Why Sound Matters

A poignant consideration of the material aspect of sound and how it fundamentally shapes our experience of the world, both in its presence and absence

From the joyous communal connections fostered through shared auditory experience to the devastating impact of noise pollution in the deep sea, musician and author Damon Krukowski urges readers to reconsider the significance of sound and its role in both our personal and collective well-being. He looks despairingly at how the multipronged efforts of urban dwellers to mitigate city noise have led to increased isolation, loss of community, and a sense of physical detachment from one’s surroundings. He considers the consequences of the commodification of sound in the digital era. And he looks at what’s at stake in trying to preserve the world’s dwindling quiet places.

Interspersed with personal reflections from years of working in the music business, this book investigates sound’s role in the environment, its value as a material, its relationship to labor, and how it affects our interactions with one another. Krukowski invites you to hear the world anew and renew your relationship with one of our most precious natural resources. So listen up!

Damon Krukowski is a writer, publisher, and musician, and is the author of The New Analog and Ways of Hearing. He was in the indie rock band Galaxie 500 and is currently one-half of the folk-rock duo Damon & Naomi, and he has taught writing and sound (and writing about sound) at Harvard University. He lives in Cambridge, MA.