1. Surya, The Divine Sun "Titled after the Hindu sun god, we wanted this soundscape to have an ancient, primitive feel. We wanted to create a feeling of the desert sun growing more and more intense, until you can almost feel the flames."
2. Tarantulas "Rather than compose a creepy sounding piece about tarantulas, we wanted to create a beautiful and haunting soundscape about these gentle desert creatures."
3. Inside Saguaros "There are some Native Americans in the Southwest who believe that the majestic saguaro cactus contain the spirits of deceased ancestors. We wanted to tap into those spirits locked inside saguaros."
4. Mirage "This was somewhat of a challenge for us to compose, as we were trying to create the feeling of a mirage, appearing and disappearing, always just beyond reach."
5. Rattlesnake "We wanted to give this soundscape an Egyptian/exotica feel, without it being too cliched. Spider says he hears a little Doors influence in this piece. He may be right. Ride the snake, baby!"
6. Adventures of the Pack Rat "True to their name, pack rats gather anything and everything they can find to build their nests. They are notorious thieves with a penchant for shiny objects and often invade homes in search of materials. Researchers have on occasion found stolen rings and broaches and other jewelry in abandoned pack rat nests!"
7. When the Devil was a Little Boy "No, this isn't about Satan worship! We wanted to create the sounds of a dust devil, a mischievous desert windstorm in which all hell breaks loose." (There is an extended mix of this track available.)"
8. Ocotillo "Picture ocotillos just after a summer rain, when they are suddenly transformed from looking like giant dead rosebushes into branches of bright green leaves topped with flame-red tubular flowers dancing against the sky."
9. Petroglyphs and Bones "The goal was to create a somber and desolate landscape, home to the lost relics of ancient peoples and animals."
10. Thunderbirds "There has been speculation that thunderbirds are not just imaginary bird creatures of Native American folklore, but may actually have been giant vultures (similar to today's condors) that existed long ago. We wanted to create the sweeping sound of these giant birds taking to the sky on the heels of a storm." (There is an extended mix of this track available.)
11. Monsoon "We wanted to create a desert rainstorm from start to finish, beginning with the gathering of the angry black clouds and ending in a downpour."
12. The Perfume of Creosote "We wanted to create the tropical feeling that the desert takes on just after a monsoon, when the frogs start to sing and the air is filled with the intoxicating smell of wet creosote."
13. Riparian Oasis "We wanted this soundscape to have a lush, serene, flowing feel, that of a desert riparian area that provides year-round water for desert animals. This contains one of Spider's gorgeous guitar solos and, on a personal note, this soundscape is very special to us because it contains the first guitar solo Spider recorded after severely damaging one of his fingers in a work-related accident (he had to wear a finger cast for six weeks, followed by three weeks of physical therapy before we knew if he would be able to use his finger again)."
14. Roadrunner "We love roadrunners (we have one that makes the rounds through our neighborhood every afternoon), which are intense birds who can make mincemeat out of any unfortunate lizard that should happen to cross their path. Obviously, we wanted this soundscape to capture the intensity and speed of these desert birds."<
15. Rock Gardens, Swimming Pools, and Barbecues "We wanted to pay tribute to all those Martin Denny and Les Baxter exotica records of the 1950's and early 1960's that inspired this collection. We wanted this piece to sound just like it was taken from one of those old records, a piece about "modern desert living," that is, "modern desert living" as it was viewed back in the 1950's. Don't know what it is about this little song (maybe it's the Martin Denny vibes, or the Motown rhythm, or the shuffle of the drums), but I never get tired of hearing it."
16. Turquoise and Copper "The title of this piece has a double meaning--Arizona is known for its turquoise and copper, but this could also be about the turquoise sky and the copper sun."
17. Sonoran Sunset "The idea was to create the feeling of watching a desert sunset, as the sun finger-paints the sky just before slipping below the horizon."
18.Pink Fairy Duster and Hummingbird Moths "Hummingbird moths appear just after dusk, and they really do look exactly like hummingbirds...and yes, the flowers on fairy duster shrubs look like little fairies!"
19. Ring Around the Moon "We experimented with adding layers and layers of guitars and strings to create a sound that was thick and dreamy. We wanted to create the eerie feeling that you get when you look up and see ice crystals forming a rust-colored ring around the moon. If you listen closely, you'll hear . . . a snippet of 'Moon River' in this piece."
20. Dance of the Scorpions "When scorpions mate, they
attach their tails and do a beautiful and elaborate dance."
21. Javelinas "Picture a herd of javelinas traveling together through the desert brush under the cover of nightfall."
22. Night Blooming Cereus "Night blooming cereus only bloom in the night, in order to be pollinated by bats. Each bud opens to reveal a giant orchid-like, pale yellow blossom that lasts but a few hours, and by the break of day, the blossom folds back up and dies. We wanted to create a mystical/vampire feeling, the sound of cereus blooming under a full moon."
23. As Heaven Falls from the Sky "In this piece we wanted to create a desert night sky, full of shooting stars, angels and UFOs."