With 2025 just a breath away, a message from Ghana’s outgoing president resonated with me. I recommend reading the whole thing if you can, but the below in particular rang out:

As it is often said, true power lies not in the capacity to dominate, but in the ability to uplift and unite. Let this be our guiding principle as we move forward, ensuring that peace and democracy remain the bedrock of our nation.

Noise #185 channels my feelings about the transition from one momentous year to what will no doubt be another—and my hope that all of us, everywhere, can remember and live this philosophy in 2025.

Thank you so much for listening and supporting Current Dissonance.

Wishing you peace, health, prosperity, and joy in the new year,

Michael

(Noise #185 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

For over three decades, Arzú has organized and educated women in the Garifuna community, an ethnic minority in Honduras. In the words of Maria Miranda, a Garifuna woman who worked with Arzú’s non-profit:

It changed my life for the simple reason that I [came to know] my rights, my duties, and I also knew how to teach other women. I thank [Bertha] very much for having been by my side, by the side of all the women.

I really admire Arzú’s efforts and impact. Her story also struck because it wasn’t something I expected to see. At least through the cloudy lens of American media, South and Central American nations are often drawn in one-dimensional darkness, without significant context, depth, or nuance.

I wrote Noise #184 in celebration of an article that fleshed out an often-caricatured country with a sense of humanity. I also recorded the music while keeping in mind the legacy of an activist who lifted those around her.

I hope you enjoy listening:

Michael

(Noise #184 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Nauru is a tiny Micronesian island nation. Sitting northeast of Australia, it’s the world’s smallest republic. I’d never heard of it before this week.

The Papua New Guinea Post-Courier describes a sad situation there. Over 80% of Nauru’s landmass has been “gutted by more than a century of open-cut phosphate mining,” the article says. The resulting territory resembles the desolate surface of a pockmarked moon.

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Announced last week, Nauru is partnering with Australia’s Monash University to help families relocate to safer areas and source clean water, among other measures.

Nauru also introduced this month a program where wealthy foreigners can invest $100K+ (USD) in exchange for fast-tracked citizenship; the funds will be used for climate adaptation and sustainable development projects, RNZ reports.

I recorded Noise #183 thinking about how, while the largest nations hyper-focus on their conflicts and leaders and rivalries and reputations, life elsewhere moves on in ways that are intricate and impactful. The melodies I use in Noise #183 are multi-faceted to reflect multi-faceted issues; compositionally, the piece moves between grand and microscopic gestures. I hope you enjoy listening:

Wishing you a peaceful weekend,

Michael

(Noise #183 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

The picture it all creates for me is something structured but surreal, microscopically logical but macroscopically nonsensical. I fear that American voters may have just built us a grand, imperial stairway that leads us exactly nowhere.

We’ll learn a lot in the months to come. In the meantime, I recorded Noise #182 in reaction to all that’s happened since polls closed and the world began to look very, very different. I hope you enjoy listening:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #182 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

The writer goes on to thank his fellow Alaskans for showing “patience, kindness and helpfulness toward each other while waiting to cast your votes.”

The poll volunteers working today are our friends, family, and community members. Their job is a tough one under normal circumstances, and these aren’t normal circumstances.

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If you encounter poll workers or election judges, share some love. They are today’s peacekeepers, doing the necessary work of ensuring that our democracy withstands slime and autoimmune attacks alike.

I recorded Noise #181 channeling my own gratitude for the volunteers out there today who are doing their jobs with pride and respect. I hope you enjoy listening, and if the music moves you, please share it:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #181 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

The Times calls Jones a “giant of American music,” and that he was. From Count Basie to Thriller to “We Are The World,” he had a monumental impact.

In particular, I love how the Times obituary closes:

But even his not-fully-realized back-burner projects tell a story of their own, a kind of secondary biography of the obsessions and connections of a constantly busy man. Among them were a musical about Sammy Davis Jr.; a Cirque du Soleil show on the history of Black American music, from its African roots; a film about Brazilian carnivals; a film version of Ralph Ellison’s unfinished novel “Juneteenth”; and a film on the life of Alexander Pushkin, the Russian poet who was said to be of African origin.

Such interesting projects derived from such a fascinating range of inspirations—and so much of it committed to sharing vital stories of Black American music and heritage.

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Years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Jones backstage after a Thelonious Monk Competition concert and interviewing him for Keyboard magazine. Though our interaction was brief, I remember him engaging with kindness and respect.

I recorded Noise #180 thinking about the music Jones crafted with such richness, and how he leveraged that music to forge positive connections across great divides. Noise #180 also reflects sweet memories of the short conversation we shared, and the echoes of a musical legacy that continues to make the world feel a bit more united, and a bit more beautiful.

I hope you enjoy listening:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #180 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

I was eager to read Bezos’ op-ed, published in the Post, that explained his reasoning. Perhaps he had thoughtful arguments I wasn’t aware of, or new data that informed the wisdom of his choice.

