Student Bennett Cook recorded ambient sounds on his way to campus and found something surprising. His resulting podcast — a finalist in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge — may change your commute.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
What do you hear during your commute? Many of us are popping in headphones, maybe even listening to NPR, but one train enthusiast in New York listens to the world around him. When he was a student at Buffalo State University, Bennett Cook recorded the ambient sounds and found something surprising. His resulting podcast, a finalist in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge, may change the way that you hear your commute. Here’s an excerpt from his entry, “Transit Sounds.”
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, “TRANSIT SOUNDS”)
BENNETT COOK: I have recently discovered a few subways that actually make music when they are leaving the station. The first subway is the Montreal Metro MR-63. When this train leaves or arrives at different stations, the sound of a cello arises from the Metro. Feel free to close your eyes and listen to this audio clip.
(SOUNDBITE OF CELLO PLAYING)
COOK: Call me crazy, but if you listen really carefully and deeply, you can hear this instrument in the Metro during the acceleration. All you cello musicians out there, consider this your challenge – to match the tune heard from the Metro itself.
The next subway in the musical category is Boston, in which the music there is the door chime. When the doors close, the sound of a wooden xylophone arises. But there is also a violin that arises from the train as it leaves the station. Adding to that point, the tune you’ll hear is a very tiny snippet of a song by Etta James called “At Last.” Take a listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIOLINS PLAYING)
COOK: Did you hear that? Did you hear Etta’s violins? Today, I have touched upon just two examples of the many that are waiting to be discovered by you, the listener – like the organs of the Senate subway of Washington, D.C., and the White House, the violins of both the Barcelona Metro 4000 or the Madrid Metro 3400 series.
Isn’t it fascinating that if you listen carefully and pay close attention, you will find music in the most unexpected places? For me, I was pleasantly surprised to find music underground complementing my passion of transit. So the next time you leave your home, keep your ears open and you too will be surprised to discover what the sounds of life have to offer.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DETROW: That was an excerpt from “Transit Sounds” by Bennett Cook, who was a finalist in the 2021 NPR College Podcast Challenge. He has since graduated from Buffalo State and recently accepted a job at – surprise, surprise – the Chicago Transit Authority to work on trains.
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