wrote the book and includes the track Antarctica. TRK 023; www.trekkyrecords.com

HOT LOVE by Buttercup (2006)

San Antonio, Texas is home base for these performance artists/ vocal driven rock group, which has a puzzling song, Anti-Antarctica on their CD, with the chorus, “so come to me now, come further south, Antarctica, Anti-Antarctica.” www.buttercult.com

LOVER, THE LORD HAS LEFT US by the Sound of Animals Fighting (2006)

Progressive, experimental rock music from a California ensemble of musicians from various indie bands. St. Broadrick is in Antarctica is a strange musical/vocal chant with no apparent connection with the continent. Evr127; www.thesoundofanimalsfighting.com

MUSICAL MISSIONS by Little Einsteins (2006)

This CD is a Walt Disney Records’ undertaking to promote children’s development through music and rhythm. One of the four musical voyages the kids take on the CD is to Antarctica, backed by Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Disney 5008 61430-7; www.littleeinsteins.com

MOVEMENTS by Black Tie Dynasty (2006)

With a 1980s British guitar-synth band sound, this Dallas group has a track called Antarctica. IDOL Records IR 054; www.blacktiedynasty.com

LITERATURE by Dexxx (2006)

Dexxx is a Nashville-based urban grunge folkie. His CD includes the track Antarctica, about lost love: “You don’t need no flare gun tonight, ghost pains tell me where you are, 75º latitude, southern latitude, Antarctica”. Rockstarmessiah Records

STRING THEORY by Technetium (2006)

Seattle-based Technetium has issued numerous dance and club music CDs and this one contains the forceful instrumental Antarctica. Lorilee is the sole group member and she told us that, “I have a very deep fondness of the Antarctic. To me it is one of the world wonders, perfect for the photographer or for the arts because it is so pristine and untouched. There are not many places left in this world that hold such a natural beauty. Like the Aurora Borealis, there are some things in this world that can never be fully captured: the power, the beauty or even the hardship of the area. I tried in the song Antarctica but I only captured a small glimpse of what the region really has to offer. More songs would be needed to fully bridge upon the complexity, although I will save that for a future time. I am so happy to hear that others share my fondness of Antarctica.” WTFD Records 2006-041; www.technetiumrecords.com

STRING THEORY by The Determined Luddites (2006)

Led by twin mandolins, this virtuostic progressive folk/bluegrass quartet from Tucson has a song called Emperor of Antarctica. “Home, it’s where the heart is, but what about a heart that’s been cast upon the sand, Now I sit around and dream I’m the emperor of Antarctica, With storms and rivers of ice at my command….When I’m tanked up I believe I’m the emperor of Antarctica , And I guess I’ll have one more bottle of beer." When asked about the reason for the song, Dan Hostetler, vocalist and guitarist, told us, “Thanks for your question, possibly one of the more unusual requests I have gotten. I confess that I lifted the phrase the “emperor of Antarctica” from Sylvia Nasar’s biography of mathematician John Forbes Nash, “A Beautiful Mind”. Mr. Nash suffered from schizophrenia, and at the height of his delusional state, he imagined himself the emperor of Antarctica. When I read that passage, it struck me as a perfect metaphor for a state of emotional turmoil, and I used it for that and as a contrast to the rest of my song, which is set in and around the Sonoran Desert where I live. Hope that answers your question. It is hard to imagine there is a lot of music out there about Antarctica but one never knows. Enjoy the music.” Escape Goat Records 004; www.biggaloot.com/luddites

RETURN OF THE LYRICIST by Prophit (2006)

Hip hop/rap music from Tacoma, Washington-based Nelson Hurd includes the track Ice Man Antarctic Breeze. With more than 20 years of writing under his belt, Nelson’s advice is to keep moving. His lyrics are treacherously vicious and not for the casual easy listener. Prophit told us that “I came up with Antarctic Breeze because to me it is the purest air on earth, mostly untamed with all the pollution that clouds most of the earth’s air, relating to the song because it is not catering to what MTV or BET or any other commercial venues demand, to get airplay, though there is a double meaning to the song. It is a four-part saga between two characters: the Iceman and 7 Bill $ man. The 7 Bill $ man’s songs on the CD are entitled the 7 Bill $ man and Rivals. The Iceman’s songs are, of course, the Iceman and the Iceman Antarctic Breeze, which is meant to be an epic battle between two superpowers.” 4542; www.incredibleflow.com

APPLICATION ANTARCTICA DOWNLOAD FORM by Seht (2006)

New Zealand’s one-man electronica/ambient band (aka Stephen Clover) carries a one note drone, entitled Antarctica Download, for ten minutes too long (the length of the track). www.cpsip.co.nz

VERUCA SALT IV by Veruca Salt (2006)

Originally formed in Chicago in the early 1990s, the current edition of the band is Los Angeles-based and is led by co-founder Louise Post. Antarctica gets a fleeting mention as a reflection of eternity in the track Salt Flat Epic: “Pacific Ocean’s way too small for both of us to swim, Antarctica will have to thaw for us to meet again, and I respect the all of what is fair and worthy. And I will never feel this way about another person and will never feel this way again.” Sympathy Records; www.verucasalt.com

STILL STUCK IN THE GARAGE by Mott’s Old Men (2005)

Led by New York State-based Phill Marder, this group of garage band rockers had its beginnings in Phill’s original garage band, Mott’s Men, formed with college friends in Vermont in 1965. They played throughout the northeastern states and even recorded a local hit single in 1966 (included on the CD). Their current indie CD includes the track Murder at the South Pole. Sample verse: “Rape & murder, drugs & guns, Gangsters having too much fun, Can’t escape this violent world, A murder at the South Pole, violence in America.” Phill told us about the track in 2011: “The only connection to the South Pole is that the song concludes the world has become such a dangerous place that one can’t even escape the violence somewhere as remote as the South Pole.” While there have been no reported cases of murder at Antarctica’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, the mysterious death of an astrophysicist at the South Pole in 2000, from methanol poisoning, has never been solved.

LEAVING MADEIRA by FM Revolver (2005) (Web site download only)

FM Revolver is a San Diego, U.S.A-based hard rock group, formed in 2003. Their first record was a 4-song EP, which included the track Amundsen. There doesn’t seem to be any Antarctic reference in the song lyrics but the polar reference implied from the track and record names is to explorer Roald Amundsen’s famous telegraph sent to Robert Scott in 1910 from Madeira, the Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic: “Beg leave inform you Fram proceeding Antarctic. Amundsen.” By this, he surprised Scott’s British Terra Nova Antarctic Expedition with news that he was going to the South Pole and not to the Arctic, as had been planned and so would be a competitor for the quest for the South Pole. www.fmrevolver.bandcamp.com

PERPETUAL QUESTIONS by hr-Jazzensemble (2005)

The hr Jazz Ensemble is the studio jazz group of Hessian Broadcasting, the state broadcaster of Germany’s Hesse state, based in Frankfurt. Started in 1958, it still has its original core musicians and is the oldest continuous jazz group in Germany. The group is known for complex arrangements of its own compositions, as well as for experimentation and improvisation. On this CD are pieces recorded over 1999-2004, including Emperor of Antarctica a dramatic, propulsive jazz-rock flavoured track. hrmj 027-05; hr-music.de

INTERCONTINENTAL JOURNEY by Reinhardt Martinho (2005)

Martinho is a Netherlands-based multi-instrumentalist who plays in a variety of styles such as New Age, Chill, Jazz and Rhythm & Blues. His second CD takes us on a global voyage to various cities and continents. Included is the upbeat, jazzy track Antartic, which he describes on a music sales Web site as: “With the serenity of the Antarctic, this track is also built on the sound of the whales, peaceful and free to live in their territory.” www.reinhardtmartinho.com

GREEN by Living in Question (2005)

On their second CD, this Hawaiian-based rock group has a slow, dreamy instrumental track, My Name Is Antarctica. Lazy Bones Recordings 7 12657 09961 9; www.myspace.com/livinginquestion. This track also appears on the group’s CD of instrumental-only mixes of the GREEN album, HARD ROCK INSTRUMENTALS Vol. 2. www.lazybones.com

SACRIFICE MODERNE by various artists (2005) (Vinyl LP only)

This is a French LP, limited to 300 copies, of minimalist, industrial electronica by four German artists. One of the tracks is the moody Cinema Antarctica, by Silent Signals (aka Dirk Torben Klein). With vocals repeating the title of the track, the stark sound is reminiscent of early 1980s synthesizer bands. Invasion Planète Recordings IP021

THE SEVEN FIRES ROCK OPERA by Stardreamer (2005) (Web site download only)

Stardreamer (Richie Sinclair) is a Toronto, Ontario-based artist who apprenticed under the famous Canadian native artist Norval Morrisseau, Grand Shaman of the Ojibway Nation. A painter, teacher and leader of Morrisseau’s Thunderbird School of Shamanistic Arts, Sinclair is also a musician. According to his Web site, the rock opera (with lyrics by Andrew White) “brings the sacred Seven Fires prophecies together with the crucial theme of global warming. In an epic tale we follow the lives of two souls who reincarnate to re-experience one another, and record the revelations of humankind at the end of ages.” One of the songs from the work is the 16½-minute epic oeuvre Antarctica. Sample lyrics: “Turned to rivers by the sun, The ice down the mountain runs to the sea. Oceans come and join the rising tide. Set in motion long ago, Now the seeds have taken hold, Where there was cold, Now there is the heat to warm the fold…I see the ice formations glow, Reflecting in your eyes. We catch the view down avenues, Of something walking by, In the footsteps of the ancient nations. We see the lights, Of the world, Alive, Deep in the ocean. In a heartbeat comes the revelation, We are not alone. We are not alone.” www.7fires.com; www.loveofspirit.com

ANIMATED BAS-RELIEFS by Dormantgod (2005)

Dormantgod is the solo project of Joseph C., a Buenos Aires, Argentina-based alternative/metal musician with an admiration for H. P. Lovecraft’s literature and images. The cosmic, chilly ambient instrumental music on this CD contains the track Sub-Antarctic Nightmare and it is easy to imagine moving through underground caverns, being chased by time-forgotten ancient denizens of the deep that have awoken after eons of sleep. Joseph C. explained to us in 2009: “When I composed Sub-Antarctic Nightmare, my musical motivation was based, most of all, on the story “At the Mountains of Madness”, written by Howard Philips Lovecraft (1890-1937). The “nightmare” is the “shoggoth”, a protoplasmatic morphing creature abandoned in an underground dead city by an ancient star-traveller race, below the surface of an uncharted portion of Antarctica. That’s the reason why I’ve added a kind of “stone dragging” sound effect. The track Unearthing the Crinoideans is also an “Antarctic” track, based on another situation of the same story: when the expeditioners, who later would find the “shoggoth”, found in the first place some unbelievably well preserved corpses of that ancient star-traveller race. They called them “crinoideans” for similarities with the earthling starfish life form. That’s the reason I’ve added some “hammer” and “drops” sound effects.” Furias Records F1004; www.orionmusicfurias.com.ar/dormantgod

AIRWAVES: 100 YEARS OF RADIO by Loops + Topology (2005)

This is an interesting and well-executed concept CD by two prominent musical ensembles from Australia, whose members are virtuosos specializing in contemporary music and live performances. Loops is generally a trio, led by Jonathan Dimond, which starts from a jazz base and Topography is a modern classical/art music quintet. According to the enclosed booklet, the CD pays tribute to the age of radio and wireless communication and “celebrates both the medium and the century, looking back over a number of key events & people by means of recordings of broadcasts of voices. Our approach to these voices has been to make “voice portraits” – finding the characteristic musical qualities of each speaker & then emphasizing & underscoring them with instrumental accompaniment. The result is part opera, part documentary, part entertainment. We are fascinated by the way recorded sound has the power to take us to the actual people & events. It is a form of time travel.” The CD comprises 99 tracks of various lengths, which include famous politicians, military people, entertainers and other noteworthy characters, whose voices and speech cadences have been imitated or interpreted musically with overdubbed instrumental accompaniments. One of these tracks, Ernest Shackleton, is Shackleton’s 1910 “My South Polar Expedition” recording, considered to be the lesser known of his two recorded recitations about the 1907-09 Nimrod Antarctic Expedition. Jonathan Dimond told us about the track in 2009: “We used different approaches for different speeches on the CD; sometimes the speech-rhythm and/or pitch was used a lot more explicitly in the music. In this case, I only took occasional fragments from Shackleton and used them explicitly to generate harmony, melody and rhythm - usually at structural points. My trio Loops did an improvisation to an Imax-style Antarctic documentary on one occasion and it was this in part that inspired the approach, from memory.” Serrated Records 310505; www.jonathandimond.com; www.topologymusic.com

the APIARY by Jennifer Greer (2005)

Jennifer Greer is a Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter/pianist and performer, whose second CD contains a busy hive of stinging jazz/pop performances. She sings in a strong crystal clear voice, and her piano playing is outstanding, with other instrumentalists to push it along. The CD includes the track Shackleton’s Men, about the stranded Endurance Expedition on Elephant Island in 1916. Jennifer told us, “I don’t know when I first heard the story of Shackleton, probably over 5 years ago. Then in 2004 I watched the 3-hour documentary about the extraordinary voyage, and it affected me more than any documentary or account I had ever heard. I can still say so today. It is such an incredible story, each leg of the trip, that it seems almost supernatural. One day I was thinking about what it must have been like for the men, enduring the torturous wait on Elephant Island, the wait with no signs that it would ever end, to go home. That’s what “Shackleton’s Men” is about - their wait and their dreaming of home. It’s a very beautiful song, and I hope you like it.” Sample lyrics: “I don’t think that I remember green. The steeple on my church ringing through town…could you take one step inside here? Rolling with the surf and snow. Dreaming of a nether world and, aching for that grace to come… Why don’t you crawl round my town? Pluck me ice for my mouth? So that I can live again. And bring my heart home.” www.jennifergreer.com

TERRA MADRE by Luciano Biondini and Javier Girotto (2005)

This instrumental CD of original, modern pieces is a collaboration between two Italian jazz musicians, accordionist Biondini and saxophonist/flautist Girotto. The disk includes Antartico, a lively and tempestuous, tango-influenced piece played with this unusual combination of instruments (for an Antarctic tune) and it is easy to imagine the ebb and flow of furious Antarctic winds. Considering that Argentina has had a long history with Antarctica, as does Italy today, it seems surprising that there aren’t more Latin-influenced Antarctic tunes in the canon. The liner notes include the artists’ statement that “The Earth is our cradle, the material of ideas, the lap of everything which is life. This CD is the symbol of the respect we all owe her.” ENJA ENJ-9463 2; www.javiergirotto.com

MY LIFE IN BLACK AND WHITE by Cloudy Skies (2005)

Based in Portland, Oregon, Cloudy Skies is a loud, dynamic rock & roll bar band with Celtic, country and sea shanty influences. One of the tracks is called Shackleton, with a biting reference to the Boss, but no other Antarctic connections. Sample lyrics: “Well he’s taking these shots just like he’s Jack Dempsey and he’s poking his ice like he thinks he’s Shackleton and he’s hoping maybe he’ll catch her eye. And it seems to me she’s got a pretty face but there’s a viper underneath that satin and lace and I’m praying he makes it out alive.” www.mylifeinblackandwhite.com; www.myspace.com/mylifeinblackandwhite

ANTARCTICA by Antarctica (2005) (Vinyl LP only)

Matt Schwartz is a London, U.K.-based composer and producer of dance music who uses various group names, both alone and with collaborators, including Antarctica, a co-project with Mark Gilbert. The two tracks on this LP include Antarctica Sun Version and Antarctica Original Mix, hard-hitting tub thumpers, great for listening to on iPods when trekking out on the Ice. DEST12DJX01; www.destined-records.com

ANTARCTICA by the Bedford Incident (2005)

The Sheffield, U.K.-based light rock band has the track Antarctica on their 5-song minidisc. The lyrics seem to be as concerned with global freezing as with warming: “How cold can it be, when it drops to -3º?... Global warmth of ice age, fur lined gilded cage…One day we will be in Antarctica. It will be just like in prehistory. There’ll be lots of snow with nowhere left to go. We must keep warm to be the last life form.” High Rise Records; www.thebedfordincident.co.uk

NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD IN DUB by Zion Train (2005)

Zion Train is a London, U.K.-based dub/dance reggae group, formed in 1990 and popular in the alternative- underground club scene. This CD is a reissue of the original 1994 vinyl LP, with tracks named after various significant world-wide natural formations or sites, which the group had read about or visited. Included is the track Ross Ice Shelf, which could well be the world’s only reggae tribute to Antarctica’s major ice shelf, often compared in size to France. Group member (Neil) Perch told us in 2008 that “The sheer beauty of the place inspired us.” The liner notes describe the Shelf as “around 500 miles long and almost as wide. This vast free floating iceberg was named after the British Explorer James Clark Ross who found it in 1841. In places the ice reaches a thickness of 2000 feet.” The track percolates and bubbles along crisply, underlain by the requisite heavy bass. Universal Egg Records WWCD005R; www.wobblyweb.com/zt

WATER SPHERE by Pilot Drift (2005)

The Texarkana, Texas group has a wide ranging sound on the CD, spanning from hard rock to the theatrical. Included is Elephant Island, a very dramatic song about Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition. It starts as folk song, changing to a heavy rock chorus, with further verses in a waltz tempo and then moving to circus-like calliope music. The group’s singer and songwriter, Kelly Carr told us that “the reason/motivation for that song is two things really. First, it was a story that was very inspirational to my father, that he passed down to me. Second, it’s a story that I could relate to in the context of the Christian faith. Shackleton, like Christ, was the sole purpose that all his men survived. A situation that is so dire, most people would have given up. But the men’s faith in Shackleton’s leadership and his word enabled them to press on when it all seemed impossible. I picture myself waiting on Elephant Island, my leader I believe in, saying that he will return for me. There are parallel struggles with that voice in one’s head that doubts, starts rationalizing chances. But it comes back to faith. Sure enough, Shackleton (like Christ), returns like he said he would, rescuing all of them. If they didn’t believe, they would have died.”

Lyrics: “Scratch one more dash on the bow of the boat, as nineteen months forces pride down our throats. Throw another dog on the fire. Try not to think of your desires. Seasons change but the days look the same. Our faces age as our beards grow in shame. Insanity’s eyes creeps up with a laugh, when Hurley almost lost the photographs. Listen men, keep your eyes to the sun, who melts the ice caps away. Hey! Hey! Hey! Hold tight to the Captain’s words of Shackleton’s Return. A year and a half drifting in the Weddell Sea, Endurance froze and sank, we left in no luxury. We rowed our way to Elephant Island. He left to find the whaler’s helping hand. We drank up the wine trying to pass up the time. We raise up our glass for today is our last. The band begins the dark circus parade, as spirits of all the crew men now fade. When that tugboat neared, Shackleton stood up tall on its bow calling, “Are you all well?!” to which was answered, “All safe, Boss, All well!”” Good Records GRR 007; www.pilotdrift.com

THE SUNLANDIC TWINS by of Montreal (2005)

Led by Kevin Barnes, this Georgia, U.S.A.-based group combines a light, melodic pop sound with darker lyrics over numerous CDs. This one has the track Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games. While not a polar song, it has the catchy, nihilistic chorus repeated throughout the song: “Let’s pretend we don’t exist, Let’s pretend we’re in Antarctica.” Polyvinyl Record Co. PRC-088; www.ofmontreal.net

THE COMPLETE NATIONAL ANTHEMS OF THE WORLD Volume 3 (2005)

This is a collection of eight CDs of national anthems, played by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, arranged and conducted by Peter Breiner. The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (which include the sub-Antarctic Îles Kerguelen, Crozet and Amsterdam plus Terre Adélie, the continental part of Antarctica historically claimed by France) are represented by La Marseillaise, which is the French anthem. We note that no other sub-Antarctic Islands or continental parts claimed by other nations are represented by national anthems in the set. The liner notes state that, “From time to time, the general idea gains currency that national anthems are nowadays an anachronism. According to the critics’ arguments, these anthems were the product of a period of awakening nationalism. Today, however, there is wide endeavour to overcome narrow, national ways of thinking and acting, with the great aim of promoting the peaceful community and union of nations, to realize which should be the first principle for politicians all over the world.” MARCO POLO 8.225321

DREAMWIND - EARLY YEARS ON MP3 by Dreamwind (2005)

Dreamwind is a Birmingham, Alabama electronic space music trio with over 166 CDs of digitally recorded instrumental improvisations, played with numerous synthesizers and bass. This compilation has the percolating ambient track Colonial Antartica. www.broadjam.com/dreamwind

GRAVE NEW WORLD by Antarctica vs. the World (2005)

Heavy metal punk music by a now disbanded New Orleans group. Ominous band name but no Antarctic titles on the CD. According to a group website, they form “a union that thrives on terror and revels in horror. They destroy the crowd and themselves, and they leave a scar of blood and pain in their wake.” Tent-05; www.tentcityrecords.com

LOST ELECTRICTY by missAntarctica (2005)

Intriguing name for the British-Dutch group but there are no Antarctic songs on this CD of U2-ish melodic but dark rock. Island 987 436-7; www.missantarctica.com

EGYPTIAN REGISTER by Gilt Trip (2005)

This is a very melodic CD of instrumental music from an Australian trio, with the suitably mysterious and eerie track The Arctic Antarctic. www.karmichit.com.

