Walking Through Sounds

“Walking by Sounds” is the audio version of the radio program of the same name, which has been broadcast weekly for more than five years on the “Silver Rain” radio station. In the program—and in the audiobook—its author, journalist and critic Lev Gankin, explains popular music in an engaging way (which includes, in fact, almost all non-academic and non-jazz recordings), with the episodes featuring both superstars and unfairly underappreciated artists. For the latter, rare airtime is provided, while for the stars—by tradition—fresh, non-template angles of review are sought. The local goal is to introduce listeners and readers to the largest number of bright and talented songs and albums; the overarching idea is to understand exactly how pop music developed over the last one and a half decades or so—and why. That’s why “Walking by Sounds” is not only a lively run through favorite hits, but an attempt to see the specific human fate behind each one—and to place them within the social and cultural context of the era.