FILE 007: "Avant-Garde Sea Shanties"
Genre: Maritime Minimalism
Band: The Barnacled Baritones
Date of Release: Q3 2023
Certification: Discovered 1 New Whale Song
The Genius: The Hydro-Acoustic Mix
Snarfus refused to use typical digital reverb, insisting the sound needed to be "oceanically wet." He built a custom array of contact microphones and hydrophones, then submerged them **40 feet** into the Atlantic Ocean. He recorded the singers standing on a shifting pier during a squall, and then used the **random, natural compression and wash of the tidal movement** as the master stereo bus. The effect was a breathtaking, impossible sense of space and distance that critics called "a truly dangerous innovation in sonic physics."
The Moron: The Saltwater Equipment Dump
To capture the authentic decay of analog instruments exposed to the elements, Snarfus insisted that the **1870s** upright piano used for the track remain on the pier for the entire two-week session. The piano was ruined by rust and saltwater, but Snarfus claimed the **"micro-tonal warping from the decaying strings"** provided the perfect leading melody. He also recorded the bass player wearing **80 pounds** of dive weights, claiming the extra burden added "authentic maritime fatigue" to the performance, though the bass player required spinal decompression afterward.