NORTH ATLANTIC DRIFT by Tena Palmer (2005)

Tena Palmer is an Ottawa-based singer/songwriter, whose talents range from jazz to folk and blues. She was the former vocalist with Ottawa’s Celtic jazz quartet, Chelsea Bridge, which won as best new Canadian group at the 1993 Montreal Jazz Festival. The present disc includes her forlorn Christmas in Antarctica, “It’s Christmas in Antarctica but no one seems to know. The same old scene, all white and clean, the same old snow. Another endless summer’s sunny day and night, no need for Christmas lights of red, gold and green. None of the penguins or seals ever heard of Bethlehem or know the angel’s words, still they have peace on earth. It’s Christmas in Antarctica, for what it’s worth.” TLP-001; www.tenapalmer.com

INNOCENCE by Ken Davis (2005)

Australian Ken Davis is well known for his instrumental music for relaxation and environmental awareness. The present disc of piano solos includes includes Theme For Antarctica, which, Ken told us, “was named as I have always had a fascination for Antarctica and intend in the next couple of years of going there on one of the expeditions they run from Australia through Australian Geographic Magazine Tours. The killing of the baby seals was finally outlawed and I’ve got footage from Greenpeace that would make anyone sick of the clubbing of baby seals as on the cover of the CD. So it is an Innocent Animal. I hope this has helped you understand. I am an environmentalist and a lover of nature and will always do what I can to prevent the culling of Baby Seals, Whales and Dolphins. Especially Minke Whales that are being hunted by the Japanese for so called ‘scientific’ studies. If you have looked into the eye of a huge humpback whale, as I have on several occasions, you would understand to kill these magnificent harmless creatures is a crime against humanity.” KDM1035 D; www.kendavismusic.com

SOUL NATURE by Tim Osborne (2005)

Washington State Osborne’s piano-based orchestrated New Age music includes the soothing Chapel of the Snows, about the Chapel at the U. S. Antarctic base, McMurdo Station. Tim spent two years in Antarctica with the U.S. Navy. He was a co-founder and tuba player for the Ross Island Brass, which was the only band of its kind on the continent. After eleven years in the Navy, Tim decided it was time to settle down and focus on his music. Tim told us, “On nice clear days the chapel was the perfect place to see spectacular views of the Transantarctic Mountains, particularly beautiful at the beginning of the summer season when the sun is still low in the sky. If I was lucky I would see Weddell seals and their pups and even a penguin or two. The chapel was always quiet, and with that marvelous view, made a perfect atmosphere for inspiration. Along with the view, I will always remember the wonderful friends I made while in Antarctica. I intend to return to Antarctica in the future.” Antarctic Music AM-052305; www.antarcticmusic.com

GRADUATION by Lagoon (2005)

Tucson’s rockers include the moody Arctic Antarctic on their debut CD. Singer-guitarist David Ziegler-Voll told us a relative “was going through some tough times and her doctor thought she might be bi-polar; hence the title Arctic/Antarctic. The song deals with my perspective about her situation living in a big cold empty house alone.” www.lagoononline.com

WORDLESS RHYMES by Dave Nachmanoff (2005)

Californian Nachmanoff has been British light rocker/troubador Al Stewart’s guitarist in recent years. On this disc he includes a reggified instrumental version of Stewart’s Antarctica. (See LAST DAYS OF THE CENTURY by Al Stewart - (1988, reissued 1997) in this section below.) Troubador Records TR009; www.davenach.com

HAPPY ALL THE TIME by Jake (2005)

British Columbia resident Jake Differ’s second CD of songs in a variety of styles, for children, includes the swaying Antarctic Soirée. “ Gonna rent a tuxedo, A pair of winter boots, A pocket full of jelly beans, And a bag of frozen fruit, Fish sticks by the seaside, Maybe then a little dip - Perhaps take in a light show, From some distant passing ship. Goin’ to a penguin party, Antarctic soirée, Those penguins really throw a great party, Antarctic soirée. On a floating piece of ice, That’s driftin’ in the sea, Lay back, enjoy the stars, And changing scenery. Goin’ to a penguin party, Antarctic soirée, Those penguins really throw a great party, Antarctic soirée. We’re slippin’ and slidin’, We’re dancin’ penguin style, Put your wrists down to your ankles, Just wobble ‘round and smile. I doubt that you can hear us, We’re so very far away, where no one pays us any mind, It’s here I want to stay.” MBJ-002; www.musicbyjake.com

WHICH WAY by Dan Junk (2005)

Florida musician Dan Junk includes a light guitar-based instrumental, Antarctica, in this jazzy/blues/rock CD of instrumentals and vocal tracks. Hazz Cat-Records 7049; www.danjunk.com

FOUND IN THE FLOOD by The Bled (2005)

Tucson, Arizona’s heavy metal rockers have included the track Antarctica, where “nothing lives here and no one comes here anymore”. Vagrant VR413; www.thebledsite.com

The music from DRAWING RESTRAINT 9 by Björk (2005)

Icelandic vocalist and recording persona Björk has provided the largely instrumental soundtrack to Matthew Barney’s conceptual allegorical film about a Japanese whaling ship with its cargo of a sculpture of liquid vaseline. At film’s end the ship is on its way through icebergs towards Antarctica. The last track on the CD is Antarctic Return, played on the sho, one of Japan’s oldest instruments, consisting of multiple reeds and pipes. One Little Indian OLI459; www.bjork.com

OPEN SEASON by British Sea Power (2005)

Widely heralded rising British rock group has written a melodic tribute to the melting and break up of the Antarctic Peninsula’s Larsen Ice shelf, Oh Larsen B. Lyrics include “You’re fractured and cold but your heart is unbroken, My favourite foremost coastal antarctic shelf. Oh Larsen B, oh you can fall on me. Oh Larsen B, desalinate the barren sea…. You had twelve thousand years, and now it’s over, five hundred billion tonnes of the purest pack ice and snow, Oh Larsen B, oh won’t you fall on me, Oh Larsen B, desalinate the barren sea”. A representative of the band told us that Yan, the composer, explained that “he has a great interest in ice related topics and wanted to write a love song to Larsen B.” Rough Trade TRA 30056-2

WHITE COLD DAYS by various artists (2005)

This CD includes six tracks by musicians of three rock groups, who met in Antarctica. Two of the tracks, while not about Antarctica, were recorded there in Dark Ice Studios, B-121, at McMurdo Station, the main American scientific base. LVG 001; www.livingnightengale.com

WORLD OUT OF BALANCE by Bill McGee (2005)

McGee, based in North Carolina, takes us around the globe with his synthesizer on this instrumental CD, which includes the track, Antarctica. He told us: “The inspiration to write Antarctica came to me towards the completion of World Out of Balance, which simply and hopefully, the CD title makes one agree that the state of geological destruction our world is in (at present), is getting to the point of no return, and such a beautiful continent as Antarctica has suffered enough with her violent weather, and now her atmosphere above is becoming more and more unprotected with the depletion of the Ozone. Hence the track: Hole in the Sky. I tried to write all of these tracks to make one realize there’s beauty left all around us, if we will allow it in and leave it well alone. As a child, and even now, to watch a documentary on this continent gets my complete undivided attention, as it should with everyone. I most definitely would love to visit there someday. I tried to write this song (through my mind’s eye) to make the listener feel as though they were travelling above the iced plains, (whichever means you choose), her circular sunsets, and the touch of her cold beauty - something to make you want to warm up to, if you will. I hope you have enjoyed the song as much as I did writing it, and I hope with this little bio on it I’ve written, you have seen in your thoughts what I’ve seen, and even now as I listen to it, occasionally, it takes me there.” Composure Music E1F6D3

ROUND THE HORNE The Collector’s Edition Series Four (2004)

Round the Horne was a BBC Radio comedy program, which ran in Britain in four series of weekly broadcasts from March 1965 to June 1968. Featuring Kenneth Horne and a cast of regulars, it presented provocative parodies, wordplays and absurd characters. This box set of nine CDs from Feb. 1968 to June 1968 includes the short sketch Gerald Monkshabit Live From Antarctica, broadcast April 28, 1968. Sample commentary: “The latest Byrd Expedition has just…in the Weddell Sea. It’s so cold here that our…have frozen to the packing cases. It’s been four days now since we put our…through the tent flaps, because outside you imply can’t see your… in front of your…” BBC Audiobooks; www.bbcshop.com;

APOLODOR by Ada Milea (2004)

Romania-based Ada Milea is an artist and singer, known for her off-beat style, who has performed throughout Europe and worked with Canada’s internationally known Cirque du Soleil. This is a Romanian CD about Apolodor the penguin, and his experiences around the world. Included is the upbeat track În Antarctica. While a children’s disc, the quirky but magnetic performances would attract all ages, knowledge of Romanian not required. A & A Records 160594-2; www.adamilea.ro

DARK LOGIC by Loch Vostok (2004)

Loch Vostok is an Uppsala, Sweden-based progressive metal band, formed in 2001 and named after Antarctica’s well-known under-ice lake. However, although this, their first CD and their further releases deal with the cold and dark psyche, the coldness and darkness of Antarctica does not appear in their songs. Magnetism Records MGR001; www.lochvostok.com; www.myspace.com/lochvostok

A CHRONICLE OF SIXTEEN SHOES by Rob Reid (2004)

Rob Reid is a Chicago, U.S.A.-based folksinger/songwriter/storyteller, whose second solo CD has the bluesy track South Pole Shuffle. The lyrics will be familiar to anyone setting off on an Antarctic trip from southern South America. Lyrics: “South of just about everywhere in the land of wind and fire, Trees grow horizontally like stubble on the bearded hills, Sheep are scattered all around like cotton balls on a field. I know a bird that cannot fly but they like to watch the helicopters fly overhead. They’ve never seen the trees come down and traffic jams a world away. They like the water cold, it’s getting warmer every day. This one’s for the penguins, everybody dance right now. Dressed like the best on Wall Street, they shuffle in time, while there’s still time, before the ice caps melt away.” We asked Rob about the lyrics in 2009 and he replied: “The imagery from South Pole Shuffle was inspired by a trip to Chilean Patagonia back in 2001- i. e. the “land of wind and fire”, “sheep are scattered all around”, “the trees grow horizontally”. We stopped at the Isla de Magdalena, an island whose entire population is penguins - about 10,000 of them. I’m from a very conservation-minded family (my brother is now a stream ecologist in Patagonia), and so I wrote this song to highlight the impact of global warming and melting polar ice caps on the penguin population. The South Pole reference is made by proximity, though I understand that the penguin population extends into Antarctica. When I play the song live, I teach the audience how to dance like penguins (keep your elbows and knees straight), and sometimes they’ll dance during the chorus at the end.” www.reliablerascal.com

OF PIGEONS AND OTHER CURIOSITIES by Nicki Jaine (2004)

Nicki Jaine is a Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist who combines a 1930s European cabaret style and quirky modern rock with an unusual speaking/singing voice. This CD has the fascinating track Antarctica, spoken bitterly and backed alternatively with ominous bells and frenzied guitar. Lyrics: “I hope that someday you will live in Antarctica, with all the icicles and the harsh winds, please, think of me when you arrive. If you should not live to see Antarctica, I will be waiting alone, so alone, for ghost that never arrives. Not that you came home at night when you were alive. I hope that someday you wake up in Antarctica, with all the emptiness and the cold winds, please, don’t bother saying goodbye. If you should not live to see Antarctica, I will die waiting alone, in the cold, for ghost that never arrives. Not that you cared about me when you were alive. I hope that someday we’ll live in Antarctica, if you don’t happen to die in Antarctica. I expect many postcards from Antarctica, so I know you’re thinking of me in Antarctica. I hope that someday you will live in Antarctica, if you don’t happen to die in Antarctica. I expect many postcards form Antarctica…” Shaman Records 8319; www.nickijaine.com

SONG FOR MY FATHER by Dave Hepler (2004)

Indianapolis, Indiana-based jazz pianist and group leader Hepler began playing music at eight years of age and has been playing professionally ever since, having issued six CDs. This disc was dedicated to his late musician father, a trumpeter, and the influence he had on Dave’s playing. Included on the disc are numerous tracks written by Dave, including The Saga of Shackleton. The CD booklet explains that “My brother-in-law gave me the book entitled “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic” for Christmas. I read this book in the month of January as the weather approached an infinitesimal fraction of what was described in the book. Shackleton’s crew of 27 men sailed, hiked and survived months of 30 below zero temperatures and numerous times did not think they would make it. I have never heard of any true tale where men’s hearts were broken so many times yet somehow the spirit and fortitude of one Sir Ernest Shackleton led them through making it on foot when their ship was crushed and it seemed no hope was anywhere. I was inspired to come up with this rocky, tumultuous theme through what I imagined was the swaying ship encountering ice floes and terrifying obstacles for moving thru small areas of water, darkness, lack of food and energy.” Dave told us in 2009: “It is a partially improvised manifestation using my musical imagination to bring the adventuresome first theme to bear including a swaying feeling and tempo which evolves into many visual impressions from chronicled events on his most famous voyage. Effects of ice and virtually insurmountable conditions guide some of the developmental musical proceedings.” Hep Music 51556d; www.davehepler.com

ELEPHANT ISLAND EP by Sleeparchive (2004) (Vinyl LP only)

This clear vinyl record of minimalist beat-heavy electronica/techno music from Germany-based Sleeparchive (aka Roger Semsroth) contains the 7-minute track Elephant Island, which begins with an excerpt from one of the two Ernest Shackleton recitations made on record, the March 30, 1910 My South Polar Expedition. Roger told us in 2009 that “I really like the story about Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to the South Pole.” The cover of his 2007 CD with Antti Rannisto has a sleepy looking face photo by Frank Hurley of Lupoid, a sledge dog from Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition of 1914-16, named for his wolf-like looks. “The picture of Lupoid (the dog) was just one of the best photos of one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen!!!!” Archive No. 1; www.sleeparchive.de; (See also SLEEPARCHIVE / ANTTI RANNISTO (2007) in this section.)

HARD by Dying is Easy (2004)

Atlanta-based Chris Windham is a solo electronic artist with many CDs of industrial/ambient instrumental music. This CD is a reissue of his first album in 2000 and has the track Antarctica, which combines windswept synthesizer passages with drumbeats trying to break through the bleakness. Chris told us in 2008 that “the sound of the song as a whole reminded me of desolation and coldscapes and I figured the name fit perfectly”. Bebop Records BEBOP001; www.dyingiseasy.net

DOUBLE REDUNDANCY by Einstein’s Little Homunculus (2004)

This double CD is a re-release of two albums originally recorded live in 1993 and 1995 by classmates and friends at the University of Rochester, N. Y. According to the band’s website, its folksy, acoustic music is a “mixture of slightly skewed original songs and rockin’ arrangements of jigs, reels, and other melodies from the British Isles and beyond.” Included is the track Antarctica from the 1995 sessions. The group’s Paul Crook told us in 2008 that “I wrote Antarctica in 1983, when I was 16 years old. We had just studied the continent in school, and I was trying to envision an Antarctic tourism campaign. “Penguins and glaciers and love” was the best I could do at the time. Many years later (1990), one of my roommates went to McMurdo Station to engage in atmospheric research, and I was able to exchange satellite-relayed E-mail with him while he was there. That’s about as close as I’ve gotten to visiting, besides a trip to Dunedin, New Zealand, five years ago (where I saw penguins in their native waters for the first time).” Lyrics for this upbeat 1-minute ditty are: “Antarctica, Antarctica, a place where you want to be, Antarctica, Antarctica, it’s made out of frozen sea, Antarctica, Antarctica, we’re all gonna have a blast, Antarctica, Antarctica, an icy breath of the past, Antarctica, Antarctica, come down with your kids and your wife, Antarctica, Antarctica, you can ski for the rest of your life, Antarctica, Antarctica, you can’t be too sure about gold, Antarctica, Antarctica, but you know that your beers’ll be cold, Antarctica, Antarctica, ain’t got much industrial stuff, Antarctica, Antarctica, just penguins and glaciers and love.” Accordion School Music AS-0300; www.elh.org

THE NAVY LARK Series Two Volume 1 (2004)

The Navy Lark, the longest running comedy program in British radio history, was a concoction about the antics of the crew of HMS Troutbridge, on the BBC airwaves from March 1959 to July 1977 with 15 series. This box set of six CDs contains the first fourteen episodes from October 1959 to January 1960 (three of which are missing from BBC archives and from this collection but include the scripts). It includes episode 9, The Charter Trip to Antarctica, in which a local Geographical Society charters the Royal Navy ship Troutbridge for the trip to Antarctica and which, of course, goes off track. The program theme music was composed by harmonica virtuoso Tommy Reilly and by James Moody. BBC Audiobooks; www.bbcshop.com; (See also NAVY LARK Series 4 Volume 2 (2008) and NAVY LARK Series 18 (2006) in this section.)

FAKE OUR DEATHS by Deloris (2004)

The Melbourne, Australia-based rock band, formed in 1999, has the track Local Antarctica on their fourth CD. One of the verses of the enigmatic song is: “Under stars of pale cold tin, one century passed to leave only clues and hints of a local Antarctica, a whole complete secret sea flowing inches from our feet…We talked like actors, we spoke like kings about the cheap things that we thought we did, never letting on that the ringing for the end was in the doorbells of our friends.” We asked Marcus Teague, the songwriter and principal band member about the lyrics. He told us that “the song is about growing up, and attempting to take in the naivety and innocence of your childhood before responsibilities and ‘adulthood’ kick in. I guess the ‘Antarctica’ in the song is used as a metaphor to suggest the hidden ‘mass’ of the timeline in the narrative. In the song, a town is described as the setting for this adolescent period. Towards the end of the song it’s alluded that there’s a ‘secret sea’ underneath it, and growing, which alludes to the secrets and division that creep up on you as your childhood slips away, and also to the fact that something huge is happening that no one can quite grasp - the elephant in the corner, if you like. It’s as if the town/time is reverting to an Antarctica-like land mass, one of vast distance, space, weight and density, too complex to completely understand or explain. I hope that doesn’t sound too pretentious. But that was the idea.” Dot Dash Recordings DASH001CD; www.delorisband.com; www.myspace.com/delorisband

ANGEL’S SHARE by Ian Tamblyn (2004)

Ian Tamblyn is a veteran Ottawa-area musician, playwright and educator/guide on nature cruise ships, who has made trips to both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. This CD of melodic folk songs is largely dedicated to the wonders of the northern Canadian outdoors. One of the most poignant tracks, Arc of Dreams and Prayers, sets the mood for humility in the face of nature: “Too big, too white, too much, my eyes can’t take in it all, Brilliant light, breathe in and dive, glide, glance, fall…The sounding whale, the albatross that carves an endless blue and something in the distance that is calling, calling you...The flume, the wing, the fluke, the thing that calls you to this place is bounded in our innocence, our wonder and our grace.” One of the songs is Paradise Bay, about one of the most scenic and visited sites on the Antarctic Peninsula: “White on blue, blue on white, Take your breath away, Watching the unfolding, Down in Paradise Bay. Blue on white, white on blue, Words are stripped away, Or seek redefinition down in Paradise Bay. Look at those mountains, Look at those whales in the sea, Something is happening, Something is happening to me. White on blue, blue on white, Don’t have much to say, ‘Cept I’m going deep down with them, Down in Paradise Bay.” North Track Records NT-25; www.tamblyn.com

LUMINARIA by Ian Moore (2004)

Ian Moore is a veteran Texan guitarist/singer-songwriter, now living in Seattle, Washington. His CD of thoughtful, melodic, mellow songs has the tribute track Sir Robert Scott. Lyrics: “Well Sir Robert Scott did someone break your heart, and send you on out in the cold, to the ends of the world on a Manchurian pony? Four men who believed every word that you said. Sir Robert Scott you’re a different sort and you had the whole world on your back. You carried that load like a good Christian soul to plant England’s flag deep in the Antarctic soil. But somebody beat you and now you don’t know. You say “My god, my god has left me behind, forsaken, forgotten in this ice and this snow, I’m getting weaker and I will not write anymore.” Sir Robert Scott you set back for your ship, for your men they were hungry and tired, and you’re not to blame for the blizzard that came eleven miles out from your food and your bed. Sir Robert Scott lay your head down to sleep, it’s ten years that are wasted and gone. Lay down for a while let the warmth overcome you and wait for the summer to come, because that’s when they’ll come back around. You say “My god, my god has left me behind, forsaken, forgotten in this ice and this snow. I’m getting weaker and I will not write anymore.” Yep Roc Records YEP 22083; www.ianmoore.com; an acoustic performance of this song is also available on an Ian Moore live DVD, LIVE FROM THE CACTUS CAFE (2003), released as MVD DR-4376

POLOSUR CELESTE by Marcelo Aedo (2004)

Aedo is a leading Chilean fusion bass player and multi-instrumentalist as well as composer, producer and teacher. His first CD of melodic and subdued jazz instrumentals contains the 6½ minute track Polosur (South Pole), a multi-faceted electric bass solo. Petroglyph Records PR-00312; www.marceloaedo.scd.cl

ULTIMATE TRANQUILITY (2004)

This double CD of themed instrumental New Age music, written by Stewart and Bradley James and performed by Hypnosis, includes the moody track Antarctica. Double Gold LMM 1702282

NO FRILLS by Amanda Kay (2004)

Amanda Kay is a Cairns, Australia-based singer/songwriter, performing throughout Australia. She became interested in music while working in Antarctica and her CD contains the track Mawson in Antarctica. She told us, “I wrote the song on my return voyage from Mawson Station in 1997. I went down to Mawson to see a place that not many people go to, to experience the extremes of the earth and to see Emperor penguins. I also wanted to be the first woman carpenter in Antarctica and spent the winter down there working as a senior carpenter. It was a hard year for me. This was the first song I’d ever written and learnt guitar out of a book whilst down there. Returning on the ‘Aurora Australis’, I saw the first new faces I’d seen for a month. Many of the people studying were on the ship and were talented musicians. They were the first to play the song with me and have given me a strong will to continue with music and creating my own stuff.” Sample lyrics, describing the tough experiences: “Why am I here so lost and so lonely, Standing outside and dancing alone, Tired of things moving around me, Mawson in Antarctica, Dale is my friend but there hard to come by, I growl too much and scare them away, I search horizons looking for rescue, Please help me now and take me away, Davis is close but too far to get to, I try to call but still feel alone, I don’t ring my family I would upset them, I’ve locked my own door and thrown away the key, I’m going home now is this my rescue, I’ve lost parts of my soul in the cold, Where will I go to, how have I changed? This is a lesson hard to explain.” www.kmusic.com.au

ANTARCTICA by the Secret Handshake (2004)

This is an acoustic solo pop CD by Luis Dubuc of Dallas, Texas. Despite the title, there aren’t any direct Antarctic songs on the disc. However, Luis told us, “Basically, the album has that sort of feeling, to it. Very desolate and stripped down. It wasn’t a conscious decision to name it that beforehand, but when I was sitting with the songs, it just seemed like a great way to sum up the songs with one word. Plus I’ve always had a mild fascination with Antarctica and the romantic ideals of any cold, desolate but beautiful place. I have another music project I named Eskimo Songs for the same kind of reason, I guess.” www.thesecrethandshake.net

ACOUSTIC GESTURES by Az Samad (2004)

Az Samad, a finger-style acoustic guitarist and composer-performer from Malaysia, was a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston when he recorded this solo instrumental disc. It includes the soothing Antartika, about which he writes in the liner notes: “I spelled it right. That’s how it’s spelled in Malay. I’ve always liked the feeling of snow, ice and the wind blowing into your face. This tune came about when I was trying to learn Dixie McGuire by Tommy Emmanuel. I don’t really remember that song but I’m glad it inspired this tune.” www.cdbaby.com

LIFEBLOOD by Manic Street Preachers (2004)

The Welsh band was formed in the late 1980s and has been known as a politically inspired, wild band with a loyal following. The Japanese edition of the CD features the bonus track Antarctic, with the lyrics, “As our bodies fall apart, left to the dust and bones, all we have is the fear, we’ll never carry you home. So hold all the reflections, baby it won’t hurt much, where did the feeling go, it feels like the Antarctic.” Sony Music Japan International Inc. EICP 435; www.manicstreetpreachers.com

LE MONDE ELECTRONIQUE DE FRANÇOIS DE ROUBAIX (2004) (THE ELECTRONIC WORLD OF FRANÇOIS DE ROUBAIX)

François de Roubaix (1939-1975) was a French multi instrumentalist, who was building a major reputation as a TV and film composer until his death in a diving accident. He experimented in combining acoustic instrumentation with the newly developing synthesizers of the early 1970s. According to the liner notes, in 1974 he was contacted by the well known Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the commander of the Calypso, to compose music for his Antarctic documentary, Voyage to the End of the World. The resulting original electro-acoustic music was rejected at the screening of the first episode by Cousteau, a musical conservative, who selected pieces by classicist Maurice Ravel. The full 23 minutes of unedited music is presented for the first time in this compilation CD. The titles of the seven tracks include Antarctica, Encounter with the Skua, Penguins on the Ice Floe, Dive in the Ice, Overflight, Whales and Farewell Antarctica. Universal Music 981 808 9; www.francoisderoubaix.com

GUITARLIGHT by Attila Jelinek (2004)

(Horst) Attila is a Hamburg, Germany based professional multi-instrumentalist. His current CD, which has an Adventure Network/ Patriot Hills, Antarctica crest on the cover, with penguins, icebergs and polar bears, is a blend of upbeat rock music, with a track, Antarctica, that has a heavy chant like Middle East flavour to it. Attila told us, “I am from Germany and Germany is a very little country, too many people and little place to live...and so I dream of big country Antarctica, where there is much space.” www.freenet-homepage.de/guitarlight/referenzen.html

AMAZONICA by Bobby Brazil (2004)

While there are no liner notes in this CD of Brazilian New Bossa (Nova), samba and dance music, Bobby Brazil is, however, reported to be a collective of musicians out of Nuremberg specializing in this genre. All the vocals are performed in Portuguese by Viviane de Farias. The tropical sounds include the steamy vocal/instrumental track Brahma vs. Antarctica. We are assuming that the title track refers to the 1999 Brazilian beer war/merger when one leading brewer, Brahma, acquired the other, Antarctica, with its popular brand of the same name. Brigade Nouveau Records BN 002-2; www.brigadenouveau.com; (See also THE NAME OF SOMEONE by the Hafler Trio (2009) in this section.)

