65 Comments

That's my favorite Wendell Berry poem. And l love all of your compositions. Having joined Substack just recently I am working my way backwards.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to listen, Marilee. And welcome to Substack!

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Beautiful as always Matt! And the photos are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing this lovely moment with us.

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Thank you, Simon! Always appreciate you listening!

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I just did some journaling whilst listening to your piece. The perfect soundscape to some gentle thinking. Thank you 🙏 I am looking for ways to share my singing / music / poetry here and you’ve given such a great example of how to do that. I haven’t found any other examples I like!

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That’s wonderful to hear - thanks so much, Tommy!

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I am just catching up after a break with all the emails and work admin and life admin, and I'm so glad that I left this one for January. Such a wonderful track that just brings optimism and mystique into this beginning of a new year, to yet another starting line. Loved the photos as well, hope we all get to experience more views like those this coming year. Hope the holidays treated you well! Thank you!

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Thank you so much, Lucia! I hope you had a wonderful and restful break - and that you feel refreshed entering this new year. Thank you for listening!

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Beautiful

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Thank you!

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Big Bend! I need to go there one day, splendid piece, Matt. Ethereal.

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Thank you!

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We have a little cabin that overlooks Aqua Fria Mountain near Terlingua. This song reminded me of the stories of La Lechuza that were passed down from the indigenous people in the Big Bend region. We’ve spent many nights under the stars hearing sounds like this coming from the mountain.

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Wow, that's incredible. Thank you so much for sharing that story — I hadn't heard of La Lechuza before, but I just looked it up. A great example of why that part of the world is so enchanting — it's still connected to the deep and mysterious, due in large part to the continued presence and deep roots of the Indigenous communities there, as well as its proximity to Mexico and Mexican culture and lore. Beautiful. Appreciate the comment, J.

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Oh man, the ethereal voices at the beginning and the end - they sound like the whispering between the stars. I don’t know how you managed to capture something that feels cold and vast and mysterious all at once but you did. Excellent work Matt!

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Thank you, Kerani! I really appreciate the close listen — so glad you liked those ethereal voices!

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such an exciting and unexplored joy in the piece today! felt like coming up to the top of a mountain and not know what is on the other side.

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That's such a beautiful analogy — thank you so much for listening!

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Another beautiful piece Matt! The music, picture and poetry were a perfect match for the Solstice. Thank you for the shoutout too!

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Thank you, Niamh!

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Big Bend is my sacred place. Of all the places I have visited on earth, this is the one that felt most like home.

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That's beautiful Marilyn — thank you so much for sharing.

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Gorgeous, Matt. The description of this piece is so spot on. It's like being pulled by the wind through a valley, skirting through trees, lingering through eddies, all to then be swept away again.

I'm looking up more photos of Big Bend now :)

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Thank you so much Nathan — you really are the master of the descriptive. I love what you've conjured up here. I really should enlist you to write up descriptions for anything I write in the future! And yes, Big Bend is something else. Very "time out of mind" feeling. Also, did I see you were in England recently? Is that where you're from?

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Haha, would be a pleasure 😉

Yes, back in England briefly to see family. From Nottingham originally, though my family are now in Leicester and my wife's sister in London. I've been in Australia since 2009.

Happy holidays! 🎄

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I enjoyed this! Simply wonderful.

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Thank you very much, Enoch!

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Capacious, indeed. Love the choice of Berry’s ‘Wild’ words as an accompaniment! Thank you for the winter solstice beauty.

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Thank you, Erin! I always appreciate your time and attention!

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Such sublime soundscapes and photographs you're gracing us with yet again. I'm inspired with so much spirit, invigoration, and strength. Thank you for that! May your holidays be blessed, joyous, safe, and lovely!

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Thank you so much, Nadia! Likewise!

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I am enjoying this moment of respite as I stand here making mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs for the third day in a row after having my wisdom teeth pulled. I like how the loosey-gooseyness of the track locks in for a moment for before shaking free again. Excited to see how this new ecosystem continues to develop.

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Many thanks, KT. Hoping you've recovered enough by now to enjoy those roasted chestnuts I know you're so fond of this time of year.

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