Explorations | Volume III

Last December I mentioned that my song End Scene marked the end of Volume III — 12 new, original instrumental songs and visuals, all shared first with you right here through this newsletter. That piece also marked the end of the third year of this project.

Since then, for a long list of reasons I won’t bore you with (yet), I’ve been on a little hiatus, recharging, reflecting, rethinking, regrouping. Before we jump into the next volume, which is imminent, I’ve decided to share all of the songs from Volume III with you in a single audio file as I’ve done in the past for both Volumes I and II.

While some of these songs are available on streaming platforms, this collection hasn’t existed anywhere as a single standalone set until now (except for paying subscribers, who have access to my complete works through FC+).

🎵 I invite you to click play above to listen to every piece from Vol. III. These songs are all instrumental, making them good companions for working, writing, focusing, cooking, reading, walking the dog, napping, etc. See below for the tracklist and timestamps.

📷 Above, you’ll see the 12 original photos shared in Volume III.

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» Extras for FC+ members

Volume I and Volume II are now only available to paying subscribers / members of Fog Chaser+. Volume III will remain accessible to everyone through 2025.

You can join Fog Chaser+ for just $3.75/month, which gets you:¹

• My Complete Works Playlists: The only place you can hear everything I've written and shared through my newsletter, all in one convenient place for uninterrupted listening.

• Unlimited Downloads: Not everyone collects digital files. But if you do, you can download all my tracks (and artwork).

• One-On-One Chats: I love meeting folks through this newsletter. If you want to chat, ask some questions or talk about music or books, or coffee, or nature, or life, let’s do it. FC+ members can easily schedule a virtual meeting with me.

• Members-Only Posts: Receive occasional extra posts, including early and exclusive access to custom music I write for film, TV, and other media.

• Exclusive Discounts: Enjoy special discounts on merch, albums, and more.

• More: I’ll be including a few new elements in the coming year to round out the FC+ experience.

Thank you for considering upgrading. 

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The twelve songs that make up Volume III were released once each month between November 2023 - October 2024. Each piece is listed below (including its timestamp for the audio file above).

» Song list

1. 00:00 - Hearthside | F Major (Stream | Original Post)²

2. 02:36 - On This Winter Solstice | G Major (Stream | Original Post)

3. 08:02 - Helvellyn | C Dorian (Unreleased | Original Post)

4. 10:36 - Anthemon | A-Flat Major (Stream | Original Post)

5. 13:19 - Downstream | A Major (Unreleased | Original Post)

6. 16:10 - In The Garden | (Stream | Purchase | Original Post)³

7. 19:39 - Heartwood | F Major (Unreleased | Original Post)

8. 22:48 - Light Through The Valley | D minor (Unreleased | Original Post)

9. 26:17 - Turnings | B Major (Unreleased | Original Post)

10. 29:38 - Drift | G-Sharp Minor (Unreleased | Original Post)

11. 33:11 - Stone & Light | G Minor (Unreleased | Original Post)

12. 35:57 - End Scene | D Major (Unreleased | Original Post)

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Reading & Listening List, Volume III

Each issue of Volume III also included a few things I was reading and listening to. I’ve put these in a few lists here:

» Poems

1. “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost (read/listen)

2. “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry (read)

3. “The World Is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth (read)

4. “Dreams” by Langston Hughes (read)

5. “Dead Stars” by Ada Limón (read)

6. “Mirrorment” by A.R. Ammons (read)

7. “[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]” by E.E. Cummings (read)

8. “Our Valley” by Philip Levine (read/listen)

9. “Ancient Language” by Hannah Stephenson (read/listen)

10. “Fluent” by John O’Donohue (read)

11. “Keeping Quiet” by Pablo Neruda (read)

12. “Saying Farewell at the Monastery after Hearing the Old Master Lecture on ‘Return to the Source’” by Gary Snyder (read)

» Books

1. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

2. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

3. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier by Thad Carhart

4. White Noise by Don DeLillo

5. The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett

6. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

7. French Exit by Patrick DeWitt

8. The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster

9. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

10. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

11. Indignation by Philip Roth

12. The Known World by Edward P. Jones

13. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

14. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

15. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

16. The Overstory by Richard Powers

17. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

18. H Is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald

» Many of the books I’ve shared can be found at the Fog Chaser Bookshop.

» Songs

1. Fortune by Midlake

2. I Swear I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album by André 3000

3. I Built You by WOOM

4. Ibuyile I'Africa / Africa is Back by Abel Selaocoe

5. Due West by Kelsey Lu

6. Moonless by Julie Byrne

7. Turnham Green by Adam Melchor

8. All You Can Do by Bess Atwell

9. Acting Your Age by Mimicking Birds

10. A Trick of the Light by Villagers

11. All I Need by Black Books

» Spotify users can listen to all of these songs in this playlist:

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So that was Volume III. Feel free to bookmark this page so you can come back here and hit play whenever you want. And stay tuned for the first installment of Volume IV which will land in your inbox sometime soon.

As always, thank you for being here. I’m so grateful for your time and attention, and I’m honored that you listen to my music and read my writing — it really means the world to me.

If you missed December’s note, you can read it here:

1. When you sign up for an annual subscription.

2. Written for

Kate McDermott

.

3. From the score I wrote for

Elle Griffin

’s novel Oblivion.