SAGITTA - HELLO WORD by Sagitta (2004)

Sagitta is a Korean folk-rock duo with a double disc package of CD with DVD of the song tracks. Included is the spooky, sitar-driven song Night of Antarctic, with its scary video: “…Once had a dream about a body exhausting love, once had a dream about a soul burning song, but in the bitter cold at the end of the world, both of them are frozen to sleep in solitary ice.” Beatball Superstars-3; www.beatballrecords.com

THE NEW BLACK by the Antarcticans (2004)

The Pasadena/Los Angeles group is described in their web promo material as “sad dark Slave-Ghost Draculas!” While sadly, their CD has no Antarctic-themed tracks, we had to ask them the reason for their name. Guy Valdez, guitarist, told us, “Wow! Antarctica is cool. We just thought the name Antarcticans was a very cold and desolate sounding name. And we wanted a name that reflects our sound. And it sounds cool.” www.theantarcticans.com; www.myspace.com/theantarcticans

OAK OR ROCK by Phonophani (2004)

Norwegian Espen Sommer Eide has a track called Blind Birds of the Antarctic on this instrumental CD of experimental synthesizer electronica and sampled sounds. He told us “I collect good titles in a small book I carry with me. So I must have come across this one by chance somewhere. I will try to remember where. But as you understand, it is the music being made first and then the title added. So it is not motivated by Antarctica, but somehow I thought that the title fit the track perfectly!” Rune Grammofon RCD 2038; www.alog.net/phonophani/pp.html

TECHNOCLUB NEXT by various artists (2004)

This German double CD of trance/techno dance music includes Antarctic Rain by Two Roads, one of the slightly quieter cuts. Universal Music 060249823823-3; www.technoclub.tc

SEÑALES Y RUIDOS by Delta Cero (2004)

Chill-out/dance electronica from Spain includes the instrumental track Antarctica DC, 064271. FAL-042 LU-106-04; www.falcatruada.com; www.electromancer.com

WISCONSIN DAWN by Mark Bruland (2004)

Wisconsin-based Bruland is an organic farmer on his 46 acres as well as a musician. This New Age instrumental CD of various well-played themes includes the peaceful and serene piano-based Antarctic Night. Mark told us that “Antarctica and I really go back about 20 years to a time when I was working for Hill’s Science Diet pet food, in Los Angeles, CA. Our company helped sponsor Will Steiger's Trans-Antarctica dogsled journey then. We made some special high-calorie dog food (looked like brown bricks) and had them staged along his route so that whenever he would camp, he would have a pallet of this stuff waiting for him. Glad to say he DID make the trip successfully and never lost a dog! But I digress...When I write my songs, I use a technique similar to an artist who paints on canvas. I begin with a “voice” on my Yamaha keyboard that I am “in the mood for” at the time and begin recording. I build on that first sound or feeling and eventually a whole song comes together with the help of my digital 8-track studio. After I recorded this piece, I envisioned a wind-swept frozen place on earth (probably stimulated by our Wisconsin winters and the winds coming down from Minnesota and Saskatchewan). Antarctica came into my mind’s eye. And I thought about a broadcast that is currently on the Internet from Antarctica. Are you familiar with it? I think it would be VERY cool to have that song actually broadcast from Antarctica. Anyway, I pictured the long dark nights and very short days there, the wind blowing across the ice, and a lonely radio

station broadcasting from there when I named the song.” Mark Bruland Music

THE DEATHSHIP HAS A NEW CAPTAIN by the Vision Bleak (2004)

This is an operatic heavy metal concept album performed by Germans Schwadorf & Konstanz, with songs of death, doom and horror. Included is the track Horror of Antarctica, with references to the bizarre in the Antarctic literature of Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft: “Within the shadow of the arctic mounts of ice, night had veiled the pole and darkness filled the sky. The air was so cold – cutting our skin. Freezing voices called us and the winter winds did sing: “Tekeli-li, Tekeli-li” through the night. What ghoulish creatures brought ‘em forth? What sphere had opened wide? “Tekeli-li, Tekeli-li” through the air. Where it did lead us to, no mortal man should dare. Right before our eyes of monolithic size, one labyrinth of cities – draped in moonlight – did arise. Leading to the icy ruins a long forbidden site. Built by horror creatures from beyond our spheres of light.” PRO 066; www.the-vision-bleak.de

ALKALINE by Ben McAllister (2004)

Seattle-based McAllister, a rocker and film/TV composer, has a warbly track entitled Under Antarctic Ice. He told us that “I’m influenced very much by a guitarist named Henry Kaiser who, in addition to being an excellent player, is a diving instructor. He received a grant from the American National Science Foundation in 2002 and lived in Antarctica for some months. I saw videos of his dives and was inspired to name the track, but it was named after it was recorded - it sounded like being under the ice to me! You may be interested in him as well - www.henrykaiser.net is his website.” www.listenfaster.com

LATITUDE by Groundtruther (2004)

Improvised jazz by a New York-based group led by guitarist Charlie Hunter and drummer Bobby Previte. With the theme of the globe’s major latitudes, the CD includes two tracks entitled Antarctic Circle and South Pole. Thirsty Ear THI 57150.2; www.thirstyear.com; www.charliehunter.com; www.bobbyprevite.com

THE MUSIC OF THE CURABLE INTERNS Arranged For Solo Guitar by the Curable Interns (2004)

Louisiana guitarist Kenneth Johnston recorded these largely live instrumental tracks in 1986 in a variety of styles including blues, rock, gamelan and middle eastern. One of the tracks is the short dirge-like Antarctic Pyramid, which Kenneth told us, “was inspired by the Howard Phillips Lovecraft story “At the Mountains of Madness”, which tells the story of a scientific expedition to Antarctica that discovers the ruins of an ancient civilization of non-human beings that existed on earth from Pre-Cambrian days. The expedition finds the frozen bodies of large creatures resembling something from the sea cucumber family, which, of course, come to life when thawed out and cause some messy problems. There is also another, more malevolent life form lurking in the tunnels. Although probably influenced by Poe’s “Arthur Gordon Pym”, “Mountains” inspired the classic movie versions of “Who Goes There?” aka “The Thing”, and more recently the cheesy B movie “Alien vs. Predator”. Who knows what secrets lie buried under the ice?” www.curableinterns.com

ANTARCTICA by Angus Coull (2004)

Surprisingly, in view of the title, there are no Antarctica-related songs on this CD of strong synthesizer/vocal rock by the Coull, who is based in Scotland. We asked him about this and he told us that “in answer to your question, I’ve always found maps and far-away places fascinating, but especially really remote places like Antarctica. I think I called my album “Antarctica” because of that and because I liked the sound of the word itself. It’s really as simple as that!” www.stage.vitaminic.co.uk/angus_coull

TRAVELLING LIGHTS by François Carrier, Michel Lambert, Paul Bley and Gary Peacock (2004)

These four jazz masters recorded eight improvised instrumental pieces in Montreal during the Jazz Festival, named after the continents and seas, including Antarctica. Justin Time JUST 203-2; www.francoiscarrier.com

LIFE ON THE FLY by Azita (2004)

Chicago area keyboard-based rock group includes a jazzy Steely Dan-ish track Antarctica, with strange lyrics to match: “you can’t consider it land and you can not call it the sea, I’m alone with what seems like your suitcase and in your suitcase is a hand for me.” Drag City DC264CD

GOOGOL POWER PRESENTS MULTIPLICATION VACATION - THE MOVIE SOUNDTRACK (2004)

The earthling GoogolKids learn from the alien Googols about multiplication by travelling around the world. In the Penguin Rap 6X they travel to the icefields of Antarctica. Lyrics include: “Brr, I’m cold, I’m freezing. Where are we? In Antarctica. Careful where you walk, you don’t want to step into an ice crevasse. Look someone’s coming. It’s a penguin. Yo, Y’all don’t make me a fuss. I’m a penguin. My name’s Pythagorus. I’m a bird even though I never can fly. But, Yo I can sho’ multiply – Let’s go – Yo! We’d love to learn a few new tricks. Could you teach us to multiply by six? Let’s go, yo! Oooo here we go gang…Antarctica’s quite cool, you know, despite the wind and blowing snow. With the eco system the way it is, it’s a favorite place for scientists…Tell us what kind of creatures live here at the cold South Pole? Seals, whales, penguins and flying birds too, you know. Why do they come to Antarctica? To feed upon the krill, and there’s millions of moving icebergs. Oh, to me they look quite still. Let’s rest here by Mount Erebus. Oh, look there’s Pythagoras.” www.googolpower.com

DIRECTIONS IN AMERICAN NOISE by Winter Carousel, Jon Dus, Omnid, Bill Jarboe (2003)

This is a 4-disc box set by four various experimental artists. One of the four discs in the package is Letter to the Entomological Society of Antarctica by Winter Carousel, consisting of 24 minutes of orchestrated noise and sonics. Formed in 2001 in the Chicago area by Diane Nelson and Kazko Peasmith, Winter Carousel is an electronic/noise duo known for its live performances in animal and insect costumes. Although the bug theme is carried on various track titles on their disc, none of the individual pieces seem to have any connection with Antarctica. As a point of interest, there are believed to be 67 species of insects on continental and maritime Antarctica but only two species (springtails) live on the continent. Most of the species are parasites living on birds and seals and the rest are found on coastal islands. With global warming ongoing, there may well be an increase in the types of insects calling Antarctica home and opening up further activity in this field of study. Retinascan RE 26; www.insectdeli.com; www.myspace.com/wintercarousel

TRIO by Aoki Hunsinger Jarman (2003)

Bassist Tatsu Aoki, oboist and double reed specialist Robbie Lynn Hunsinger and saxophonist/clarinetist Joseph Jarman are three prominent veteran free-form jazz musicians who were based in Chicago, U.S.A. at the time these recording were made in 2000 and 2002. They joined forces to produce a CD of music that is delicate and controlled. One of the tracks is Larsen B, named after a part of the Larsen Ice Shelf on the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula along the Weddell Sea. The use of a kalimba (African thumb piano) gives a good imitation of melting ice. The 12,000 year-old Larsen B sector disintegrated rapidly in 2002, preceded by Larsen A in 1995 and to date the remaining part, Larsen C appears more stable. Robbie Lynn Hunsinger told us in 2010: “Yes, I named this piece after the Larsen B ice shelf collapse. All of the music on this album is totally improvised and I named the pieces after the recordings. I found this piece to evoke the shuddering motion and distressing meaning of this significant loss of the ice shelf. I was and still am very concerned about global warming and many other environmental and wildlife issues.” Melungeon Records MR-0003; www.melungeonrecords.org; www.robbiehunsinger.com; www.tatsuaoki.com

BONJOUR PETITE TRISTESSE by Gatter (2003)

Gatter is a German electronic/rock group and this CD includes the track Antarctica, a tribute to Robert Scott’s fateful South Pole Expedition of 1910-12, in which a female voice portraying Scott’s wife Kathleen reads a letter to Scott over alternating electronic sounds and heavy rock. Sample lyrics: “Dear Con: Write and tell me that you should go to the Pole, oh dear me, what’s the use of having energy and enterprise if a little thing like that can’t be done. So hurry up and don’t leave a stone unturned. And love me more and more because I need it. Your loving wife, Kathleen. You are frozen. The Pole, yes, but you are frozen.” Heiko Goergen (a.k.a. Subjunkie), the group’s electronics musician, told us in 2010 that for the track, “I was inspired from a CD called “Frost 79°40’” by Andreas Ammer & F. M. Einheit (F. M. Einheit was a member of “Einstürzende Neubauten”). The CD “Frost 79°40’” is dedicated to Scott and was released in the year 2000. The voice samples that I used in our track are from this CD, too.” Heiko also produced an alternate and equally haunting version of this track, backed by string sounds and more electronics, under his own solo project, Oscestra, with the title Lost in a White Out. www.gatter.info; www.oscestra.com; www.boxenzimmer-records.com; (See also FROST 79º 40’ by Andreas Ammer, F. M. Einheit, Pan Sonic and Gry (2000) in the “Non-Classical, all Antarctic or with significant Antarctic content” section.)

BESTIARIO by Metaconciencia (2003)

This is a Mexican instrumental group that has been together since 1996. Their first CD is a powerful showcase of guitar/keyboard-based progressive/jazz rock, including patches of acoustic guitar and Latin influences. The 7½-minute track Antártica, with an underlying rhythmic line similar to Dave Brubeck’s classic Take 5, covers many styles and tempos, much like the moods of the continent and its temporary inhabitants. Francisco Estrada, one of the virtuoso guitarists, told us in 2008 that “The name of Antartica is related to climate change issues (I do scientific research on this topic.)” MUSEA FGBG 4469.AR; www.geocities.com/metaconciencia

MISERY’S OMEN by Misery’s Omen (2003)

Adelaide, Australia’s heavy/black metal band, Misery’s Omen, now a trio, was formed in 1998 and has several recordings to date. This mini compilation CD includes the track Antarctic Ice Chasms. The howls and growls from the pits of depression and desolation, make it difficult to understand the lyrics, but Arganoth Doom, the guitarist and “salted wound vokillist”, told us in 2008 that “Antarctic Ice Chasms was based on a concept from Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft. Unfortunately the lyrics have long since been lost...” Bindrune Recordings brr002; www.bindrunerecordings.com; www.myspace.com/miserysomen

SERPENT TRAINS by Andrea Guskin (2003)

Andrea Guskin is a New York-based artist and songwriter, whose CD contains the very haunting and direct to the point track Antarctica. Andrea told us that “I have been fascinated with Antarctica for years, both as an artist and musician. The colors of the ice and the huge expanses contain a serenity for me, though I have never been there. This particular track I wrote about my feelings about being in (and leaving) a controlling, verbally abusive relationship. I wanted to be surrounded by “nothing” for a thousand miles. The last line “It’s quiet here in the other hemisphere and I have no fear…” is about finally getting out and reflecting on a new peace. The lyrics are: “Surround me with nothing for a thousand miles. Stretch out like Antarctica’s back for while. I am ice-time kept open after seasons asleep. I am oceans kept shielded but there is life underneath. Surround me. Surround me. With nothing. Her movements faked a glide as she moved from side to side. Waiting for the cracks in the ice to strike. Her movements faked a glide as she moved from side to side. Waiting for the cracks in his words to strike. Surround me. Surround me. With nothing. It’s quiet here in this other hemisphere. And I have no fear, I have no fear. Surround me. Surround me. With nothing.” www.andreaguskin.com

OSKAR TENNIS CHAMPION by Momus (2003)

Momus (aka Nick Currie) is a world-travelled Glaswegian-born musician, writer and multi-media artist who began his career in the early 1980s. To date, he has released 20 albums of eclectic, quirky avant garde pop music, characterized by his subversive, biting observations on culture and events. This CD has the track A Lapdog, about French philosophers and social movements, chihuahuas and Antarctica.

Lyrics: “Powerless, with my talk of Guy Debord and Gide, To rival a chihuahua or some other breed of lapdog, I sent you to Antarctica, I’m very sorry now. I sensed that I could only mean a thing to you, If I could somehow be a lapdog too. But to send you to Antarctica to face your certain death, Was a very, very heartless thing to do.

You’re wearing your pink flip flops, You tell me in your letter. You like the friendly crunch they make, On the snow, even though there’s horrible weather. You’ve brought your lapdog with you, It pokes its head out of your coat. The animal looks undeniably cute, With a little bark rising up in its throat. But penguins won’t stop following you, They march in a long black line. It’s menacing and sinister, And soon it will be night-time.

And the Situationists loom very small indeed, Alongside a chihuahua or some other breed of lapdog. Perhaps if they loomed smaller they’d be cute enough to love, And maybe someday I could mean something to you. If I could somehow be a lapdog too. So do people flirt and laugh, are they photographing you? If there were anybody there I’m sure they would do. But the last time you looked down to pat your lapdog’s tiny head, It’s little eyes were frozen, it was dead.

And penguins won’t stop following you, They march in a long black line. It’s menacing and sinister, And soon it will be night-time.

The Situationists and me loom very small indeed, Alongside a chihuahua or some other breed of lapdog. Perhaps if we were dumb and small enough, We’d become worthy of your love.”

We asked Momus about the reason for the track and he told us in 2008 that “When you opt to ignore somebody, it’s called ‘sending them to Coventry’. In my song the narrator, infuriated by a gormless but beautiful girl he meets who cares only for her lapdog, goes one better and sends her (and her chihuahua) to Antarctica to face social isolation and certain death from exposure.

The song’s landscape was influenced by a short prose piece by Ivor Cutler called (I think) ‘The Antarctic’ which goes, very approximately: “You’re walking through a landscape of penguin and craggy ice shelves. After tea, you feel the need to relieve yourself. Steadying yourself against a low escarpment, you begin to pee. What a racket! The whole Antarctic must have heard.” American Patchwork AMPATCH 005; www.imomus.com; imomus.livejournal.com

RECONSTRUCTION SITE by the Weakerthans (2003)

The Weakerthans are a Canadian alt-rock band working out of Winnipeg and Toronto. Their third CD contains the track Our Retired Explorer (Dines With Michel Foucault in Paris, 1961). Lyrics: “Just one more drink and then I should be on my way home. I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about. I've had a really nice time, but my dogs need to be fed. I must say that in the right light you look like Shackleton. Comment allez-vous ce soir? Je suis comme ci comme ça. Yes, a penguin taught me French back in Antarctica. I could show you the way shadows colonize snow. Ice breaking up on the bay off the Lassiter coast. Light failing over the pole as every longitude leads up to your frost bitten feet. Oh, you’re very sweet, thank you for the flowers and the book by Derrida, but I must be getting back to dear Antarctica. Say, do you have a ship and a dozen able men that maybe you could lend me?” Being curious about the references to French philosopher/historians Foucault and deconstructionist Jacques Derrida, we asked Stephen Carroll, vocalist and guitarist about the inspiration for the song. He replied: “We love (ant)arctic explorers, that is the inspiration.” The enhanced CD also includes a video of the soundtrack, complete with ice, dogs hauling a sled, an underground den, penguins, and sailing ship. Epitaph 86682-2; www.theweakerthans.org

A live concert version of the band singing this track as well as the whole concert DVD are available on the double CD/DVD package LIVE AT THE BURTON CUMMINGS THEATRE (2009); Epitaph 87067-2.

SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE by Keelhaul (2003)

Keelhaul is a veteran progressive, largely instrumental, metal band from Cleveland. Their current CD has the track Shackleton. In 2008, Chris Smith, guitarist and vocalist, told us that “I wrote the music and gave the song its title. Around the time I was writing it, I had seen a documentary film about Shackleton and the expeditions to Antarctica. The entire thing blew my mind: the fact that they had photographs and motion picture documentation during this was also quite amazing; that they were burning seals to cook seals; the fact that they all survived; the lifeboat trip to South Georgia Island. The music I was writing was to me full of an uneasy violent paranoia that felt like you were being run down by death: like every crack in the ice could be the one that gave way to your helpless grasping at life; or that at any moment you may just go mad when overwhelmed by the fear of never making it home and dying on the ice; something that seemed musically as harsh as the extremes of what the men of the Endurance Expedition had gone through. On approaching the band with the title, I explained the story of the Endurance Expedition and where I felt this was an appropriate title. That was agreed. Whether or not the lyrics were written with any of that in mind, I don’t know - our bass player Aaron wrote and sang the lyrics. As we are named Keelhaul, our music to me is crafted with the intent of voyaging into some new territory, to put ourselves into unfamiliar scapes, to push our abilities as musicians toward a deeper frontier of ourselves. The voyage and the uncertainty are themed in the band. Sometimes in a live performance we are like a storm beating on ourselves, seemingly to rip ourselves apart. A ship on a violent sea. I have always been drawn towards the sea and towards the extremes of deep winter. Towards the abyss and endlessness of the ocean, and of the arctic’s seeming infinity. Maybe it’s the Swede in me, the Viking chromosome buried in my DNA. I would love to visit the poles someday; so far I’ve only been as close as Iceland and the famously brutal Cleveland winters. Camping and hiking in February is one of my favorite times. HH666-76; www.keelhaul.info; www.myspace.com/mykeelhaul

FAIR WINDS AND A FOLLOWING SEA by the Boarding Party (2003)

The Washington, U.S.A. group was a seasoned quartet of performers, writers and historians/researchers of sea shanties and songs of the sea. One of the gems on the CD is The Old Peacock, a song about one of the ships of the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842, led by Lt. Charles Wilkes. This controversial expedition was one of the earliest to sight the Antarctic continent and managed to follow the eastern continental coast for nearly 1250 miles (the areas now called Terre Adélie and Wilkes Land). In 1985 an exhibit about the expedition was held at the National Museum of Natural History and one of the descendants of James Dwight Dana, the voyage’s civilian geologist/mineralogist, provided songs written by Dana about the expedition’s ships. It was believed that Dana and James Croxell Palmer, USN, naval officer and acting surgeon to the Expedition, collaborated on several songs, with Palmer providing lyrics. The poem from which the song came is from J. C. Palmer’s book, Antarctic Mariner’s Song. Palmer wrote of the incident in the song, “We were backed by the wind and current, against an immense ice floe tearing the rudder clean off; and the ship drifted helplessly against an island containing 32 square miles of solid ice, and about a hundred and eighty feet high; this carried away the taffrail and bulwarks, into the starboard gangway; and so the Peacock was despoiled of her tail.” The actual lyrics of the song, as printed in the very informative accompanying booklet, which includes copious historical background, are:

“We gathered a twig from the live-oak tree for a relic of love and of home, And away we stood for the polar sea, With spirits as light and with hearts as free as the crest of its snow-white foam.

In the happy old Peacock, the hearty old Peacock, We’ll jump to the pipe’s merry call, And spread to the gale her saucy tail And dash through the ice and all, me boys, And dash through the ice and all.

We got down at last where the sea froze fast and warned us to put her about, But we thought it a shame for a fowl of her fame to turn straight back on the course she came, so we thumped her right in and out.

Our pluck did not fail till we lost our tail, and then was high time to belay. But we stuck her clean through, and it came out anew, And if any man says this yarn is not true, Let him go there himself some day.”

Folk-Legacy CD 109; www.folklegacy.com; (See also SEA OF GLORY America’s Voyage of Discovery – The U.S. Exploring Expedition 1838-1842 by Nathaniel Philbrick, read by Dennis Boutsikaris (2003), in the preceding “all or significantly Antarctic” section.)

BROTHERS, SISTERS by North of America (2003)

Halifax, Nova Scotia’s rockers/punkers have a track called Voting “No” On the Warming of Antarctica. No discernible connection of lyrics to The Ice. Level Plane Records LP48; www.level-plane.com

BETTER FASTER STRONGER by Screwtape Lewis (2003)

The Alberta rock band has come up with one of the oddest contributions to Antarctic song lore with their King of Antarctica. Randl Lewis Bailer, the singer and guitarist told us that “the track in question was inspired by American mathematical genius John Forbes Nash. I read a very intriguing article about Nash years before the movie “A Beautiful Mind” was released. The article spoke more specifically to his darker side (which the movie omits in typical Hollywood style). The title was chosen because Nash, for a time, was committed to purchasing Antarctica for the express purpose of crowning himself king of the region. I found him to be a very colourful (and at that time obscure) character to write about.” SLCD08113; www.screwtapelewis.com

MONKEY COMFORT by Penelope Swales (2003)

Australian singer-guitarist Swales has released many solo CDs. The current one is a double disc containing a collection of earthy songs about humans as animals in the natural world. Included is Antarctica, which she tells us “was co-written by myself and a friend of mine. He’d written the music and the first line of the chorus, but got stuck at that point, and I came in and finished it. Dale wanted to talk about the vulnerability of Antarctica, and I wanted to talk about the purity of the landscape and the ecology, as contrasted with human greed and destructiveness. I was also intrigued by the way scientists can deduce so much about the history of the earth and of climate change by extracting ice cores and analysing them.”

The lyrics lean to the wistful: “Oh, will we ever learn to leave you lonely, when every inch and every acre’s treated as frontier? Just one footprint in the snow enough to change the course of history… What could our crazy minds learn from your white solitude? Could we ever face that truth? Oh, No! We fear to find ourselves so mean, so paltry, reflected at our true size in your majesty.” BMM269.2; www.penelopeswales.com

SIT DOWN AND LISTEN TO HOOVERPHONIC - THE LIVE THEATER RECORDINGS (2003)

The Belgian group Hooverphonic includes the introspective Antarctica in a fine CD of moody vocal-instrumental songs leaning towards jazz-pop. Columbia/Sony Music CPK-3179 (513650.2). An acoustic version of this track also appears on Hooverphonic’s EP THE LAST THING I NEED IS YOU (2003), Columbia/Sony Music COL 674370-2

SUCH SWEET THUNDER - Music of the Duke Ellington Orchestra by Lorraine Feather (2003)

Coming from a family well versed in jazz and friendly with the Ellington family, Feather has taken Duke Ellington tunes, written her own lyrics and provided vocals. This very smooth and strong musical set includes Antarctica, modelled on the 1962 instrumental Ricitic, with lyrics about a lost love relationship and working in Antarctica. Lorraine told us: “I've always been fascinated by the White Nights, but picked the title because it sang well with that music. I got some of my inspiration from a site called bigdeadplace.com.” Sanctuary 06076-86353-2; www.lorrainefeather.com

SIBLING & 1998 by Radio Berlin (2003)

This reissued double CD by the Vancouver synthesizer/guitar band contains Antarctica, originally recorded on cassette in 1998. Jack Duckworth, the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist told us about the background to the track: “I had purchased this old 60’s photo magazine from a thrift store that was basically themed “cities in snow” (I still have that magazine in a box somewhere). It was basically all of this cool photography of U.S. cities in snow. We actually used some distorted snippets of those images in the original cassette packaging of the demo. At the same time that song was written I had this mild fascination with Antarctica (through some research in books, etc.) - it being this huge chunk of “land” at the far end of the world and basically close to uninhabited by humans. So out of those two vague influences it kind of fuelled the feel and content for that song.” ACT123; www.radio-berlin.com

OUT OF ORDER – Soundtrack To The Surfers’ Documentary by various artists (2003)

This compilation includes the percussive synthesizer instrumental track Antarctica by Alan Parsons, a well-known music producer and leader of an established commercial rock collective under his name. The film tells the story of a surf team over two years and examines the nature of the surf culture and its alternative athletes. Aquarium 283067-2; www.myutopiarecordings.com

ANGELS IN AMERICA – Music From The HBO Film – music by Thomas Newman (2003)

The soundtrack to this miniseries television film, which is based on the Pulitzer prize-winning political Broadway play of the same name, includes the soothing orchestral instrumental track Mauve Antarctica. The play/film has a polar connection through its Angel Antarctica. Nonesuch 79837-2; www.nonesuch.com

WELCOME TO ANTARCTICA by Shoppy (2003)

This California trio includes a heavy metal, funky song Welcome to Antarctica on this CD of eclectic rock.

Tapiocashuhorn records; shoppymusic.com

NORTH POLE/SOUTH POLE (Nikelson & Maurice Night Remixes) by Solid Globe (2003) (Vinyl LP only)

The LP is an 8-minute onslaught of an electronica/trance drums and bass dance track called South Pole from a Dutch label. Fundamental Recordings FUN505; www.unitedrecordings.com

RETURN OF THE GODS – II by Nazca (2003)

Nazca is a Peruvian instrumental group, led by Enrique Camac, which specializes in pan flute-driven atmospheric and nature-themed music. This Italian CD includes the 5½-minute track Antarctic Continent, a bouncy number any penguin would be happy to hop along with. Azzurra Music MOR11029; www.azzurramusic.it

GROUND ALTITUDE by Acetate Zero (2002)

The Paris, France-based rock group has been together for over a decade and plays guitar-based post rock that varies from haunting minimalism to shattering sonic explosions. The band members are known as E, F, L, S and G and the group seems to have a definite affinity for the bleak and the dark side. One of the songs on this disc is Deception Island, a slow track, heavy with languid fuzz-toned guitars. We asked the band in 2010 whether the track was named after Antarctica’s Deception Island and singer/guitarist/bassist S told us: “This title comes from that island but the song is more about sadness and the uselessness of the life, the cold and blizzard. There are some other songs with the same ideas: High and Low Winter Landscape (on our 1^st album - SOFTCORE PARADISE (2003); Drumkid Records DKR001), Frozen (on the 3^rd – CRESTFALLEN (2004), Arbouse Recordings arbou011; also a live version of Frozen is on WE DENY THIS (2006), Arbouse Recordings arbou013) and Icecap Decline (on the 4^th - CIVILIZE THE SATANISTS (2007), Arbouse Recordings arbou018). For our next one, I’ve got a track called Snow White Carbonized.” Other likeminded tracks are Permanent Snow, on the disc PIECES IN TROUBLE (2000); Arbouse Recordings arbou002 and Total Blizzard on the vinyl single NORTHLAND TRAGEDY (2002); Orgasm spasm24. Arbouse Recordings arbou005; http://pagesperso-orange.fr/acetatezero/; www.myspace.com/acetatezero

PARK AVENUE by Mexico (2002)

This Japanese CD of tech house electronic music by Jun Yamabe has the sultry instrumental track Antarctica. Frogman Records usb-001cd

ADMIRAL BYRD’S DIARY by Jim Miksche (2002)

Jim Miksche is a veteran songwriter, musician and guitar teacher based in California and originally from Wisconsin. His current CD of melodic acoustic rock has the track Admiral Byrd’s Diary. A revered but controversial Arctic and Antarctic aviator and explorer of the modern age, Byrd and his crew were the first to fly over the South Pole in 1929 and he led four more Antarctic expeditions. The title track refers to conspiracy theorists’ bizarre speculation about a secret diary kept by Byrd of an Arctic flight (claimed to be in 1947) and his search for a subterranean world. Chorus: “Admiral Byrd, your diary says you’re somewhere no one’s been, Admiral Byrd, the Arctic is a nightmare of frozen wind, But your diary sees a world that looks like Heaven, I don’t know, Mr. Byrd.” Jim told us about the background to his song in 2009: “At the time, I was reading a lot of pulp nonfiction, and Byrd came up a lot with regards to “hollow earth” theories. I then read his book, Alone, which I believe is beautifully written.” Alone was Byrd’s popular account of the 4½ months he spent in isolation at an Antarctic meteorological camp during which he nearly died from carbon monoxide poisoning. www.myspace.com/jimmiksche

THUMBTACK SMOOTHIE Math is Hard (2002)

Thumbtack Smoothie is a veteran session drummer from San Francisco, California, Carl Coletti, who has turned to solo experimental electronic music and samplers through four CDs. The 9-minute track Lake Vostok on his second CD is a mash of blips, gurgles and cacophony. If even a fraction of this activity is going on underneath the ice cap in Antarctica’s real Lake Vostok, then the scientific community is in for a long and interesting period of study. Thumbtack told us in 2009: “Lake Vostok is huge, deep, fresh and uncontaminated (as of yet no kerosene from Russian drilling). The more I learned about the lake the more I wanted to compose a track that felt as if you were under all that ice, vast and undisturbed.” Manic Obsessive Recordings MOR2851; www.myspace.com/thumbtacksmoothie

IELDRA WINGS by Wuji (2002)

This CD of live atmospheric, ambient music was recorded in Providence, Rhode Island over three days by three artists, Rachel Maloney (U.S.A.), Chris Turner (U.K.) and Peter Gresch (Germany) on various electronic and percussion instruments. One of the tracks is Ice Shelf, a spooky impression of what it might be like under an ice shelf, if not above. We asked Peter Gresch about the track in 2009 and he said: “As far as I recall the moment when talking about this track during the recording session, Chris, who named the tune, envisioned the plunge moment of a dive beneath an ice shelf, the varying colors of the water and the ice, the magnitude (primordialness) of the environment, and the sense of awe it must inspire.” www.wujimusic.com

BIRDS OF DARKNESS by Satans Penguins (2002)

Satans Penguins, formed in 1998 by Killerpenguin, is a Swedish black metal band which incorporates jazz and classical influences as well as exotic instruments in its musical styles. The present disc has the track Antarctic Winterstorm, with the ominous lyrics, “Penguins, Arise, The day has come, We will fly with the storm, And attack with the lightning, To extinct the human race, Before they extinct everything else. Sweeping across the countries, Destroying all we see, They don’t deserve the gift of life, Make room for the new race. After desolating the face of the earth, We will lay our eggs in the still warm ashes, And the fuzzy baby penguins, Will have human corpses for their first meal.” Another track, Behind Mountains of Ice, continues with the warning about evil penguins: “Behind mountains of ice, They are preparing for attack, When you least expect it, They will sneak up behind your back. They rule this place alone, Nobody is even there, Of satans evil penguins, You must beware.” The CD cover has four silhouetted penguins against a deep evening sunset and the booklet includes an Antarctic coastal snow and water scene. Heretic Sound HS001CD; also issued on a 2003 Russian CD: CD-Maximum Ltd. CDM 0903-1496; satanspenguins.metalclub.se; www.myspace.com/officialsatanspenguins

VOICES OF THE NIGHT by Riley Lee with Michael Atherton (2002)

Riley Lee is a Sydney, Australia-based music professor, performer and master of the shakuhachi, an Oriental end-blown bamboo flute with five finger holes. With its origins “predating historical documentation”, the CD liner notes describe a sect of Zen monks who thought of the shakuhachi as a “spiritual tool rather than a musical instrument”. Michael Atherton is also a Sydney-based music professor and composer/performer who plays various string, wind and percussion instruments. The shakuhachi tracks were recorded live in the Cathedral Cavern within the Jenolan Cave network, 4 hours’ drive from Sydney. This peaceful CD includes the track Antarctic Starscapes, a meditative piece sure to invoke south polar ethereal visions. In 2008, in response to our query about the track, Michael Atherton told us that “some years ago now, I was asked to complement Riley Lee’s shakuhachi improvisations with a range of instruments, textures and colours. If recollection serves me well, Riley chose a number of titles. In this case he was perhaps responding to the bright, crystalline timbre of the psaltery I played as an accompaniment. And if one travels west from the cities of Melbourne or Sydney, into the outback, as we call it, clear winter nights reveal a wonderful clarity of constellations such as the Southern Cross and a myriad stars. The eponymous ‘milky way’ and looking towards the southern celestial pole might be called a starscape.” New World Music NWCD581; www.rileylee.net; www.syncsonics.com

THE COSMIC MILK by Gregorio Bardini and Carlo Cantini (2002)

The two Italian New Age/ambient artists use a variety of electronic effects, flute and other wind instruments and violin on this instrumental CD, recorded in 1997. Included is the 9½-minute track Antartica Aurora. This aurora begins with a quiet flute, flares into reflective violin passages with an underlying deep primal drum beat and returns to solitude. Multimood Records MRC 034; www.multimood.com

THE WIDE WORLD OVER - A 40 YEAR CELEBRATION by the Chieftains (2002)

The Chieftains are an iconic Irish instrumental music group, founded in 1962. From their traditional Irish roots origins, over the years they have collaborated with many world-class popular musicians and soloists, winning six Grammy awards along the way. The present disc is notable for containing what may well be the only full musical track recorded in the Antarctic by artists of such high stature. The track is Cat Stevens’ Morning Has Broken, with vocals shared by Art Garfunkel and Canada’s jazz vocalist/pianist Diana Krall, backed by the Chieftains. The song was recorded on Jan. 1, 2000 aboard the Ocean Explorer I, which was cruising in the Antarctic Peninsula area to welcome in the new Millennium. It was a special charter sponsored by the “Young Presidents’ Organization”, a network for influential corporate presidents and business leaders to share their ideas of the future. According to the liner notes, “It was New Year’s Day 2000, the dawning of a new day, a new year, a new millennium. We awoke setting sail from Deception Island, Antarctica, crossing the treacherous Drake Passage bound for Ushuaia, Argentina. Fellow shipmates Diana Krall and Art Garfunkel joined us in the ship’s library (our make-shift studio), to brave the howling gales and churning seas to record this version of Morning Has Broken.” RCA Victor/BMG 09026-63917-2; www.thechieftains.com

PROVENANCE by Golden Rough (2002)

The Sydney, Australia-based band formed in 1995 and has made several CDs of literate, melodic country/pop rock. The present CD contains the track Antarctica, a sad tale of domestic strife as a parallel to Lawrence Oates leaving the tent on Scott’s fateful journey from the South Pole: “Nothing left to say now. Dirty plates, TV. Evening chill made deeper by the frozen expanse on the screen. Dogs and furs and snowshoes. He began to pack. Took the things he needed. Said “I don’t know when I will be back.” Antarctica, the final 3. Lawrence Oates prepared to leave, “I may be some time…” He could trace the changes since the cable came and the children vanished. The blows had outnumbered the gains. Stepping through the threshold to the autumn night. All he saw outside now was blinding, unknowable white.” Candle Records CAN2520; www.candlerecords.com/au

EÏDOS by Virga (2002)

Virga is the band name of French electronica solo artist Lionel Maraval. The industrial-sounding disc has a monotonous instrumental track called Antarctique. Unique Records UR02; www.uniquerecords.org

MOTHER INVENTION by Stramonio (2002)

Melodic progressive heavy metal by the Italian group includes the track Antarctic Oasis. Frontiers Records FR CD 120; www.stramonio.com

AROUND THE WORLD IN FORTY MINUTES by Ronnie Cramer (2002)

Colorado-based Cramer is a veteran musician, artist and independent filmmaker. His instrumental CD takes us on a musical trip around the world’s continents and seas, including the track Antarctica, a nebulous synthesizer soundscape. Scorched Earth Productions; www.cramer.org

HANDS (2002)

Hands was a progressive rock group collective in Texas that recorded in the late 1970s and 1980. The 10-minute instrumental/vocal track Antarctica, engineered in 1980, is a plea to “close the sea so you can stay free. Untamed and unchained as of yet..strong winds so mighty..Antarctica stand fast, snow features slick as glass, repel the final blow.” Ernie Myers, the composer and guitarist/vocalist, told us in 2004 that “I wrote Antarctica in 1977 about the upcoming 1986 (I think) agreement between 12 nations that were in control of the continent’s future at that time. There was talk of drilling for oil, minerals, etc. and I thought, and still do think, it was a shame that the only pristine environment left on the planet could be ruined. The song attempts to explore the great power and beauty of Antarctica as well as the sea life using different instruments to represent wind, whales, ice, etc.” Shroom Records SP-96001; www.shroomangel.com

ALL THAT YOU NEED by Ian Rushton (2002)

New Zealander Rushton has composed and produced a fine CD of piano-based New Age instrumentals including the upbeat cut Antarctic Winds. No label information provided on the CD.

ANTARCTICA (COLD COLD WORLD) by Mood Ruff (2002)

The hip hop track Antarctica (Cold Cold World) is a trailblazer in this genre of music. Group member Odario told us that “well ... Mood Ruff is a Winnipeg based group that has been criticized for years by our peers about living in such a cold city for so long ... the track itself was written just after the 9/11 incident, so our minds were in a dark place at the time and wanted to write something about the ‘cold’ world in which we live in and lastly, I am a former English major student who loves words ... so I used ‘Antarctica’ simply because I love the way the word looks and sounds. There is another group from Winnipeg that has made a reference to Antarctica in their song ‘Retired Explorer’ called the Weakerthans ... look them up.”

Slo Coach Recordings 7 77521 15042 1; www.urbnetrecords.com; www.moodruff.com

REST IN PEACE by Evilution (2002)

The French hard rock/metal band has a great track called Heroes of Antarctica about the Shackleton Endurance Expedition. Lyrics: “They had gone for glory, but something changed the story, of a few brave men who left dear old England, in the meantime, a slaughter bloodied Europe further. Men from the dominions entering competition, an Irishman at command, to dominate the icy land all these men had to see their fate, having faith in their mates. They were the heroes of Antarctica, they saw the Devil every hour, life was a fight to keep everybody alive, it was to be the end of the story of these men when a voice encouraged them to carry on until their last blow, hoping to see a rainbow. The ship had been stuck, the ice was like a rock, the journey failed but they had lives to save. That’s why four among them decided to brave the ocean and its waves to reach the Whalers Bay, back to Europe they saw hell, a rifle in their hands.” Brennus BR 8099; www.restinpeace.tribe.free.fr

EMPIRE MOON by Barry Thomas Goldberg (2002)

The Minnesota-based blues-folk rocker told us his motivation for writing the track Antarctica was “my concern about global warming. It’s a cautionary tale and a warning. The whole album was written in 2002 and is filled with cautionary tales, warnings of war and the temptation of empire.” HIJ Recordings 7906; www.ironweeds.com

ANTARCTICA STARTS HERE by Japan Air (2002)

There are no Antarctic tracks here on this CD of spacey instrumental/vocal synth rock, but the title of the CD has our attention. David Wainer of the North Carolina band told us “that title was something that just got collected over the years in a notebook...I think one of us heard it on a documentary or something. It also seemed pertinent to me, since that’s our debut CD. It’s kind of ironic, since we’re from the Deep South in the U.S., and probably couldn’t be further from Antarctica, but that made it kind of interesting too. Just a good all around title, we thought!” www.japanairband.com

THE CEILIDH ALBUM by Dave Swarbrick & Friends (2002)

This is a reissue of a 1978 record of instrumentals by one of the seminal talents of the late 1960s British folk-rock boom. Fiddler Swarbrick is joined by several bandmates from his Fairport Convention days and has included here a very melancholy track, Antarctic Ice. Storyville 1025703; www.storyville-records.com

DJS ON STRIKE! Too Hot for Solid Steel by Johnny Kawasaki and DJ Suspence (2002)

A very strange and confusing disc jockey CD, with titles such as Antartica, Our Home, Vostok, Penguins are the Best and Love, Feelings and Antartica. imp013; www.djsonstrike.com

ANTARCTIC DREAMS by Mack Bailey and Karen Ronne (2002)

This single-track CD is a 4-minute love song for the Antarctic. Bailey is a professional folk musician and has been, since 2004, a member of the current version of iconic folk group The Limeliters. Karen told us in 2010 that the song had its origin on an Antarctic cruise she was on at the time. She is a veteran folk musician and currently occasional performer with an Antarctic pedigree – her grandfather was a member of Amundsen’s South Pole Expedition, her father was Captain Finn Ronne, one of Richard Byrd’s expeditioners and an Antarctic expedition leader in his own right. Her mother, Edith “Jackie” Ronne, was one of the first two female members of an Antarctic expedition to overwinter and had the Ronne Ice Shelf named for her. CD available through www.antarcticconnection.com; www.karentupek.com; www.mackbailey.com;

IMMORTAL by Sons of Northern Darkness (2002)

Heavy metal rock from a German trio includes Antarctica. “Antarctica…the darkest face of ice, Antarctica…the coldest place of all, Antarctica…massive and unconquerable, its drama will unfold.” Nuclear Blast 6612-2; www.nuclearblast.de

WEEBEE TUNES Travel Adventures - The Journey Continues! (2002)

A series “dedicated to helping kids better understand the diversity of the world’s populations and physical geography”, this American disc of songs by Steve Wiebe, performed by various singers and instrumentalists in Chicago, includes two south polar songs, Sven Penguin and Antarctica: Who’s Make a Home in Antarctica? Lyrics to Sven Penguin: “All dressed up and nowhere to go, Sven! You’re in Antarctica. Where’s the party? Where’s the show? Sven! You’re in Antarctica. No Shakespeare, no Broadway, no opera, yet, still he’s so refined. Cultured through the Web at an abandoned science camp, this penguin’s totally online. All dressed up and nowhere to go, Sven! You’re in Antarctica.” Sample lyrics for Who’d Make a Home in Antarctica?: “Who’d make a home in Antarctica? Who’d make a home where it’s terribly cold? Who’d want a life in Antarctica? Who’d stand the ice, an unbearable life? Maybe we should take a look and see, who would it be? On the ice? In the Sea?... Girdwood Partners 60006; www.weebeetunes.com; (See also WEEBEE TUNES Travel Adventures - Get Your Passport (2001) below.)

WEEBEE TUNES Travel Adventures - Get Your Passport! (2001)

A series “dedicated to helping kids better understand the diversity of the world’s populations and physical geography”, this American disc of songs by Steve Wiebe, performed by various singers and instrumentalists in Chicago, includes two south polar songs, Sven Penguin and Antarctica: Race to Reach the South Pole. Sample lyrics of Race to the South Pole: “It was a race to reach the South Pole, Amidst blizzards and summer cold, Two teams raced to claim the prize, Here’s how the story’s told, Amundsen was from Norway, Captain Scott a British man, Both set sail to Antarctica, with a challenging plan…Amundsen used huskies to pull his team along, Scott tried ponies and motors, A plan that would go wrong. The Norwegian team was lucky, Weather was on their side, On December 14, 1911 they were the first to arrive. Now Scott’s team wasn’t far behind, They too would reach the Pole, But weakened from the weather, Their return would take its toll. On the race to reach the South Pole, The Norwegians were the first to tout the claim, As the first to reach the South Pole, Trekking across the frozen plain.” Girdwood Partners 60004; www.weebeetunes.com; (See also WEEBEE TUNES Travel Adventures – The Journey Continues (2002) above.)

TRIPMAG PRESENTS CZECHOSLOVAK SOUND SYSTEM 01 by various artists (2001)

This was a compilation promo CD for a Czech club scene magazine, Tripmag, published from 2000-2002. It issued numerous compilation records of electronic and hip hop music. Included on this CD is the 8-minute, pleasantly light rhythmic instrumental track Little Antarctic Trip (beat version) by Majestic 12, the Czech electronic music duo of Tomáš Glasberger and Martin Bártl. Tripmag 02/01

HIGH HORSES by Skender (2001)

Skender was a Perth, Australia indie rock group fronted by vocalist/guitarist Roly Skender, who was still making music and touring a decade later with his group the Tonics. This CD has the funky, beat-driven 3-minute instrumental track Antarctica. www.myspace.com/rolyskender

COOL AS CUCUMBERS by CAC (2001)

White rap from the Bush brothers of Portland, Oregon. Their only released CD includes the track Antarctica, which is not about Antarctica but has the biographical line “both of us never caught dead in nautica, both of us so white, people ask “are you from Antarctica?”, no but I oughta.” Brad Bush told us in 2009 about the origin of the song: “Really, the song was just named after the last line in the song, which says something about us being so cool that people ask if we’re from Antarctica. Because, you know, it’s cold there.” Sly Records 010; www.slyrecords.com; www.myspace.com/biffandjohnny

ALPHA.SOUTH by Alpha (2001)

This is a 4-track CD by the Bristol, U.K.-based pop/electronica and vocal group. The lush, moody track South (Pole Mix), while not Antarctic, has a catchy title and the CD cover has a great photo of a husky dog standing on ice. Virgin Records SADD12.7243897484 2 0; www.alphaheaven.com

THE TELESTIC DISFRACTURE by 5ive (2001)

5ive is a Boston, U.S.A.-based dark, psychedelic instrumental guitar and percussion duo. One of the tracks on this CD is the 11½-minute Synapse X3 – Sleep for the Larsen B Shelf, named after Antarctica’s disintegrated Ice Shelf. The piece starts quietly, gurgling like slowly melting ice but quickly turns into a raging guitar and drum-fed icy annihilation. Tortuga Recordings TR016; www.myspace.com/thereal5ive

ARMCHAIR CABARET by the Big Sky Mudflaps (2001)

Armchair Cabaret is a Montana, U.S.A-based group whose folksy style ranges from swing and jazz to Latin. Formed in 1975, they were still performing thirty years later. The music on this CD, their first, was originally released in 1979 and reissued in 2001. One of the tracks is Admiral Byrd’s Blues, a slow blues shuffle, named after the famed American polar explorer. Sample lyrics: “I never, ever dreamed I’d be down here, it’s so cold but I don’t care, I’m sitting on the bottom of the world. You may think I act anti-socially but here even birds dress formally, it’s nice to be on the bottom of the world. You know, I’m not teasing, when you see my teardrops freezing and you listen to me sneezing, while I wait up for the dawn. The temperature makes my skin turn blue, but that’s ok, my heart is too, what else is new on the bottom of the world? My teeth keep up their chatter and I keep getting sadder, but it really doesn’t matter, when the night is six months long…” David Horgan, guitarist, vocalist and founding member who wrote the track, explained its origins to us in 2010: “The song was written on a cold winter day in December 1973 (during the fuel crisis). It was sort of anti-inspired by the old song “Sitting on Top of the World!! I was feeling the polar opposite of that, so to speak…” Spud Records Spud SD21001; www.bigskymudflaps.com

BLACK SMOKER by Tom Opdahl (2001)

Opdahl is a Norwegian electronic musician. This CD of ambient techno music has the track Lake Vostok, which like the Lake itself, has a mysterious and nebulous aura about it. Biophon Records bio2cd; www.biosphere.no

GEODESIUM - Stellar Collections (2001)

The Geodesium Series is a collection of six CDs by Massachusetts-based Mark C. Petersen, who has been composing and performing space music for planetariums and their shows, internationally, for 30 years. This CD is a 20-year compilation of his electronic keyboard soundtracks and includes The MarsQuest Collection, a suite of 11 themes for the Red Planet. Included is the too-short, 1-minute Antarctica, complete with wind effects and chimes. In recent years, Antarctica’s Dry Valleys have often been cited as a suitable location for the study of isolation and extreme temperatures for future Mars travel, presumably the reason for the inclusion of this track within a Martian piece. Loch Ness Productions LNP 2101; www.lochnessproductions.com

ANTARCTIC HARMAGEDDON by Sabbat (2001) (Vinyl LP only)

Sabbat is a Japanese heavy metal band, started in 1983, which has issued various studio CDs and limited edition live records. This LP is notable for its title and the clear vinyl used for the pressing. Heavy Metal Super Star Records/Evil Records HMSS CD-010/ER666-HS14; www.isten.net/sabbat

ANTARCTICA The Most Extreme Land on Earth by Laura Grabb (2001) (Vinyl LP only)

The four tracks on this French LP of hardcore electronica club music are by a Detroit-based techno artist, active since the early 1990s and known for live shows in Europe. The music thumps away like a speeded up glacier, relentlessly grinding the terrain beneath its pounding mass. Perce-Oreille PO20; www.expressillon.com

FASMA by Vassilis Saleas (2001)

Saleas is a Greek clarinet virtuoso, who has accompanied numerous Greek musicians, including Vangelis. The New Age flavoured CD includes a cover of Vangelis’ well-known film score theme, Antarctica, a close reproduction of the original, but interesting here for the clarinet improvisations. FM 1253; www.fmrecords.net

SIGNOS – PANFLUTES MELODIES by Johnny Vega (2001)

Italy’s Johnny Vega is a superb pan flutist and the powerfully played Theme from Antarctica by Vangelis Papathanassiou is included on the disc, however we don’t recognize the tune to be from Vangelis’ Antarctica CD. It could be great job of improvisation or a tune by another Vangelis but we think it is the mislabelled Vangelis tune Blade Runner. MOR11003; www.azzurramusic.it

LIVE - MIDSUMMA FESTIVAL 2001 by Andrea Rieniets (2001)

This is a great live coffeehouse concert by Australian Rieniets, with an authentic Antarctic connection. Based on a trip to Antarctica, her inter-song patter includes the tale of a fire on the regular Australian supply vessel, along with her swinging Antarctic travel song Waiting for Ice. GGRL01; www.gorgeousworld.net

A GRANITE SCALE by Ironia (2001)

This New Jersey-based metal/rock group includes an Antarctic contribution with their tribute cut Shackleton Perseveres. Lyricist Nick Delonas tells us that his co-composer Chris Midkiff “asked me to come up with some lyrics. I asked him what he wanted it to be about and he said, “I don’t know. Just don't make it a love song. I hate love songs.” “So what then?” I asked. “I don’t know,” he said, “how about a shipwreck or something?” I knew about the Shackleton expedition, having seen a show on it a few years previously. So I went online and did a Google search to study what had happened in detail. Using what I found, I wrote lyrics to more-or-less match the actual story.”

First verse: “Vast ice floes gripped then crushed his ship. Left Shackleton’s cold crew adrift. “Well, should we just lie down and die?” he cried, “No! We’ll set sail toward South Georgia isle. Chip back the ice with your blistering hands. If we meet our bitter end, boys, we’ll live in songs of our countrymen.”

CV 32601; www.ironia.net

PARALLEL PATH by Harrison Edwards (2001)

Pennsylvania-based Edwards has included Antarctica on this serene instrumental New Age CD. As to his motivation for the track, he told us that “over the last few years I have seen several documentaries on PBS stations about Antarctica. I have been fascinated by the beauty of the Antarctic continent. One of the documentaries featured a lot of scenes filmed from below the ice, over 10 feet thick. As the sunlight came down through the ice, when viewed from below, it had a beautiful translucent blue color. The other aspect that I found inspiring was vast expanses of snow-covered mountains and valleys. In the music I wrote about Antarctica, I was trying to capture all of these sensations from what I saw - a cold, serene, almost religious sense of beauty. Some day I would like to visit there. For now I'll have to settle for watching documentaries and writing about it.” Arturim Records AR–20101; www.arturimrecords.com

ANTARCTIC ANTICS - Penguin Poems and Songs by Judy Sierra, Music by Scotty Huff and Robert Reynolds (2001)

Based on the children’s book of poems of the same name by Judy Sierra, country rock group Mavericks’ bass player Reynolds co-composed some great tunes to match the lyrics. From ballads to surf music, this disc rocks. It’s a howl to hear the Mavericks’ smooth-voiced lead singer Raul Malo warble, “the curl of your feathers makes my flippers grow weak; while you eat the fauna and I eat the flora, be my penguin.”

Weston Woods Studios CD391; www.scholastic.com/westonwoods

TOL & TOL The Collection (2001)

Cees and Thomas Tol are two polished German New Age artists with a peaceful instrumental cut called Antarctic Sunrise on this compilation CD of their work. da music CD 873602-2; www.da-music.de

THE EVERYDAY SEPARATION by Absinthe Blind (2001)

This Illinois-based pop/rock group has a song called Antarctica on their CD. Adam Fein, vocalist-guitarist told us “the reason for the title Antarctica - it was a metaphor for a lack of communication and me feeling like I was that far away from making things work in this particular situation.” The feeling of alienation seems to be a common theme on many Antarctic-themed tracks we have heard. MUD-CD-047; www.absintheblind.com

The song is also included in a compilation CD, PARASOL’S SWEET SIXTEEN, Vol. 4 (2003), Parasol Records 795306900429

ATLANTIS ASCENDANT by Bal-Sagoth (2001)

Well-played British heavy metal rock theatre based on the group’s vision of antediluvian warrior lore. The cut, In Search of the Lost Cities of Antarctica, reveals a rich theme, well-mined in Antarctic fiction: “Secrets locked within the ice, the endless ice of Antarctica, ‘Neath the peak of Erebus the First Ones sleep, Lords of Pangaea, Cities lost within the night, the frozen night of Antarctica, Pre-Cambrian, the Voyagers, beyond the stars, Lords of Pangaea. And humanity shall one day rediscover the secrets long-frozen within the lost cities of Antarctica!” Nuclear Blast 6584-2; www.nuclearblast.de

AWAKEN by Various Artists (2001)

Included on this disc of electronica/experimental music from Los Angeles is Antarctica by Mount Cyanide. Immergent 282004-2; www.electromatrix.com

TRUMANS WATER by Trumans Water (2001)

The CD has the track Equatorial Antarctica. Grunge garage rock - no information included with the disc. Emperor Jones ej38cd

IT’S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I’VE SEEN THE OCEAN by Jon Sheffield (2001)

Included on this disc of synthesized and sampled experimental music is the track, Antarctica (For Gabriel). The composer told us that “my five year old son named the song, actually – he was drawing a lot of maps and things at pre-school and I sampled him talking about them… and somehow his words and the overall feel of that track seemed to feel like ‘Antarctica’”. Tom 12-Lc11168; www.tomlab.de

BLACK EYE by Whirlybird (2001)

The Tennessee rock group includes their song Antarctica on this CD of melodic rock. “…I gave up my job, I gave up my car, I’m trusting the stars above, I'm losing my mind, I'm searching my heart, finding Antarctica…stung to the core, charting my soul, finding Antarctica, covered paths cut in the snow, would you regret and bury it, there's a love I'm still to know, did you forget, Antarctica.”

We asked Rob Robinson, the writer, guitarist and vocalist to tell us what the song is about and he gave us the following exposé: “A print of an Antarctica map was hanging in a studio I was working in, and I tied Antarctica and the imagery of the ice continent in with the quest for love in your heart and the trial of not becoming numb with the travails of life.” RobSum Records RSR555722; www.whirlybird.net

THE SKY AT NIGHT by Love Tractor (2001)

This Georgia-based rock group's Antarctica (Widespread Panic) is a slow, echoey instrumental with a touch of twangy guitar. A worthy addition to the Antarctic sound. Razor & Tie 7930182861-2

ANTARCTICA - ILLUSION/ RETURN TO REALITY/ ADRIFT (CAST YOUR MIND) by Steve Gibbs (2001/ 2000/ 2000)

Three separate mini-CDs of various mixes of unrelenting clubland dance music by British-based Australian Steve Gibbs, issued under the Antarctica name. The latest, Illusion, lost a “c”, printed as “Antartica” on the front cover. React Music 173/ 177/ 194; www.react-music.co.uk

Another Gibbs cut called Lazarev (Under the Iceshelf Dub) is available on a compilation CD called 21^st Century Trance 4; React CD209

KLARCNOVA by Klarcnova (2000)

Formed in 1996, Klarcnova is a North Carolina, U.S.A-based improvisational light jazz/pop group with an eclectic style. Its first CD has the track, Lake Vostok, sung with plaintive lead vocals by Bricelyn Strauch. It’s a satirical take on Antarctica’s mysterious lake, buried far under the ice. According the liner notes: “Lake Vostok is a full color travel brochure depicting cloudless skies, kodachrome mountains, and alluring European maidens swimming naked in its crystal clear waters.” Sample lyrics: “You can go where the lake is deep. Such a nice place, not to be missed. You can go where the crowds step aside, plenty of parking…the place to go Lake Vostok, Lake Vostok, Lake Vostok…Take a sweater, it gets cold at night. Get away from all the city lights, No strip malls or construction…The air is clear and the water is warm and the vista just goes on and on for miles…Because there’s just no place on earth to compare.” KM1183-2; www.myspace.com/klarcnova

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE by MI Project (2000)

This is a three-track CD of dance club music by the independent German Edel music record label and distributor. Two of the tracks are mixes of the well-known Mission Impossible theme by Lalo Schifrin and the third is the 7-minute track Antarctica (Deep Mission Mix), a thumping arpeggiated synthesizer romp on The Ice. Edel Records 0114365ERE

FETISH PARADE by Glacial Fear (2000)

A CD by this Italian thrash metal group has the propulsive track Antarctica, which was written (as per an interview at metal-rules.com) when France carried out its final phase of nuclear testing at Mururoa in French Polynesia, which ended in 1996. A few sample lyrics: “The end is near…Antarctica…devastation in the air.” Gianluca Molè, a founder of the group and the guitarist, told us in 2009 that “It’s one of the band’s oldest songs (originally featured in the group’s 1995 EP Atlasphere – the Burning Circle). The reason for the song is our deep respect for Planet Earth, so we did this track, with the continuous damage made by man, in our minds.” Negatron Records; www.northwindrecords.com; www.myspace.com/glacialfear

HEMISPHERES – Southern Cross (2000)

This is a collection of largely instrumental and a few vocal tracks of “an ambient world music fusion, taking inspiration from the peoples of the varied cultures of the Southern Hemisphere.” Included is the leisurely Antarctic Dream by composer, producer and bossa nova/jazz saxophonist Pierre-Jean Gidon, who is based in both France and Japan. The track is also part of his collection of concept music called Ice Lands, on a French Web music distributor, Kosinus. Pierre-Jean told us in 2009 that his “inspiration was the cold, empty abstract spaces, interpreted with saxophones, flutes and bass clarinets.” Delta 47 052; www.pjgidon.free.fr; www.myspace.com/pierrejeangidon; www.kosinus.fr; (See also POLES APART – Music Inspired by the Polar Regions (2000) in this section below.)

POLES APART – Music Inspired by the Polar Regions by various artists (2000)

This is a collection of New Age instrumental tracks by Pierre-Jean Gidon, Cacoethes, Inishkea, Steve Jolliffe (a former member of the influential German electronic group Tangerine Dream), William Loose and Paul Williams. The track titles are largely Arctic-themed but include such generic polar themes as Ice Lands, White Calm, Ice Mountain, Polar Crossing, White Desert, Desolation and Polar Wind. Included is the quiet south polar track Scott Island by Inishkea, presumably named for the small isolated, rarely visited island in the Ross Sea. Also included is the leisurely Antarctic Dream by composer, producer and bossa nova/jazz saxophonist Pierre-Jean Gidon, who is based in both France and Japan. The track is also part of his collection of concept music called Ice lands, on a French Web music distributor, Kosinus. Pierre-Jean told us in 2009 that his “inspiration was the cold, empty abstract spaces, interpreted with saxophones, flutes and bass clarinets.” Demon Music Group e2 ETCD 175; (See also HEMISPHERES - Southern Cross (2000) in this section above.)

THE SOUL OF THE SEVEN SEAS by Sam Dickens (2000)

Dickens has produced numerous “Soul of” CDs of themed meditation and relaxation music. This one, on a German label, is based on themes for the various oceans of the world, with music and spoken words written by Andreas Jacobs and Joshua Autumn, including a calm ode to the Antarctic Ocean, which is underlain with large synthesizer washes. The CD seems to be out of print but the music is downloadable from various music sites, including iTunes. Chance Music 761031-2

ANTARCTICA by Hedison & Clind (2000) (Vinyl LP only)

A Belgian production, this record has the heavy 9-minute, bass & drums track Antarctica, with different mixes on each side. Triptomatic 043; www.bonzaimusic.com

WIDE / OUT by Robert Merdzo (2000)

Merdzo is a German ambient/industrial/electronic music instrumentalist. His track Ross Ice Shelf Vacation is an interesting ambient piece that slowly cracks and pings, leaving the listener in doubt as to the stability of the icy terrain underfoot. Disco b db97cd; efa 29497-2; www.diskob.com

DOUBLE TAKE by Satoko Fujii Orchestra (2000)

Satoko Fujii is a Japanese virtuoso jazz pianist, composer/arranger and band leader, with orchestras in both Tokyo and New York. This is a double CD of edgy, experimental jazz with each band playing the centrepiece suite, Ruin, one disc of which was recorded live with an audience. The four-movement Ruin is a thematic suite about extreme environments, which includes The South Pole. Satoko told us in 2008 that “the suite expresses rough circumstances for human lives, Desert - no water, South Pole - extreme low temperature, Outer Space - no air, and Metropolis is the place people made for people, that became probably the toughest of places now.” Ewe records ewcd-0019/20; www.ewe.co.jp

SOUNDSCAPES Relaxing Music – Oasis (2000)

This Italian CD of electronic instrumental mood music by various performers contains the melodic Antarctica by Afterlife. NVRCD 709; www.cybertracks.it

ORANGE AVENUE by Paul Zollo (2000)

California-based singer-songwriter Zollo has a track here called Antarctica with some great lines: “Twice the size of Rhode Island, an iceberg breaks off from the Antarctic mass, And the mighty Bay of Whales is a bay no longer, If you were to break off from my life like that, This map would be altered forever, My Antarctic heart gets so frozen over”. Windyapple Records WA001

SUPERSONIC by Scotty and Lulu (2000)

U.K.-based children’s entertainers, Nick Harvey and Scott Ligertwood have included one song called Antarctica on this multi-themed CD with bubbly lyrics such as, “I once saw a rare white polar bear in Antarctica. His home was a snowy glacier in Antarctica. I once sent some mail to a friendly whale in Antarctica. He waved with his tail when he saw my sail in Antarctica. Where it snowed all day and it snowed all night. It snowed ‘til the whole wide world was white in Antarctica.”

Slurpy Sounds SL25500; www.scottylulu.com

BIOHAZARD - CODE: VERONICA - ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK (2000)

This is a full-length Japanese computer game soundtrack CD of short dynamic synthesized orchestral themes. Antarctica plays an important part here since 27 out of the 70 tracks are from two suites entitled Antarctic Transportation Terminal 1 & 2. The music was composed by Takeshi Miura, Hiziri Anze and Sanae Kasahara. CAPCOM CPCE 1037; www.capcom.co.jp/

LOST AND FOUND by KBB (2000)

Powerful symphonic jazz-rock instrumentals from a Japanese group, which includes a 13-minute suite, Antarctica. The composer, violinist and guitarist, Akihisa Tsuboy told us this opus was inspired by Antarctica's four seasons. The cover photo shows a very eerie icy desertscape. MUSEA FGBG 4363.AR; www.tsuboy.internet.ne.jp/kbb/

DR. WHO – Music From the Tenth Planet (2000)

The campy Doctor Who was a long running U. K. sci-fi horror television series, originating in 1963. The Tenth Planet was a 1966 episode in which Dr. Who and his small crew take shelter at a South Pole space mission tracking base to warn the scientists that the space capsule they have been following is being affected by the gravity of a tenth planet. The Cybermen, inhabitants of Earth’s lost twin planet, are at the same time landing in Antarctica to claim earth’s power and resources. This CD of the spooky soundtracks includes pieces from various composers, including Walter Stott (a.k.a Angela Morley), a prominent British arranger, composer and orchestra leader, as well as Canadians Dennis Farnon and his brother Robert Farnon, who was a leading light classical and film composer in Britain. Ochre Records OCH050. The black and white episode is available as a 94-minute black & white VHS tape. BBC Video E1529

DOCTOR WHO - Terror of the Zygons & The Seeds of Doom - music composed by Geoffrey Burgon (2000)

The campy Doctor Who was a long running U. K. sci-fi horror television series, originating in 1963. BBC Music has cleaned up the spooky original musical score tapes for the two adventures included here on CD, which were transmitted in 1975 and 1976. The six part The Seeds of Doom “was a shocker concerning a pair of plant pods discovered under the Antarctic permafrost which, when they burst, infected the nearest human beings and slowly transformed them into grotesque animal plants”. BBC Music WMSF 6020-2. The complete Dr. Who - The Seeds of Doom TV series with the two Antarctic episodes is available as a 144-minute colour VHS tape. They show a fairly realistic generic Antarctic base setting, complete with what looks like cheesy styrofoam snow pellets, in an early scene where the plant pods are first discovered in the ice. BBC Video 8294

IN DEFENSE OF OUR EARTH by Oi Polloi (2000)

This is a CD pressing of the Scottish punk band's 1990/1991 vinyl recordings, which includes World Park Antarctica, an uncompromising stomping plea for World Park status: “and the factory ships set sail - a death sentence for the whale and as the sea turns to red yet more life blood is shed...so will you really just stand by and watch the last great wilderness die? …Then, once they've sucked Antarctica, the governments and multinationals will move on, leaving it poisoned and scarred. Only one thing stands in their way - you!!” Southern Records WOWCD10

THE MOON & ANTARCTICA by Modest Mouse (2000)

Songs of alienation from Chicago-based rock group including The Cold Part. “So long to this cold cold part of the world, so long to this bone bleached part of the world.” Epic ek 63871

SHIGGAR FRAGGAR 2000 (2000)

Antarctica gets mentioned in a U.S. West Coast DJ performance live cut entitled Africa, Antarctica & Your Mom's House. HIP HOP SLAM 016

ARTANTICA by Urban Dance Squad (1999)

Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch group, initially formed in 1986, for a one-time festival jam session. It fused rap, rock, hip hop and other urban styles. International touring, recordings and success followed and the group charted with a # 21 single on Billboard in 1990. The group finally disbanded in 1999 and has reformed occasionally since then. While there is nothing polar in the tracks, the CD title gets our best misspelling of Antarctica award. The cover booklet sports an impressive aerial view of an iced-in Antarctic continent, looking like a white tea-time doily. Triple X Records 51269-2; www.uds.nl; www.myspace.com/urbandancesquad1

THE DREAMS OF GAIA by various artists (1999)

This is a 2-disc CD of natural recordings, including human activities, made by soundscape composers. Jim Cummings, the Executive Producer/Arranger, states in the booklet notes: “Offering touchstones on a path of remembering, a new breed of audio artists has emerged in the past ten years. These sound sculptors have spent countless hours seeking, responding to, and recording the voices of our world - from mountains to subways. They then dance with their muses in the studio, weaving sonic essays and aural portraits in a delightful range of styles.” One of the tracks is the 4½-minute Weddell Space, a recording of Weddell seals made under the Antarctic sea ice by Douglas Quin, who has separately recorded a full CD of various Antarctic sounds. The track notes explain the background: “In the icy waters of Antarctica, Weddell Seals create a sonic world of unearthly beauty and strangeness. The sheer variety of sounds amazes, while their haunting tones provoke wonder. We are hearing mostly males patrolling territories 20 meters in diameter, centered on breathing holes in the ice. The recordings were made at the onset of rutting season, in November (late spring). This piece offers us a chance to remember that we live in vastly different acoustic worlds than most of the sounding creatures we hear around us. We listen with ears very different than the seals’ ears; we live outside this sounding dream, peering from far away into a soundscape we only perceive in rough and transmuted form. We can barely even speculate at what it is like to be acoustic beings living within these powerful fields of sound in this frigid aquatic home along the edges of the ice shelf. Doug Quin offers these reflections: “In testing the ice, I could hear powerful and eerie sounds from under more than two meters of sea ice. Percussive chugs of posturing males played on the soles of my feet… The ocean seemed to be an infinite realm of otherworldly soundings; they whispered like radio frequencies at night, sounding over one another, in a lulling chorus that seemed to come from all over McMurdo Sound…The acoustic ecology of this remote world lies at the edge of human experience, and its complexities are still only dimly perceived. I left Antarctica with an open ear, humbled by knowing spaces and voices I could scarcely have imagined.”” Earth Ear ee9012; www.EarthEar.com (See also ANTARCTICA by Douglas Quin (1998) in the preceding “Non-Classical, all Antarctic or with significant Antarctic” category.)

JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING by David Zimmerman (1999)

At the time of this CD, David Zimmerman was a singer/songwriter/guitarist, based in New York State, U.S. and has since spent seasons working as a waste equipment operator at both McMurdo Station and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. He developed a reputation as an entertainer with his humourous songs and observations of life and frequently performed on the Ice as well as in Australia and New Zealand. This disc has the track Another Night in Christchurch, NZ, about getting a job in Antarctica and the frustrations of waiting for 12 days in Christchurch, NZ for good flying weather to McMurdo Station. David told us in 2009: “As it happens, I’ve been toying with the idea of putting together an album of Antarctic songs. That song on the CD was written on my way down there for the first time in 1998. I spent the next 6 years working 6 to 12 month contracts at McMurdo and South Pole stations and wrote a bunch of songs, less about penguins and more about what it’s like to live there. I haven’t been down there since 2004.” amcd1; www.zimmermonkey.com.

J’AIME LA NATURE (I LOVE NATURE) – Chansons by Sandrine Poirier-Jessica et al (1999)

This is a French CD of environmental songs for children composed by Gilles Arira and Bernard Mikaelian with vocals by Sandrine Poirier-Jessica. Included is the wistful, melodic track L’Antarctique (Antarctica). Lyrics (our translation): “There exists on this Earth a great frozen desert. This desert is called Antarctica. In the whiteness of the Antarctic, Far from the gentleness of the Atlantic, Summers are cold like winter, And the solitary sun sometimes shines the whole night long. In the whiteness of the Antarctic, Far from the colors of the Pacific, At times the sky is orange-colored, And for many years, Life over there hasn’t changed. It is a protected area populated by penguins. Everything is calm and beautiful, In the whiteness of the Antarctic.” Universal Jeunesse 157 940-2

TRYST by Iain MacInnes (1999)

Scottish piper MacInnes gives a salute to Scottish Antarctic history with his short reel Gilbert of the Antarctic. Gilbert Kerr was the cook on the Scotia during the 1902-04 Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, led by Dr. William Bruce. The understated expedition completed a survey of the Weddell Sea and discovered and explored the 200-mile coastline of Coats Land. Kerr had his pipes and kilt with him and the liner notes include a 1903 photo of him in full regalia serenading an Emperor penguin, apparently the first documented use of bagpipes in Antarctica. CDTRAX 182; This track is also available on the compilation CD THE BEST OF SCOTTISH MUSIC VOL 2 (2001) CDTRAX 215; www.greentrax.com

BALANCE OF POWER - Improvisations for Reeds & Percussion by Paul Scea and Damon Short (1999)

This is a CD of spontaneous musical textures and concepts by two American jazz musicians, including one piece called Breath of Antarctica, a title that seemed a perfect match for a haunting work played on wind instruments. Alas, the reality of the title turned out to be a bit less romantic than expected. Paul Scea, Director of Jazz Studies at West Virginia University told us that “since most of the music was completely improvised, only a few of the things actually had titles. So, to keep the ‘pieces’ straight while editing them and discussing which ones to include on the CD, we needed ‘working titles’. I think Damon came up with Breath of Antarctica. I think maybe he came up with it as a stream of association: my soprano tone sounded a little like Jan Garbarek on that tune. Jan Garbarek probably reminded him of all those old ECM records with titles having to do with things Nordic and Scandinavian.” Southport Records S-SSD 0068; www.chicagosound.com

DWARF by Nandina (1999)

This North Carolina three-woman group includes Antarctica on their CD of rhythmic electro world music. “Antarctica, I hear you burning off your fires into dreams somewhere through this night dreaming you awake and alive I could have come here empty.”

We asked Megg Isaac, one of the members of the group, about the origin of the lyrics: “You know, different people write things for different reasons. A lot of my writing tends to come from a ‘stream of consciousness’ space, so I will tell you the best I can about my song. Just about anytime I have something heavy on my heart or mind - I go out and listen to what comes to me from nowhere. Some people meditate and find enlightenment there, but for me, the clarity always seems to blow in like a cool breeze or wind into my mind. Antarctica, for me, is such a mystery and so far away that as I envision a place that must be so sacred and desolate - a place I might better like to be - Antarctica has become the source, symbolically, to knowledge. Does this make sense? I think there are different places on earth that have extremely strong ‘vibes’ or ‘energies’ about them - regardless of their population or lack thereof. And so I write a song - speaking with a place I seem to identify with - on the other side of the world and I have to wonder....does it ever hear me? Ha. You’ve made me curious about other Antarctic songs - are there many? I'm glad my song found its way to you.” Snapdragon Productions, 3011 Joan Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27455

ALIENS TOOK MY MOM by Tangerine Awkestra (1999)

The group is made up of 2 to 9 year old up-and-coming avant-garde musicians from Brooklyn who met in a History of Jazz class, guided by composers/musicians Katie Down and Dave Soldier. The CD is a piano and percussion-based saga of “how Earth was invaded by aliens who conquered Antarctica, annihilated the Empire State building and all the humans, and finally succumbed to a nuclear bug that made 'em blow up!!” Included is the cut The aliens blow up Antarctica. Dave Soldier tells us that “the kids chose all the titles themselves, made up the story. I took the sentences and helped them make a song for each one”. Mulatta Records MUL - 001; www.mulatta.org

THE GIRL FROM LOST AND FOUND by Curio (1999)

Another very melodic Antarctica-titled song comes from this Boston group. “Antarctica, I’d go so low, Know when to leave, And where to go, And when to rise, And shake the deep, Delicious, prized Antarctic sleep. I’m never, ever, ever, ever coming back, No one can stand my frozen kiss.” Wasabi Records WSBCRCD01

ANTARCTICA - The Bliss Out, Vol. 2 by Windy and Carl (1999)

Despite the dreamy green Antarctic ice photos in the cover/liner, the 22-minute title cut Antarctica is a drone/dirge that has our vote for most pointless track of Antarctic music we have encountered. DRL 027-2

I'M IN LOVE by The Jackie Papers (1999)

X-rated lyrics in a song called Antarctica and polar confusion from a Florida-based thrash group that wails “It’s a very thick sheet of ice, if you wanna get a suntan it isn’t paradise. For such a big land mass it can’t produce one blade of grass. If it’s an entire continent, Why are no cities or towns in it? Even eskimos won’t live there, It’s even too cold for polar bears.” Panic Button PB278CD LK229CD

HAPPY, DEATH, HEAVEN by Tri-State Killing Spree (1999)

This Seattle synthesizer/guitar rock band includes a slow burning vocal track called Antarctica. Windraven Records; www.3sks.com

ANTARCTICA by Capital!Capital (1999)

There are no liner notes about this U.S. rock band’s name or why it has an Antarctic extent of sea ice map on the inside cover. There is also an outline of Antarctica on the front of the CD. No Antarctic songs either. SCR 001

RICH BITCHES & SUPERSTUDS #1 by Justin Berkovi (1999) (Vinyl LP only)

London, U.K-based Berkovi is a dance music producer, international live performer of techno/electronica and creative sound designer. This is a disc from his earlier days and the 4-track LP contains the 6-minute Antarctica, beat-heavy and overlain with a topping of light atmospheric electronica. Justin told us in 2009 that he wrote the track after an inspirational visit to Antarctica, being one of the rare musical artists with an Antarctic track to have visited the continent. Predicaments Recordings PRED005; www.justinberkovi.com; www.myspace.com/justinberkovi

THE GOON SHOW AND GUESTS Volume 16 (1999)

The Goon Show was an iconic, irreverent BBC radio comedy series that aired from 1951 to 1960. It is still re-broadcast internationally to this day and has been influential in the formation other major British and American comedy troupes. Originally created by Spike Milligan, the show’s core cast included Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe in zany skits with absurd storylines and catchphrases, combined with the use of strange sound effects. The current double CD compilation of four episodes includes The Curse of Frankenstein, which aired on January 27, 1958. Despite the title, it’s a wild Antarctic adventure. Dick Emery fills in for Harry Secombe on this track. According to the liner notes, the characters Jock Moriarty and Neddie McSeagoon “go on a bold bagpipe mission to the frozen wastes (via the Sahara Desert and the Woolwich Ferry). Laird Red Hairy McBurk has left his fortune to the first Scotsman to play the bagpipes at the South Pole and suddenly everyone’s a piping Scot. But owing to a blizzard – and a Christmas cracker compass – they’re all up the Pole. What’s their position? Standing up, Jim.” You need to hear the disc to figure this out, and even then, the silliness and British accents will leave you scratching your head and returning to the beginning to get another dose of the zaniness. BBC Radio Collection; www.bbcshop.com; (See also THE GOONS AT CHRISTMAS Volume 15 (1998) in this section.)

THE GOONS AT CHRISTMAS Volume 15 (1998)

The Goon Show was an iconic, irreverent BBC radio comedy series that aired from 1951 to 1960. It is still re-broadcast internationally to this day and has been influential in the formation other major British and American comedy troupes. Originally created by Spike Milligan, the show’s core cast included Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe in zany skits with absurd storylines and catchphrases, combined with the use of strange sound effects. This double CD of four episodes broadcast over Christmas weeks in 1954, 1956, and 1959 includes Operation Christmas Duff, which aired on December 24, 1956. According to the announcer, “This program is specially dedicated to Her Majesty’s Forces Overseas, and to the Trans-Antarctic Expedition, the Falkland Islands Dependency Survey Teams and the Royal Society Expedition at Halley Bay.” In the episode, Christmas was coming and the Minister of Military-type foods disclosed that the “picture regarding Christmas puddings for the forces overseas looks pretty bleak.” The Services decided to combine and build a giant pudding and increase the size to allow for an extra slice for the Antarctic base. True to Goon form, the Antarctic delivery never quite makes it. BBC Radio Collection; www.bbcshop.com; (See also THE GOON SHOW AND GUESTS Volume 16 (1999) in this section.)

81.03 and 23.03 by ANTARCTICA (1999, 1998)

The only connection with The Ice on these two CDs is the name of this now-defunct U.S. East Coast rock band. FT029 and FT25

PAUL McDERMOTT UNPLUGGED – The Good News Week Tapes Vol: 1 (1998)

Paul McDermott, an Australian comedian/writer, author and television performer, may be best known for hosting a satirical Australian TV news/quiz program, Good News Week, which aired from 1996 to 2000 and was revived in 2008. A collection of monologues from the beginnings of the 1997 shows are presented on this CD and many topical news items of the day and personalities are finely skewered. One of the tracks is the short Antarctic Tourism. Our transcription: “The Federal Government has recommended that two of Australia’s Antarctic bases be phased out and tourism phased in. Gee, I bet the Gold coast is worried. It’ll be like Phillip Island in reverse (ed. note, Australian island famous for its Penguin Parade tourist site): the penguins will stand around and watch the tourists waddle up on to the beach. Stlll, think of what Club Ant could offer: it’s economical. If you pay for an overnight stay, it can last for months. Fine restaurants, except the last course is always the dogs. And don’t forget, the Antarctic is the only place in the world where you can dip your toe into the water and it stays there.” GNW Records 7243 4938282 4

GREAT NORWEGIAN EXPLORERS by Cube & Sphere (1998)

German experimental electronic musicians Gerhard Potuznik and Hans Platzgumer include the bass-heavy instrumental track Amundsen on this CD. In a stretch, one can imagine the snowy washes in the background and the trials of polar travel in the musical starts and stops. Disko B db77cd efa 29477-2

MERIDIANS by Torbjørn Sunde (1998)

Sunde is a Norwegian jazz-trombonist who began his touring career in the 1970s as a player in a group led by another elite Norwegian musician, guitarist Terje Rypdal. According to the liner notes for this debut CD, “Just like meridians are circles, invisible connections between Poles, they are also metaphors for the polarities in music.” The CD is bookended by the first track Arctic and ends with the 7½ minute punchy and rhythmic Antarctic, “the southern gathering of meridians.” ACT Music 9263-2; www.kjentfolk.no/musikere/sunde

SINGIN’ SONGS OF SCIENCE by J. P. Taylor and the Academics (1998)

Florida-based Taylor has written a CD of rockin’ songs to help students learn serious science concepts, such as plate tectonics and laws of motion. Included is Antarctica, based on his own trip there. The song explains the Antarctic food chain and “well it gives me a thrill, to tell you ‘bout krill”. SS100. It is also included on their follow-up CD for the environment, SINGIN’ FOR THE EARTH (1999). SS200CD; www.singinsongs.com

GOZZOZOO - PICTURES OF THE NEW WORLD (1998)

Gozzozoo, a French jazz-rock fusion group fronted by keyboardist Didier Erard and drummer Alain Gozzo, includes the fluid instrumental Antarctica on this CD. MUSEA Parallèle MP 3030.AR

BONZAI GERMANY COMPILATION - Volume 1 (1998)

A collection of synthesizer dance club music from Germany including a track called Fire and Ice - Antarctica (Land of Illusion). This awful music will pound you into stupefaction or boredom, whichever comes first, but at least the song title got our attention. Bonzai CD 001

THE VERNA CANNON (1998)

Antarctica - folky, contemplative light rock. “Spin your soul like a globe. Stop it with your hand. I set out to find the Antarctica of my soul.” Education Records RE.ED00

THREE DAY WEEKEND by Evan Marks (1998)

Funky jazz-tinged instrumental rock track Antarctica by Marks, an American musician and producer from Southern California. Marks has toured and recorded with many notable name artists, such as The Platters, The Drifters and Billy Eckstine. He told us in 2008 that “I wrote Antarctica after seeing a special, I think, on the Discovery channel. We were joking about Antarctica being cool (freezing).” Verve Forecast (Polygram) 314 537 690-2; www.evanmarks.net

ANTARCTICA by WordSearch (1998) (Vinyl LP only)

The first side of this record has the rap track Antarctica by Poitier Wright and Robert Arroyo. There are separate vocal and instrumental versions, with a documentary-serious spoken introduction: “This is the most empty place on Earth, the place almost no one goes. Antarctica. It’s the last continent discovered by explorers. The last place to be charted and examined and understood. The last place to be inhabited. Even the wildlife here knows this land is different and perhaps it is a mark of how harsh this land can be that there is no creature here that cannot swim or fly away.” Sceptre Records (no record # given on label)

MUSICWORKS 69 by various artists (1997)

This is a Canadian sampler CD of live concerts and electroacoustic instrumental works for the 69^th issue of Canada’s Musicworks magazine. Included are four short Antarctic field recordings in the track Antarctica by Douglas Quin: Weddell Seals (under water), Emperor Penguins, Glacier Recording (sounds of the Canada Glacier from the McMurdo Dry Valleys) and the most interesting one, Atmospheric Whistlers, recorded at Palmer Station and provided by the STAR Laboratory at Stanford University. Musicworks; www.musicworks.ca; (See also ANTARCTICA by Douglas Quin (1998) in the “Non-Classical, all Antarctic or with significant Antarctic content” category.)

AURA ANTHROPICA by Hans Platzgumer (1997)

Aura Anthropica began as a solo electronica project of Austrian native singer/guitarist Hans Platzgumer, after his American-based rock group, H. P. Zinker, disbanded. Platzgumer has since moved to Germany and gone on to success in electronic music for his own account and as producer for various groups. In addition he has toured, written books and done film soundtrack and multimedia work. This German disc of largely instrumental electronic music is heavy but melodic. The closest track to an Antarctic theme is named Gondwanaland but the CD booklet has a very attractive and colourful schematic map outline of an iced-in Antarctica. There is also an enlarged map view of the continent on the back of the CD jewel box. L’Age d’Or Music LADO 17042-2; www.myspace.com/auraanthropica; www.platzgumer.net

OBLIVION SEAS by Guardian Angel (1997)

Guardian Angel was a Greek metal band formed in the early 1990s which turned to progressive/orchestral metal with this mini CD, which includes the track Antarctic Fire. Sample angst-laden lyrics: “Iceberg without a tip, a threat that lurks beyond, Can’t see; can’t find the truth…Antarctic fire that stands between, And burns all we built, A war without an end, A fault that never stops, Antarctic fire that stands between, This cold I can’t stand. This madness freezes my mind.” Metal Mad Music MMM 002; www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomguardianangel

DOSE HERMANOS – Live from California by Tom Constanten and Bob Bralove (1997)

Constanten and Bralove are a pair of veteran California keyboard musicians who have both been involved with the Grateful Dead as band members (Constanten appeared on three records in the late 1960s and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) or in sound design, co-songwriting and production (Bralove). Their second CD of weird and wacky instrumental music has the track Antartica, an alien-sounding, other-worldly musical trip. Bob told us in 2009: “Sometimes, as in the case of Antartica, we would title the track before the music was created. When that track would come up in the set we would then do an impromptu interpretation of the title we had created beforehand. In this case, I believe we were interpreting the vast amount of ice and open space with the sheets of sonic textures, and a sense of wind. By the way, the misspelling comes from the fact that that was the way it was spelled on my version of the set list…so I decided to keep it.” Of coincidental note is that two of the other tracks on this CD have improvisational/avant garde instrumental guitarist Henry Kaiser, who went to Antarctica in 2001-02 on a U.S. National Science Foundation Artists and Writers Program grant. He recorded his guitar playing at McMurdo Station and at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and later returned to work as a research diver and underwater cameraman on two documentaries, including one of his own. DH-002; www.seconddose.com; www.tomconstanten.com; www.bobbralove.com

THE GOTHIC GRIMOIRE Compilation 1 by Various Artists (1997)

This German music magazine compilation CD of various Goth rock bands includes the propulsive track Zero Below (Antarctic Mix) by Second Skin, a Swedish industrial metal group, formed in 1994, with core members Jonas Hedberg and Kristian Lundquist. Celtic Circle Productions; No CD catalogue number issued; www.myspace.com/secondskinlab

THE BODY NEEDS TO TRAVEL by Ian Tamblyn (1997)

This CD is a collection of folk songs composed while the veteran Ottawa-based songwriter was working on Adventure Canada tourist expeditions, largely in the Northern Hemisphere. Included is The Emperors, written in 1992 during his trip to Cape Evans, Antarctica. The song is about the advice given by three emperor penguins encountered. “There I thought of poor old Scott and how he must have felt, wandering through a land where no man belongs and dying with his hands reaching out, oh but the Emperors they belong here and they gave me this advice, oh don’t go reaching for that brass ring when you’re walking across the fields of ice.” North Track Records NT-20; www.tamblyn.com

OZEANE – Wogende Impulse (1997)

This is a German CD (roughly translated, OCEAN – Fast Waves) from a firm specializing in nature recordings. The disc has tracks of sounds of various oceans interspersed with relaxing instrumental synthesizer interludes. Included are the instrumentals Antarctica and Antarctica Reprise. AMPLE CD-294.005; www.ample-edition.com

UNAMUNO by David Rothenberg (1997)

American Rothenberg’s clarinet is backed up by various other rhythmic instruments. The instrumental CD includes two pieces, Antarctica Melting, which features the trickling sounds of the polar icecap slowly dripping away and The Pleas of Weddell Seals, “for each other, for some hopeful future, or just for the hell if it.” He says that “music is made out of nature, but must struggle so hard to fit into nature, like anything else that we do. Only humanity must work so hard to feel at home.” Douglas Quin’s live recordings of from Antarctica are included on these two tracks as soundscapes. Felmay 2175070062; www.inrete.it/robidroli/home.html

NOT WE BUT ONE by the Mike Nock Trio (1997)

This jazz trio, led by Nock, a New Zealander now resident in Australia, includes a piece called Antarctic Ice. Naxos Jazz 86006-2

PHIL COMES ALIVE by Phil Pritchett (1997)

Texan Phil Pritchett has recorded in this live performance the only country and western Antarctic song we’ve encountered on CD. Entitled Antarctica U.S.A., the good ol’ boy tongue-in-cheek lyrics proclaim “so I’m taking my Texas flag to the South Pole, I’m going to make myself a Capitol and an Alamo out of snow; well we ain’t got but one season throughout the entire year, so in a way it’s just like home with that igloo full of beer; the yellow rose please come on down, only you can make it right, for my armadillo you can care, keep it warm tonight, look away, look away, Antarctica U.S.A.” Spitune Records PP42397; re-release in 2004 as Smith Entertainment 70323-2; www.philpritchett.com

SOUND OF THE WHALES - MUSIC FOR RELAXATION (1997)

Whale calls are combined with tranquil mood music composed for the oceans by David Britten. This “will take you on untold journeys that will leave you feeling relaxed and renewed.” One of the pieces is entitled Antarctic Chorale. SUMCD 4154

CÄRNIVAL OF CHAOS by GWAR (1997)

This American theatrical shock-rock heavy-metal group slashes and burns from their opening number, Penguin Attack (“stumbling from the ice age, they were last in flight, they would write a new page, if they could only write, rumbling from the ice age they were last in line, they would start a new age if they could just tell time”), and then does further damage to the ears with Antarctican Drinking Song. GWAR (apparently God What a Racket) have been known to cause moral panic and the music takes a back seat to the visuals. Metal Blade /Attic Records 3984-14125-2; www.gwar.net

An earlier indignity is their video, available on DVD, LIVE FROM ANTARCTICA, issued in 1990. And no, it’s not live in Antarctica.

The marketing package is rounded out by the paperback GWAR - Rumble in Antarctica - Miniature Game by Aaron Overton (DemonBlade Games, Inc. 1999); www.demonblade.com

Combatants “wrestle among themselves for control of the GWAR temple in Antarctica”. Has to be seen and thumbed through at one’s own peril - it’s beyond mere words to explain.

GAMES PEOPLE PLAY by the Peechees (1997)

American grunge-rock group thrashes its way through a song called Antarticists, mangling geographical references to the North and South Poles, penguins, seals and ice. Kill Rock Stars 285

ANTARCTICA by Dolores Haze (1997)

Despite the drawings of Antarctica on the disc and the penguin in the liner notes, nothing Antarctic is apparent here from this West Coast U.S. rock group. Delmar Records DR11C1

RESTRAINING BOLT by Radish (1997)

East Coast U.S. heavy metal group includes a track, which gets our vote for best Antarctic song title, called Dear Aunt Arctica. Mercury Record 314 534 644-2

FROZEN BY HEAT by the Company (1997)

The German heavy metal band has a track Antarctica, portraying the angst and alienation of today’s society: “Coldness is creeping above in my soul, seeping in my heart. I’m frightened but I’m angry, too. Don’t know what to do….Can’t you see we’re living in …Antarctica. Lying awake in a cold dark room, after a cruel dream, my sweat stinks. I hate myself. What else can I do? We’re living in Antarctica, we’re living in Antarctica.” High Gain Records 8800960

IMMENSE OVARY REJECT by Men’s Recovery Project (7” vinyl) (1996)

The Richmond, Virginia-based experimental absurdist/comedy punk rock group, founded by Sam McPheeters and Neil Burke, was active from 1993-2002 with numerous records and tours. Included on this record is the two-minute instrumental track Ant Arctica, which perfectly conveys with a percussive track and a howling guitar the sense of a dripping glacier, overlain by an ominous, howling storm. Walkabout Records 01, Paralogy 2.5

BY TIME ALONE by Orphanage (1996)

Orphanage was a Dutch heavy/doom metal band, formed in 1993 and disbanded in 2005. It included a melodic female co-vocalist paired with the genre’s usual male grunter. This EP disc included the track At the Mountains of Madness, named after H. P. Lovecraft’s Antarctic novella of the same name, in which Byrd-era explorers find more than they bargained for in a lost city underneath the icy surface. A video of this was still on YouTube in 2010. Sample lyrics: “The lavas that restlessly roll, Their sulphurous currents down Yaanek. In the ultimate climes of the pole, That groan as they roll down Mount Yaanek, In the realms of the boreal pole...It’s been not so long I accidently sold, My former frame of reference to the cold, Thinking back, remembering, my tale seems so unreal, I’m closed up but the time has come to reveal. Anxious, also ignorant, my investigative mind, Had led me there and led me to be so blind, Haunted are the mountains, I plead for your restraint, Or hope for men’s survival will be faint…What is frozen you don’t feel, what hurts is what you lose, But at this moment I gave up, the ice had blown my fuse, Made out of cold, made out of fear God’s will attracts, God’s will is here, All had begun, when led by fear, right at the end of the world, High in the sky, here at the end of the world.” DSFA 1004; A shorter video mix of the track also appeared on their mini disc of remixes and live tracks AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS (1997) DSFA 1008.

CITY OF TOMORROW by Jean-Paul Genré (1996)

This German CD of instrumental New Age and synthesizer music includes the track Antarctica, portraying the harsh moods of a blizzard and cracking ice. Slam Music SLAM 0093

LIFE IN ANTARCTICA by El Sob (1996)

Wistful melodic rock CD from an El Sobrante, California trio about lost love, but with no particular Antarctic songs. Abominable Records ARS51696

DESCRIPTIVE MUSIC FOR…events, reports, movements, landscapes, exhibitions, documentaries, dramatic events by Milos Krkoska (1996)

Despite the dry title, this German CD has contains some very musical, themed instrumental synthesizer music. One of the tracks is the 1.36 minute Antarctica, described appropriately in the liner notes: “calm powerful theme, muted energy, respectful.” Selected Sound 5188

WORKS by Gary D. (1996)

Hamburg, Germany’s Gary Mahlke is a DJ of Techno and Trance music, whose CD of his own music includes the pounding Antarctica. Metronome Music 533 433-2; www.garyd.de

ANTARCTICA by the Prayer Chain (1996)

A live recording of a California heavy metal group. Despite the title, king penguins on the cover and a view of Antarctica on the disc itself, there is only one Antarctic song here, Antarctica, whose lyrics were inspired by a pastoral poem from the 16^th century English poet Christopher Marlowe. Brainstorm BAI 4034-2

This song is reprised by the group Canary on SALUTATIONS - a tribute to the prayer chain (2002) by various American bands. Audiolab ALD-02-62502; www.salutationstribute.com

“JUNGLE” JACK HANNA'S WORLD (1996)

Another musical journey across the continents, composed and played by Mark Frye and inspired by Hanna's wildlife television specials. Included is The Antarctic Voyage. “At the bottom of the world lies a continent of glacial peaks, icy waters and soaring birds that inspired this music.” High Chief Records 7 243 8 41557 28

CINEMATIC by Adrian Borland (1996)

Borland (d. 1999) was an English singer/songwriter/guitarist and part of the early British punk music scene. This CD has the spacey track Antarctica. Setanta, Inc. SET US-003; www.brittleheaven.com

GREATEST HITS by Men Without Hats (1996)

This Montreal-based techno-pop group had a string of international hits in the 1980's and their song Antarctica was originally released as a single in 1982. Aquarius Records Q2-00579

PLUG IN & TURN ON X.3 - Electronic Trip Hop Abstractions (1996)

Included in this New York compilation of bouncy, melodic tracks is the not-so-interesting Antarctica “Dehydration Part II”. Instinct Records ex329-2

TOUCH WITHOUT FEELING by Antarctica (1996)

Despite the band name, the Australian heavy metal/hard rock trio doesn’t have any Antarctic-themed songs on this independently-made disc.

SUPER ATRAGON - METAL PULSE MUSIC EDITION (1996)

This CD is the soundtrack to the Japanese animated movie Super Atragon, which itself was based on the Japanese adventure novel series Kaitei Gunkan by Shunrō Ohshikawa and the 1963 live action movie. It tells the story of two American and Japanese submarines lost shortly after the Hiroshima atom bombing. Fifty years later, UN forces are sent to investigate a missing team at an Antarctic base. They find a large black object in the ice cap, aliens from inside the earth and the reincarnated Japanese submarine. The rich soundtrack, with music composed, arranged and conducted by Masamichi Amano, is played by the Warsaw Philharmonic National Orchestra of Poland. The CD includes the track Departure for the South Pole. ADV Music CSA/001

TEKKEN 2 – STRIKE ARRANGES (1996)

This is a collection of various arranged music from Tekken’s popular second fighting arcade game series, which contains the synthesizer instrumental Almost Frozen – Antarctica’s Theme Arrange Version. It drips with icy and spacey alien sounds, underlain by rhythmic chants. NEC Avenue NACL 1238

TEKKEN 2 – STRIKE FIGHTING Vol. 1 (1996)

This is another collection of arranged music for the TEKKEN 2 series as well as of some TEKKEN 1 musical themes. It has the wind blown synthesizer instrumental Almost Frozen (for Antarctica) - Anna’s Theme. NEC Avenue NACL 1225

TEKKEN – Original Soundtrack – Namco Game Sound Express Vol. 17 (1995)

This collection of music from the first Japanese Tekken arcade game (released in arcades in 1994 and on PlayStation in 1995), contains the short, energetic synthesizer track, King George Island, Antarctica. Tekken was one of the earliest martial arts fighting game franchises, where players chose characters and engaged in hand-to-hand battles in various locations, including Antarctica. Tekken was the first PlayStation game to sell over a million units. Victor VICL-15039

GATHERED ON THE EDGE by Beasts of Paradise (1995)

Beasts of Paradise was a San Francisco, U.S.A. quintet who specialized in delicate, earthy, original world/folk music, played on a variety of exotic instruments, with hypnotic vocals by the incomparable Eda Maxym. One of the tracks is Cuppa Tea, about the origins of natural elements. Sample lyrics: “Where has the water been, in my morning cup of tea, Did trilobytes swim, was it the juice in Apple’s Eve...Where was the air that I breathe, Where was the air around me, Did it run from the sea on its legs, to an earth so green, …Was it where elephant seals sing, or on a breeze in Helen’s perfume”. At the seals reference, the music has a great otherworldly, spacey, bubbling accompaniment that the liner notes say was “The sound of a Weddell seal, recorded underwater in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica by Dr. Jeanette Thomas, 1976.” City of Tribes cotcd 008

BURNING / FILAMENT / ROCKETS by Pelt (1995)

Pelt began as a Virginia, U.S.A-based rock quartet that specialized in free-form guitar and percussion instrumental atmospherics, drones and distortion and by the late 2000s had become the solo project of Jack Rose. This early CD has the unexplained track Shackleton: Incinerator Wheel and Shackleton: Ice Floes, which gives a great electronic and percussive impression of grinding icebergs. The sounds are the equal of any better known atonal symphonic classical pieces that have attempted the same icy effects. Interestingly, the songs are noted as copyright of 1995 Voyages of Polar Exploration. Econogold Records EGO 002

EMOCEAN by Bil Vermette (1995)

Vermette is a veteran Chicago, Illinois-based electronic keyboard artist who has released five CDs of sonic landscapes for the imagination. This one contains the tingly, ethereal Aurora Australis and Antarctic Ice. BILCD 702; www.myspace.com/bilvermette

THE MERIDIAN CROSSINGS - Hermit IV Symposium Plasy 1995 by various artists (1995)

This is a compilation CD largely of live recordings from the Entartic Shelf Festival and recorded in various chapels and rooms in the Plasy Monastery, West Bohemia, Czech Republic. The vocal and instrumental music is improvisational and experimental and includes the title track The Meridian Crossings by the otherwise unidentified group Antarctica. The 2-minute track, recorded in the granary, is very percussive, with bells and a background whine that has hints of a howling katabatic Antarctic wind. The event was an annual international multi-media, interdisciplinary artist residency program on the grounds of a former monastery. It was established in 1992 and largely supported by the Hermit Foundation, which provides assistance to experimental non-commercial cultural activities in Czech Republic. Avik AV 0078-2 931

COBRA – LIVE AT THE KNITTING FACTORY by John Zorn (1995)

New York-based John Zorn is a prolific avant-garde jazz composer and performer (saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist). This CD was recorded live in 1992, and is a series of pieces for group improvisation, with strategies and detailed rules, written on cue cards and co-ordinated by a prompter. Included is the track Acanthopis Antarcticus, which is not a species of Antarctic moss or lichen, despite the interesting name, but rather the Common Death Adder. A native of Australia, it is the world’s fifth most venomous snake. All the tracks on the CD are named after various snakes and cobras. According to the liner notes’ description, “when excited, inflates itself into a sausage shape. Its bite leaves practically no mark. Chiefly active at dusk.” Come to think of it, this may also describe many Antarctican party animals, though their bites are thought to be harmless. Knitting Factory Works KFW 124

FECUND HAUNTS by Me (1995)

An interesting, eclectic disc by a Bristol-based British indie rock group, with emphasis on vocals. Includes Green Antarctica Scene. No apparent Antarctic-related lyrics in this track or any band information in the liner notes. Popgod PGCD37

FAX COMPILATION II (1995)

Double compilation CD of ambient background music includes the chilly Antarctica by Daniel Pemberton. Instinct Records FAX-5560-2

ACROSS THE WHITE PLAINS by Deborah Liv Johnson (1995)

This San Diego-based folk artist entitled her CD, and one of the best songs on it, to our ears, in honour of the American Women's Antarctic Expedition, whose four members achieved the South Pole in 1993. In a crystal clear voice, with understated, top-notch musical backing to the haunting melody, she sings, “There are no trees, There is no grass that grows, There are no flowers, No autumn leaves to blow, But there’s a distance, Where my heart must go, Across the white plains, Across the white plains…And in my home on ice, I feel the silence of the night, Sleep has missed my eyes here tonight, The wind will bring the morning, The wind will close my eyes tonight.” Mojave Sun Records MS 1233

MUSIC FOR THE FRIENDS OF THE WHALES by Gregor Theelen (1995)

Theelen is a Dutch composer-musician whose New Age orchestrations take us on a soothing whale-seeking journey. One piece is entitled Antarctica, an arrangement of an Eric Satie composition. In an act of pole reversal, the accompanying track notes indicate “Life of the whale underneath the ice of the South Pole. There they go to feed.” Oreade ORN 5239-2

A CARDI and BLOKE by Les Barker (1995)

Manchester, U.K. humorist, writer and entertainer Barker has recorded a live CD of monologues of parody and wordplay. Included is a track that may have the spoofiest Antarctic title ever, Spot of the Antarctic. Les told us in 2009 about the background for the song: “No particular reason; I was playing with words. I do have a fairly extensive collection of books on polar exploration, so I was familiar with the stories of the Scott and Amundsen expeditions, amongst others. After my first ever gig in North America (in Santa Cruz, California) one of the audience told me she’d been kissed by Amundsen when she was a small child.” An excerpt: “As you ply through the snows of December, remember that poor Captain Scott, wasn’t he the second to reach the South Pole? Well, no, he was not. Roald Amundsen, he was the first, that’s what everyone reckoned – we’ve all been under a misapprehension; I’ve been toald that Roald was the second, when he arrived at his goal a small patch of yellow snow marked it, for who was the first to the Pole? - Spot of the Antarctic. It was an elementary mistake that put Roald out of the hunt - how can the man on the back of the sledge beat the doggie that’s tied to the front?” Mrs. Ackroyd Records DOG 011

A double CD compilation of Les Barker’s songs and poems was issued in 2003 as GUIDE CATS FOR THE BLIND, which includes a reading of Spot of the Antarctic by Nonny James. Osmosys OSMO CD 020/21

TALL CLOUDTREES by Aqueous (1995)

British electronic keyboard duo’s CD of live improvised instrumentals contains the languid Antarctica (Swimming under Ice). HERM 222

MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS by H. P. Zinker (1994)

H. P. Zinker was a New York City-based heavy rock power trio led by Austrian native singer/guitarist Hans Platzgumer, which disbanded shortly after this record, for which the cover art received a Grammy Award nomination. Platzgumer has since moved to Germany and gone on to success in electronic music for his own account and as producer for various groups. In addition he has toured, written books and done film soundtrack and multimedia work. This disc is named after the title of an Antarctic novella by early 1900s American horror/suspense writer H. P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness, in which Antarctic explorers discover horrors in a long lost underground city. Included on the CD is the dense, hard rocking track Mountains of Madness, in which the lyrics are direct quotes from a passage in the story when a group of scientists in an airplane first “spy the jagged line of witchlike cones and pinnacles” that become part of the setting for the horrors that follow beneath the Ice. Energy Records NRG 81113-2; www.platzgumer.net

DISTANT MUSIC by various artists (1994)

This is a Finnish compilation CD of electronic instrumental music. It contains the bubbly track Hypnologique (Antarctic) by Corporate 09, formed in the early 1990s by the Finnish duo of Mika Vainio and Pertti Grönholm, who later carried on with the group name as a solo performer. Unitunes UNI–1.

LE DONNE DEL MONDO by Antartica (1993)

This is an Italian mini-CD of five non-Antarctic pop-rock tracks and the album title track (The Women of the World), by the Italian group Antartica, was the winner of a 1993 song contest. Polydor 859 545-2

BEN ELTON LIVE 1989 by Ben Elton (1993)

Ben Elton is a brilliant award-winning British comedian, writer and director, known in North America largely because of his scripts for the late 1980s British Blackadder comedies featuring Rowan Atkinson, his compilation work for the 2003 musical We will Rock You and his work with Andrew Lloyd Webber, lately involving a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. In the early 1980s Elton became a huge stand-up comedy success, which has continued in the 2000s. This CD was made during 6 sell out shows at London, England’s Hammersmith Odeon and concludes with the track Antarctica. The 3-minute track is in tune with his other eco-friendly hilarious tirades on the disc but may be the least funny material on it but reflects the real fears of conservationists prior to the eventual implementation of the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Our polite, edited transcription of the track follows:

“Let’s consider the evil that we do upon this world, we’ve destroyed it like a colossus, let’s face it. Let’s look at something big to compare against our smallness. I’ll tell you a big fact, it’s only little but it’s also big. Did you know the ecosystem in Antarctica is so delicate that a footprint in the moss would last for 10 years? A dedicated environmentalist, despite the fact that vegetation is very scarce in the Antarctic, a dedicated environmentalist sought out possibly the only patch of moss in the entire subcontinent and stamped on the bastard and thus learned the world of the infinite fragility of the last great wilderness. And I’m here to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that we, the British people, are supporting our government and many other governments in the world to develop the Antarctic. That’s the word they’ve chosen, to “develop”, well wank, wank, wank. God didn’t do a good enough job, yet we’re going to go down there and improve it, we’re going to “develop” it. They use the word “develop” to sanitize it. Look, if a footprint lasts 10 years, how long is the rubbish from the first Antarctic McDonald’s going to last? How long are the drill platforms going to stay, forever, a long time, longer than even British Telecom understand when they say they’ll be around soon to put in your new phone in, thousands of years. And they’re going to develop it. As I speak, there are people in the Antarctic being paid for by us, making decision that will outlive them by 50,000 years. The human race has only been in existence twice that long. They really must have some confidence, eh? Call me an old hippie if you will, but ladies and gentlemen, we are not big enough for the decisions we are taking, but if we all realize how small we are, then how big we would be.” Laughing Stock LAFFCD 16

THE DUPLEX PLANET HOUR by David Greenberg, music by Terry Adams (1993)

Greenberg began The Duplex Planet in 1979 as a small-scale publisher of the stories and conversations of nursing home residents, presenting them as individuals in their current states, not only as people with past histories. The concept has grown to include other forms of media, including spoken-word and musical CDs, musical and theatrical shows, books and public radio programs. This CD of narrated stories, with music composed by NRBQ’s Terry Adams, includes the short track The South Pole, a narration of a story told to Greenberg by Arthur Wallace, about his mistake in signing up for the Byrd South Pole Expedition of 1928-29 and his dreams about it. According to the liner notes, “Up until then, Arthur had always been very precise and factual in his recounting of events historical, political and otherwise. Over the years he always kept himself abreast of world events and it was remarkable for me to hear a slow dissolve of this precision; his facts were becoming dislodged. And in a way it seemed as though it was a survival technique of some sort, although an unconscious one. His mind was helping him make sense of things which made no sense to him - his pain and dying. In this last story Arthur told me, he makes reference to Byrd and his expedition to the South Pole. The expedition was, in fact, recruited in the Boston area and Arthur would have been aware of this at the time. But he didn’t go, or even sign up. He told me this lying in his bed, and it was the last time I saw him.” East Side Digital ESD 80762

WAITING FOR THE LOVE BUS by the Jazz Butcher Conspiracy (1993)

Formed by Pat Fish, this British rock group of revolving members issued many CDs of melodic, literate rock in the 1980s and 90s. Pat Fish has been playing as a solo act in the 2000s. The CD has the anthemic song Penguins, with a very simple tune that will be impossible to erase from memory after a few listenings.

The lyrics may be the most succinct existential summary of a penguin’s Antarctic life ever put on paper: “We are penguins. We are penguins. We are flightless. We are standing on our eggs. In the snow. ’Coz we're penguins. And we’re standing on the ice floe. Of the Antarctic. And it’s freezing. We are penguins. Only penguins. We are flightless. We are standing in the snow. Without food. ’Coz we’re penguins. It’s what we do. On the ice floe of unknowing. And it’s freezing. We are penguins. We are penguins. We are flightless. And quite amusing. You can laugh if you want. ‘Coz we’re penguins. And we’re standing in the space. That you have left us. And it’s freezing.” Creation Records crecd 156; www.jazzbutcher.com; www.myspace.com/patfish77

MOVING WINDOW by Cathie Travers (1993)

Cathy Travers is an Australian musician whose CD includes her first completed work, the instrumental track, Antarctic Defeat, scored for clarinet, percussion, piano and synthesizers. In the liner notes, Cathy explains that “At the time of writing this piece I had recently seen a television documentary about Antarctica. The stark contrast of witnessing a HUGE blue iceberg majestically rolling over and then viewing abandoned scientific bases which have now become mini rubbish tips, created an emotional impact which stirred my creative effort. The mood of the piece reflects my hope that the might of tourism and mining will not eclipse the struggle to preserve a wondrous site.” A Sunset Music Production CTCD01; available from the Australian Music Centre; www.amcoz.com.au/

SHREW’D – A Compilation of NZ Women’s Music (1993)

This compilation of women’s rock music honoured the fact that in 1893 New Zealand women became the first to gain a national electoral vote and celebrated the increasing amount of women’s music heard in the country. Included is Cathy Bull’s track Antarctic which, however, has a flat vocal track buried in the music and the lyrics are undecipherable. Flying Nun Records FNCD270 D31025

SAME RIVER, SAME SONG by Kym Pitman with Ibis (1993)

Mellow nature-attuned acoustical folk music from an Australian group. Their haunting, melancholy song Antarctica ends with the farewell wish, “so stand pure and free you southern land, forever left to mother natures hand, there is so much we all can gain, by leaving this windswept land unstained.” Available in North America as Small World Music, Inc. NS 1431 CD

SEA POWER - A GLOBAL JOURNEY by Michael Whalen (1993)

This is the soundtrack to a joint U.S./Japanese/British television series of the same name, which examined the power and mystery of the oceans, including the frozen pack ice of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Narada Cinema ND 66005

WE ARE ALL EARTHLINGS – Sesame Street (1993) (Cassette only)

The famous TV Muppet characters appeared on this eco-themed cassette, which includes the track Antarctica!, sung by Anything Muppet Travel Agents and Penguins. Sample lyrics: “If you’re sick of being hot, why not try a place that’s not - Antarctica! Antarctica! Where all you see is snow and ice – the new vacation paradise…Won’t get much sun, it doesn’t matter. You’ll love the way your teeth will chatter… Night life’s great, you can’t go wrong. ‘Cause nights down here are six months long… If you like it when it’s snowing and the icy winds are blowing, just head south and keep on going to Antarctica! Antarctica!...Wanna shudder, shake and shiver? Come to us, ‘cause we deliver. Antarctica! Antarctica!” Golden 5212-1;

WENN ICH DOCH EIN WOLF WÄR by Joana (1992) (Web site download only)

Joana (a.k.a. Johanna Emetz) is a veteran German singer-songwriter and TV entertainer whose career began in the late 1960s. Still active in the 2000s, she has recorded over 20 records of pop music and has received many awards. This 1992 disc (IF I WERE A WOLF), has the punchy track Antarktika. The CD seems to be out of print but the tracks are available on iTunes and other Web sites. Merkton; www.joana.de

DREAMS ON FIRE by Boom Crash Opera (1992)

Boom Crash Opera, a pop/rock band formed in 1985 in Melbourne, Australia, has had numerous CDs and chart successes in their home country. Though there have been personnel changes, the band was still together in 2009 and issued a new CD of acoustic performances of previously released songs with a DVD. Their 1992 Dreams on Fire EP included the track Antarctica, a twangy, moody instrumental. The group told us in 2009 that “The reason for the name Antarctica was purely inadvertent. Perhaps because the melodies conjured images of desolation and/or beauty…we are not really sure!” East West/Warner Music Australia 903175894-2; www.myspace.com/boomcrashoperabco.

PSYCHIC DOME by Mathias Grassow (1992)

Ambient spiritual synthesizer music from Germany’s Grassow includes the 17-minute dirge Antarctica Iceland. Mathias told us in 2005 that “It’s long ago, that I composed this piece. After several listenings, I decided that this music had to do with a cold solitude - not in a romantic way, but more in its merciless strength against life, as the South Pole represents. The might of nature is in this piece. I always like to describe landscapes with my music.” Aquarius International Music AIM 0013; www.mathias-grassow.de

ANTARCTICA by Corinne Allal (1992)

Allal is an established Israeli singer/songwriter, whose song Antarctica is a soft rocker sung in Hebrew. Lyrics include thoughts such as “There are no horses that speak Hebrew, there are no people who do not die, Search in Antarctica…Love is a light that comes and goes, If you ask for it forever, Search in Antarctica…And I stand here with you, Not your princess forever, Search in Antarctica.” NMC Marketing (1992)/CBS 462886-2

HYPNOVEL by Mighty Force (1992)

Repetitive percussion and synthesizers from this American group, including the track Antarctica. Sub Bass/Relativity 88561-1148-2

CANDY ON THE CROSS by David J (1992)

The mini-CD of a forthcoming album contains a version of John Cale’s Antarctica Starts Here. David J. has been a member of British bands Bauhaus, the Jazz Butcher Conspiracy and Love and Rockets. MCA Records MCADM 54424; www.davidjonline.com

BURNING THE HARD CITY by Djam Karet (1991, reissued 2000)

Djam Karet is a Topanga, California-based progressive rock group, formed in 1984, which began with a reputation for live jams incorporating music from various influences. The original four members are still in the group as at 2010. Over its lifetime the band has moved from guitar excursions to more tightly controlled acoustic sounds. This early CD has the guitar work-out At the Mountains of Madness, based on the title of H. P. Lovecraft’s spooky novella about a 1930s Antarctic expedition gone wrong. In 2010 we asked Chuck Oken, jr., the group’s drummer, percussionist and keyboardist about the track. He said: “I read the story and lots of others by H. P. Lovecraft and in the final composition of the song, the tension and melodies seemed to reflect that story and title well. Musicians are often inspired by bits of literature or titles/lines in poetry and of course, the visual arts of painting and photography, while artists and writers often use music in the background while they do what they do. Quite a relationship in the end.” Cuneiform Records Rune 128; www.djamkaret.com; www.myspace.com/djamkaret

ALTEREAL by Emeric Donath (1992) (cassette only)

Toronto, Canada-based Donath’s record of experimental jazz/rock improvisations includes the 2-minute instrumental track Antarctica, a pleasant snowstorm of a pastiche of bongos/horn/bass and other instruments. BEAM103

UNDER A BELGIAN MOON by William Souffreau (1991)

Souffreau is a veteran Belgian rock/blues singer/songwriter with over 40 years of performances under his belt. This was his first CD and has the track Antarctica. In 2008 William told us that “My motivation (for the track) those days (1990) was to hear that even Antarctica was in danger from all the things that we as humans do to this blue planet. There’s also always been a great connection from Belgium with Antarctica (Adrien De Gerlache), and that history I learned in my schooldays can maybe also play a role in why I, as a Belgian, wrote this song. But I won’t save this fascinating country with one simple song...I hope the music can.” Unfortunately, the CD is out of print has been unavailable for review. Cobra CR78; www.williamsouffreau.be; www.myspace.com/williamsouffreau

THE PLYING PENNTA – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1991)

This is a 3” mini CD with 2 tracks from a very elusive film, which includes The South Pole, a pleasant synthesizer instrumental written and performed by Tohru Shigemi, a Japanese keyboard artist. The other song on the CD is Melt, sung by Julia Fordham, a veteran British writer-singer who has recorded many albums since the late 1980s. The lyrics are appropriately icy and prescient of climate change: “Like a mountain of ice, you move me inside, all through these cold dark waters and the complex ecology of life… At the eleventh hour - will you be holding my hand, will we be innocent victims of some crazy battle for power, these unforgivable crimes devastating this land. Well I don’t mind admitting that there’s some things I’ll never understand. And I, and I melt. Inside I’m melting. In this endless winter of our time, endless winter of our time, I’m melting, I’m melting, I’m melting.” The small CD and case may well be a collector’s item and the front cover has a photo of an Adélie penguin, more Adélies on a frozen shoreline on the back, plus a shot of a tabular iceberg. Virgin Japan VJDP-10162

RUDE AWAKENING by Andy Irvine (1991)

This British Celtic-folk musician has included two noteworthy songs about actual Antarctic events on his CD. The title track, Rude Awakening, recounts the disappearance and deaths of Captain Aeneas MacIntosh and Victor Hayward in 1915 on the sea ice of McMurdo Sound. They were part of the Ross Sea party of Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition, responsible for laying supplies across the Ross Ice Shelf for the Endurance party following their planned trek across Antarctica. According to the song liner notes: “With the comforts of the base hut nearly in view, a gale blew up and blew them out into the open sea on an ever diminishing piece of ice - with fatal consequences.”

Irvine sings, “Well the game was lost half way across/ A furious gale set the ice in motion/ And for this old pro it’s the end of the show/ And this is no way to go out on the ocean/ If you act in haste you’ll repent at leisure/ History will say he should have known better/ Outward bound on a final trip/ And I have a sinking feeling that I’m on a sinking ship.”

The second Antarctic song is entitled Douglas Mawson, “whose epic and tragic Antarctic journey has been referred to as probably the greatest story of lone survival in Polar exploration. A man of incredible determination and strength of character, he weighed 210 lbs. of muscle and bone at the outset of his journey which had become 112 lbs. of skin and bone on his return.”

During the 1911-13 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, Mawson lost his two sledging companions, Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz, his dog teams, tent and most of his supplies while far from home base. His return from near-death is a classic story of survival.

As Irvine tells the tale, “the soles of my feet became detached/ Teeth, nails, muscles are all gone/ Down icy pits I fell through space/ ‘Til brought up by my harness trace/ Give up, there’s no point in going on/ Three weeks I staggered on across the ice/ Then a cairn of snow by sheer chance I struck/ A letter there told the tale of searching men that very day/ Even now, I can't believe my luck/ My pulse was racing as I saw the men/ My journey at an end, no more to do/ My skeleton was easily raised/ And gently on the sledge was laid/ My God, they cried, which one of them are you?” Green Linnet Records, Inc. CLCD 1114; www.greenlinnet.com

ECHOES OF OLD LOVE SONGS by Colin Wilkie (1990)

Colin Wilkie is a British-born singer/songwriter/guitarist whose career developed out of the early 1960s folk scene and he then began touring in Europe with singer/guitarist Shirley Hart, who later became his wife. They settled in Germany in the mid 1960s, where they have recorded, performed on radio, television and in theatre. Colin has recorded or appeared on over 30 LPs/CDs. This CD contains the track Shackleton, Worsley and Crean, which dramatically tells the tale of the famous 1914-16 Endurance Expedition and the climb the trio made over South Georgia’s mountains to reach help at the Norwegian Stromness whaling station. Sample lyrics: “We sailed for Antarctica’s acres of snow, Were trapped in a slow-closing vice; Our ship “The Endurance” failed to endure The embrace of the ravishing ice...Alost and alone our spirits sank low, As the warship of Death hove near, Till Shackleton said: “Lads, we’re going to go home, first to Elephant Island we’ll steer.” The sound is the sun of an ivory coast, with a climate humid and hot, But no elephants lumber across this bare isle, and the jungle’s a tangle of rock…Near one thousand miles they sailed. They reached South Georgia’s rugged south side: Where no man had landed before. Their courageous craft was shattered and torn By the terrible teeth of the shore. “There’s only one way if we’re going to fetch help For our comrades we left behind on Elephant Island,” Shackleton said, “We must walk to Stromness, or they’ll die.” So “Canny Jack” Shackleton, Worsley and Crean Fixed screws to the soles of their boots; Marched over the mountain’s unexplored range, With no map to charter their route…” Colin told us in 2009 that “Many years ago I read a book entitled “Of Whales and Men” by Dr. R. B. Robertson, which tells of his life on his first voyage as doctor on a whaling expedition. I haven’t got the book to hand, so can’t give you any details; but somewhere he relates the story of Shackleton’s travels, and how he, with Worsley and Tom Crean set out to get help for the stranded crew. I was absolutely enthralled by this amazing story, and it was that which eventually inspired me to write the song.” Shamrock Records 1009-2; www.colinwilkie.de; www.myspace.com/colinwilkie

HOODOO TRAIN by The Hellcats (1990)

The Hellcats were a Memphis-based, usually all-female indie roots/rock group which toured and recorded over 1985-1991, several of whose members went on to further music careers. Their only CD, Hoodoo Train, alternately brooding, swampy and steamy, includes the track Antarctica, a very melodic and strong protest song against industrial exploitation of the continent, written by Lisa McGaughran. First verse lyrics: “Meteors, the falling stars go by / Away from city smog that hides the sky / Pristine water washing glacier snow / Other lands explored till nothing grows. / One land left to claim / Rape in money’s name / And turn it black with oil -- Antarctica.” Lisa told us in 2009: “Indie producer Doug Easley recorded this with us in his Memphis studio years ago. The song is about the consequences if an ecosystem as crucial as Antarctica’s is ever disrupted by pollution from commercial accidents. When I wrote the song in 1990, I had been reading Cousteau Society newsletter articles about nations staking claims in Antarctica. The newsletters discussed the organization’s worries that mineral plundering or increased human traffic might result in accidents. Shipping oil spills had already occurred by then near Antarctica and Alaska both. In 1991 the Madrid Protocol was drawn up by member nations to prohibit mining in the area for 50 years; it was ratified in 1998. The issues from that period continue to be relevant; lately, the opposite pole is being fought over for oil rights. If we wind up with pipelines at the poles, let’s hope nothing goes wrong mechanically that might spoil the most environmentally sensitive areas on the planet.” Rose 197 CD; www.myspace.com/thehellcatsmemphis -- official band history page. (Antarctica written by Lisa McGaughran; © 1990 Airelle Music (BMI) Administered by Bug; All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.)

BLUE SKY MINING by Midnight Oil (1990)

In the track Antarctica, the legendary Australian eco-rockers sing, “There must be one place left in the world where the mountains meet the sea, There must be one place left in the world where the water’s real and clean…There must be one place left in the world where the skin says it can breathe, There’s gotta be one place left in this world, It’s a solitude of distance and relief, There’s gotta be one place left in this world… There must be one place left in this world where we can be.” Lead singer Peter Garrett, a two-term president of the Australian Conservation Foundation and on the International Board of Greenpeace, was elected a member of Australia’s Parliament in 2004. In 2007 he became Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, which includes the management of the country’s Antarctic affairs. Columbia CK-45398

EARTH: VOICES OF A PLANET by Paul Winter (1990)

A tribute to the 20^th anniversary of Earth Day by this prominent, spiritual, earth-friendly jazz musician. The disc includes songs dedicated to each continent, including Antarctica. Living Music Records, Inc. LD 0019

LIBERTY by Duran Duran (1990)

1980's glam-rockers from Britain included a pleasant song called My Antarctica on this CD – “in this place nothing changes, my Antarctica.” Capitol CDP 7 94292 2

HERE WE STAND by Torvill & Dean (1989) (cassette only)

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are famed British skaters who received unprecedented perfect scores from all judges for artistic impression in the ice dance program at the 1984 Winter Olympics. They won the gold medal for their interpretation of Ravel’s Bolero. After becoming professionals, they returned to the 1994 Olympics as amateurs and won a further bronze medal. They continued dancing, separately and as a pair and in 2006 began their involvement in the British TV program Dancing on Ice, in which celebrities were trained to dance before judges, as well as continuing with live tours. This cassette, an Australian production, presents their capable singing, backed by various choirs and singers, of a variety of middle-of-the-road contemporary hits. A great surprise is the inclusion of a soothing New Age instrumental, Antarctica, written by G. Frittman and K. Stanton, who also wrote other vocal tracks on the cassette. Hammard CAS HAM 196

CHOOSING SIDES by Joanne Rand (1989)

From the U.S West Coast, Rand is a full voiced folksinger-songwriter with a good piano-backed protest song Antarctica. “Well there’s a great big hole growing over Antarctica, And there’s a great big hole growing in the heart of America. And it’s growing every day. Pretty soon we’re gonna blow away, When the sky comes tumbling down someday.” Homefire Productions HF 1000; www.joannerand.com

COOL ISLAND by CUSCO (1989)

This German synthesizer group has recorded many thematic CDs over the years and their polar instrumental disc include three Antarctic themes, Aurora, Antarctic Continent and the bouncy Penguin Dance, in addition to Arctic titles. Prudence 398.6142.2; www.bscmusic.com

LAST DAYS OF THE CENTURY by Al Stewart (1988, reissued 1997)

Stewart’s Antarctica may be one of the most swinging Antarctic songs we have heard, with lyrics such as: “Who knows what the powers may be that cause a man to go mindless of the dangers out across the virgin snow.” The Scottish soft-rocker was reported to have introduced his song in concert as follows: “In England, just south of where I was born, there was a fascination with going to the South Pole: we had two explorers that tried it at the beginning of this century. There was Shackleton, who was the punk-rocker of polar exploration; he believed in making minimal preparation, just going, putting on a warm sweater and seeing how far he got, and needless to say, he never got to the South Pole. He nearly died a few times, but never made it. There was another man called Scott, who was a boyhood hero to English people because he died on the way home. He actually got there, but that wasn’t important. What was important was that he died coming back again. In England we revere people not for what they’ve done, but for whether or not they died while they were doing it…of course, this song isn’t about any of this, it’s about a very cold and frosty woman.” EMI 7243-8-21616 2 2. Also available in the 2005 Stewart compilation box set JUST YESTERDAY.

COLD AS ICE by Mariska Van Kolck (1988) (Vinyl LP only)

Mariska Van Kolck is a versatile Dutch singer who had several Europop and disco singles in the late 1980s. She went on to a larger career in television and stage musical performances and as a solo performer. This mini-record from her early days has three versions of the danceable disco title track, including Cold As Ice (The Antarctic Version). Red Bullet R.B. 12.58

DESCANSO DOMINICAL by Mecano (1988)

This Spanish pop/dance group's Heroes de la Antartida may possibly be the world’s only vocal dance track homage to Robert Scott and his group’s fateful return attempt from the South Pole. Ariola 8 516-2-RL

THE CONTINENTS - An Electronic Suite by Mickie Willis (1988)

American Willis recorded this continental “imaginary journey throughout the world” on a digital Synclavier keyboard in 1987. Included is the ho-hum seven-minute “icy eternity” of Antarctica. NEBULA NU 5005

DREAMS OF FLIGHT by Edgar Meyer (1987)

Edgar Meyer is a Tennessee, U.S.A.-based virtuoso double bassist and multi-instrumentalist/composer/music scholar whose styles range from classical to jazz and bluegrass. He has won many prestigious awards and may be best known for two commercially popular collaboration CDs, Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey, both with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Mark O’Connor. The latter disc won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album in 2000. This instrumental CD is one of Edgar’s earliest and has a colourful cover of an Emperor penguin standing on an iceberg with a penguin silhouette in the background, floating over the sea. The title track Dreams of Flight has Edgar on bass and synthesizer with Mark O’Connor soaring on violin. Another penguin-related track is the playful Webbed Fee, with Jerry Douglas on dobro. The final track is the bluegrassy Life in Antarctica (Is Cold and Lonely), with Edgar, Mark O’Connor and Jerry Douglas. MCA Records MCAD-5964; www.edgarmeyer.com; www.myspace.com/edgarmeyerdb

ANTARCTICA by John Elder (1987) (Vinyl LP only)

This LP of “some strange sounds”, as described on the cover, was composed by John Elder, a writer with The Sunday Age newspaper in Melbourne, Australia and co-author with Peter Hillary of the 2004 book In the Ghost Country - A Lifetime Spent on the Edge. He was also a crew member on the Southern Quest, the support ship used by Robert Swan, Roger Mear and Gareth Wood for their 1985-86 In the Footsteps of Scott unsupported trek to the South Pole. While the expeditioners were reaching the Pole, their support vessel was being crushed in the pack ice off Beaufort Island in the Ross Sea. The subsequent return of the party by U.S. transportation became a political football and soured official relations between the U.S. government and private expeditions. The mesmerizing music contains a mixture of hypnotic voices, chants, keyboards, exotic sounding instruments and percussion, which at times seem more Asian and equatorial than Antarctic. The five tracks include Somewhere in the Far South, Somewhere Else in the Far South and One Discreet Dog Team and Other Lonely Moments. The front cover has a photo of a pinkish iceberg and the back has two photos of the sinking Southern Quest. Jarra Hill Records JHR 2004

MUSIC IN THE EXTERNAL WORLD by (This) Hungry Glass (1986) (Vinyl LP only)

Hungry Glass was an Ontario, Canada-based rock group, whose only LP has the track Antarctica, about love gone cold. Sample lyrics: “I can’t touch you now. How does it feel in Antarctica? Nothing is real in Antarctica…You know you cut me through sheets of pain. You’ll never hurt my life again. You can’t touch me now…I’ll see you down in Antarctica. There’s lots of room in Antarctica…You can’t touch me now. I’ll see you down in Antarctica. They say it’s cold in Antarctica.” Hyperspace 001.

OCEANSCAPE by William Goldstein (1986)

According to the liner notes, this is one of the first CDs to be recorded directly from computer via synthesizers to a digital master. The numerous brief orchestral compositions on this Sony Music disc include a very short jumpy piece called Window to Antarctica, noteworthy only for the title. Synthesized musical sounds have mellowed considerably since the era represented on this disc. PEG031/A 33937

VICTORIALAND by Cocteau Twins (1986)

Ethereal instrumental-vocal music from Britain. The album may be named after a part of Antarctica, and includes polar references in the song titles such as Throughout the Dark Months of April and May, How to Bring a Blush to the Snow, Whales Tails and The Thinner the Air. Beggars Banquet CAD 602CD

THE MRS. ACKROYD ROCK ’N’ ROLL SHOW by Les Barker (1985)

Manchester, U.K. humorist, writer and entertainer Barker’s first CD of monologues, recited with backing by a rock band has the track Weddell Waddle Penguins-O, about what may happen to remote Antarctic researchers who have spent too long in the cold. Les told us in 2009 about the background for the song: “No particular reason; I was playing with words. I do have a fairly extensive collection of books on polar exploration, so I was familiar with the stories of the Scott and Amundsen expeditions, amongst others. The Weddell Waddle Penguins is a parody of an old British song, the Raggle Taggle Gypsies.”

The transcribed lyrics: “The snow lay thick on the Antarctic, while the penguins played at the Pole-eo. Two scientists shut inside their hut, were watching the Weddell waddle penguins-o. They scarce set foot from their warm white hut, sat sending the weather information-o, on graphs and charts, but in their hearts, they wished they were Weddell waddle penguins-o. They saw the snow and the blizzards blow and they oft said so on the radi-o. And the scientists sighed, for deep inside they wished they were Weddell waddle penguins-o. One scientist awoke and he nearly choked at the sight of the note on the table-o. His comrade gorn in the ice cold morn, gone to paddle with Weddell waddle penguins-o. His comrade gone with his snowshoes on and his sealskin slippers like an Eskim-o. And he went outside and he shouted and cried to the wind and the Weddell waddle penguins-o. Well, he took his sledge to the water’s edge and there he joined his comrade-o. He lost his head and his goose feather bed just to paddle with the Weddell waddle penguins-o. And what cared he for his morning tea, his meteorological portfoli-o, and his three square meals when he swam with seals and paddled with the Weddell waddle penguins-o. Well, word of this reached the Met Office and the word spread high and the word spread low. Over morning tea, they’re wild and free with the wind and the Weddell waddle penguins-o. Two lumps lease and perhaps they’ll freeze with the wind and the Weddell waddle penguins-o.” DOG 001; www.mrsackroyd.com

The track Weddell Waddle Penguins is also available on a compilation CD of Les Barker tracks, LES BARKER: PROBABLY THE BEST ALBUM EVER MADE BY ANYBODY IN OUR STREET (1997) Terra Nova TERR CD007

TUBA LOVE STORY by Pinguin Moschner (1985) (Vinyl LP only)

This is a recording of tuba solos, improvised and recorded one evening in 1984. The digital recording was made with the then newly developed dummy head technique, which was supposed to provide a feeling of sitting in front of the instrument, when the record was heard through headphones. The tracks include the tooty Antarctic Love Song. In 2008 we asked Pinguin, who is from Aachen, Germany, about the reason for the track title and he replied, “Just look at my name.” He has appeared in solo concerts and with groups at events across Europe and has appeared on numerous recordings. Sound Aspects SAS 005

NEW MUSIC FROM ANTARCTICA – Volume I (1982) (Vinyl LP only)

Produced by Kit Fitzgerald and John Sanborn, the LP contains various avant garde jazz/rock tracks written and played by New York musicians, including multi-media artist Jill Kroesen, Ned Sublette, Peter Gordon and David Van Tieghem. The record cover shows a photo of a giant iceberg with an insert of Frank Hurley’s famous shot of Shackleton’s crew on Elephant Island, looking at their rescue ship in the distance. The back cover has the well known Home of the Blizzard photo of men chopping ice in front of Mawson’s hut. Antarctica ACR-6201

HELL I WANT MORE by Gillian Scalici (1980) (Vinyl LP only)

This German-produced record has a rocking track called Antarctic Arias, sung in a rock-operatic voice by Scalici, about a would-be diva who “sings a song that is wrong for the place where she lives, all the neighbours try to make her feel that they like something else…What’s left but Antarctic ice, to the South Pole then she flies, although it is freezing cold, she quavers arias real bold, she sings a song that is grand for her penguin fans and the tailcoated crowd makes her feel that they love nothing else.” Mercury/Phonogram 6435 071; Antarctic Arias was also issued in 1980 as a 45 rpm single, with flip side Urban Cowgirl Jerk. Mercury 6005 086.

ROCK AND ROLL HERMIT by Malcolm Tomlinson (1979) (Vinyl LP only)

Tomlinson is an ex-British singer/songwriter who moved to Toronto in 1969 and became and remains a local fixture, having played with prominent bands Syrinx, Bearfoot and Rhinoceros. His own group recorded two albums for the A &M label, including this one, which has the slow-rocking song Antarctic Woman, written by Scott Cushnie, his keyboardist. Lyrics: “Antarctic woman you know you chill me. Antarctic woman you know you thrill me. If I get back I will be, what you want me to be, throw my compass in the sea, If you’ll stay with me. It’s such a long way to the base comp. I went the wrong way, I lost my heat lamp. So I laid out in the fog and the snow with my dog. And I entered in my log I need your love. Don’t freeze me out don’t freeze me out. Don’t freeze me out don’t freeze me out. I want you I need you to know me and show me, What it’s all about, Antarctic Woman.” A & M Records SP 4765

I DON’T THINK IT WILL HURT IF YOU SMILE by Norma Tanega (1971) (Vinyl LP only)

Norma Tanega, a singer/songwriter from California, U.S.A. had a #22 hit on the Billboard charts in 1966 with the novelty song Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog. In 1971, her fifth single release had the B-side track Antarctic Rose, which was included in the above-mentioned LP, her second release. She later turned to art and teaching in California and recorded five CDs in the 1990s and 2000s as an instrumentalist in collaboration with other musicians. In 1999 she appeared as a commentator in a television documentary about the late singer Dusty Springfield, who she knew and for whom she had co-written a song. Norma provided us with a copy of the song in 2009. The lyrics of the bouncy, bluesy track are: “You say I’ve got Antarctic blues, You know my feet are cold, I’ve been living in an iceberg so long I’m difficult to hold, I’ve been living in an iceberg and I’m two billion years old. Antarctic Rose has got the blues, Alaska bluenose blues, The ice refrigerates my heart, There’s nothing for me to lose. The Antarctic froze my lovin’ earlobes, and Iceland froze my toes, I know whatever the weather, I’m minus 10 degrees below. I know whatever the weather, my face is covered up with snow. Aurora Borealis lights have turned my lips cold and blue, A love that lived in snow time flew, and now you’re no longer true.” The LP was only released in the U.K. as RCA SF 8217 and the single, Antarctic Rose as RCA 2072; www.normatanega.com

IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD by the Moody Blues (1968 - Vinyl LP) (1997 - CD)

While not a direct Antarctic song, a cut by this long-popular British rock group has an Antarctic reference. Dr. Livingston, I Presume contains the lyrics “Captain Scott, you were so bold, Now you’re looking rather cold out there in the snow. What did you find there? Did you stand awhile and stare? Did you meet anyone? “I’ve seen polar bears and seals, I’ve seen giant Antarctic eels. I’ve still not found what I’m looking for.”” Deram 422 844 768-2

FOLKLORIC RECORDING: Folk Songs Sung by Harry Robertson and Don Henderson (1967)

This CD is a collection of fifteen songs performed by Robertson and Henderson and recorded on an analog tape recorder by Declan Affley in 1967. It is part of a collection of recordings and related material collected during the 1950s and 1960s by Norm O’Connor and others for the Folk Lore Society of Victoria, Australia. It includes Robertson’s unaccompanied version of his The Antarctic Fleet. Harry Robertson, a native Glaswegian who immigrated to Australia in 1952, worked during 1950-51 as an engineer with the Norwegian whaling fleet in the Antarctic and wintered over at South Georgia. He became a seminal influence in the Australian folk movement of the 1960s and made an LP in 1971, WHALE CHASING MEN - Songs of Whaling in Ice and Sun. This was released on CD in 2001 by Australia’s National Film & Sound Archive (www.nfsa.afc.gov.au) and includes an accompanied version of the song. Don Henderson was another singer/songwriter who became an icon of the 1960s Australian folk movement. Declan Affley, a Briton who immigrated to Australia in 1959, was yet another leading figure of the country’s 1960s and 1970s folk era, performing the songs of Roberson and Henderson. He recorded the instrumental The Antarctic Fleet on his own LP in 1967, THE RAKE AND RAMBLING MAN, issued on the Union label, also on Score POL 040 (record not verified). The lyrics to this version of Robertson’s The Antarctic Fleet are:

“I went down south a while ago, To the land of ice and snow, And 20 pound a month for that, Was all I had to show. They fed me on some pork and beans, Stewed up in a pan, I wished that I was back at home, In dear old Glasgow town.

Chorus: Hey Oh Whale O, With the Antarctic fleet, I got a drip upon me nose, And I’m frozen in me feet.
South Georgia is an island, It is a whaling base, And only men who hunt for whales, Would live in such a place, There’s little entertainment there, Unless you drink home brew, And then we’d have some singin’, We’d have some fightin’ too.

Our gunner came from Norway, Like many of our crew, While others spoke with gentle brogues, Like Scotsmen often do, But when the ship was closin’ in, To make the bloody kill, The Scots and the Norwegians worked, Together with a will.

We sailed into the Weddell Sea, Where big blues can be found, We spent some time a huntin’ whales, We chased them round and round, And when the whales grew tired, And they stopped to take a breath, Our gunners shot harpoons in them, ‘Till they lay still in death.

It’s twenty years since I was there, I won’t go back again, I didn’t like the climate, but I liked the whalin’ men, But now even on a sunny day, When I’m walkin’ down the street, I’ve got a drip upon me nose, And I’ve still got frozen feet.” National Library of Australia TRC 2539/81, Record # 7886154; www.musicaustralia.org; (See also WHALE CHASING MEN by Harry Robertson (2001) in the preceding “Non-classical, all or significantly Antarctic” section.)

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A good place to search for Antarctic-themed music is the iTunes.com Web site store. The use of any Antarctic related word in the search box may reveal a world of single tracks, albums or even podcasts that might otherwise not be available on hard copy CDs.

The MP3.com web site for downloadable music was a very fluid and evolving collection in the early Web days. Available tracks came and went but we have seen titles such as Swimming for Antarctica by Lee Asbury and even a band called Antarctic Beach Party. The following Antarctic-related tracks were available on full CDs:

ALIEN WORLDS by S.A. Fred - Antarctic Pursuit (2955845907 - 28341)

DOWN by Warcrime - Antarctic (2955845907 - 3477)

SASSYSTARX - Arctic/Antarctic (2955845907 - 7748)

TRI-STATE KILLING SPREE - Antarctica (9955848216 - 11970)

EVOLUTION OF ORIGAMI by Word Search - Antarctica (955848216 - 21358)

ANTARCTICA RECONSIDERED by Dan Fioretti - Antarctica Reconsidered (9957665324 - 25683)

DREAMTIME909 by Dreamtime909 - Antarctica (71005524414 - 134101)

SILENT WAVE by Bananaz - Antarctica (71005524414 - 142103)

ELEMENTS by Minico - Antarctica (71005524414 - 28573)

FILMSCAPES 1 by Shiver - Antarctica (71005524414 - 81632)