Nope. Bezos’s op-ed is one of the most tone deaf crash-and-burns I’ve read in a newspaper.

The piece comes across as defiant and petulant, childishly argued and gracelessly written. Bezos does not seem to understand that public messaging works cumulatively, that the Post’s endorsement (or lack thereof) doesn’t exist in an informational vacuum. He does not understand that mistrust of legitimate news sources is a decades-long problem, nurtured and exacerbated by repeated distortions from the conservative right, and that his decision is unlikely to positively impact anything. He does not acknowledge that by opting out of an endorsement, he has alienated large portions of the Post’s core readership, eroded trust in its iconic brand, and caused the paper to hemorrhage subscribers as a result.

The whole thing reads like an attempt by Bezos to convince himself that he made his decision for noble reasons. The more vehemently he states and restates his tissue-paper arguments, the more self-delusional he seems.

(I applaud the staff of the Post for choosing to edit this piece with an obviously light touch, thereby allowing their boss to present his thoughts unvarnished.)

I grew up adoring The Washington Post, so it hurts to see the paper misused like this. Noise #179 channels my admiration for committed journalists who treat their responsibility to the public with honor and gravity. The music also expresses my sadness that people like Bezos can possess so much influence—and yet have so little clue about how to use it.

I hope you enjoy Noise #179:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #179 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

I appreciated The Scoop’s coverage, which let the event’s transphobic, sexist, and racist rhetoric speak for itself.

I recorded Noise #178 thinking about the sad legacy of dehumanization in politics…

… and how the real garbage last night was coming from the stage at Madison Square Garden.

This is Noise #178:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #178 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

A new article in Outlook India summarizes its disturbing thesis:

Much of the world we live in, from healthcare to urban planning, is designed without considering women's unique needs and contributions. Perez points out that data on women’s experiences, especially in the workplace, is shockingly sparse or simply nonexistent, leading to policies and systems that ignore half the population.

Outlook India also articulates the pernicious invisibility faced by countless Indian women, how they are subjected to alarming rates of gender-based violence, how their work regularly goes “unnoticed, undervalued and systematically neglected.”

I recorded Noise #177 thinking about the article’s piercing call for protective legal reforms—and how the challenges facing invisible women in India are mirrored in countries and communities everywhere.

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I also kept in mind the bittersweet, beautifully-shifting cyclical forms I’ve heard often in Hindustani and Carnatic classical music. As I played, I tried to evolve my rhythmic and melodic patterns to represent a healing social evolution, something I wish for invisible women everywhere.

I hope you enjoy Noise #177:

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Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #177 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

That’s why a Bloomberg editorial published yesterday caught my eye. The piece argues that the economies of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are evolving in ways that could reduce the flow of migrants into the United States. More economic opportunity at home, the author says, could make residents less desperate to seek it elsewhere.

Even though I can’t parse every nuance of the author’s considerable economic wonkery, I love the article all the same. It injects depth, thoughtful analysis, and humanity into an issue that has been bludgeoned into toxic jelly by the worst forces in American political discourse.

As I recorded Noise #176, I experimented with a variety of evolving three-note figures to represent the three countries mentioned. I played the music while thinking about complex, multi-dimensional structures becoming violently transfigured—pictures and shapes and portraits redrawing themselves in ignominious self-caricature—and shifts in bedrock that, hopefully, transform everything above for the better.

I hope you enjoy listening:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #176 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Against this backdrop, I recorded Noise #175 as a simple hymn for lasting peace. I hope you enjoy listening, and if the music moves you, please share it.

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Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #175 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

According to The City, Adams is the first mayor in New York City’s history to be indicted while in office.

I recorded Noise #174 with watercolored imagery floating in my head—someone rising on a balloon of bluster and bravado, large words swelling into space with very little actually inside them, atmospheric pressure building until everything bursts and falls.

I hope you enjoy Noise #174:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #174 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

That phrase stayed with me, and I used Noise #173 to explore it musically. I hope you enjoy what I came up with:

Thanks so much for reading and listening,

Michael

(Noise #173 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Every time the U.S. spasms out an assassination attempt or batshit xenophobic smear, a coded call for amplified violence or an articulate accusation of paranoid conspiracy—it eats away at the country’s global reputation.

We start to seem less like a beacon, more like a basket case.

This is a problem, given how interwoven our world has become. When banks in one country fail, economies halfway around the world can shudder as a result. When alliances and raw material supplies and shipping and environmental policies change somewhere, the resulting ripples or tidal waves can touch people’s lives everywhere.

And when a pillar of global stability is perceived as leaning closer to chaos, it can set anyone watching on edge.

I recorded Noise #172 thinking about the images and impressions of America recently projected onto the world stage—and the international reactions being projected back. The music also reflects my fascination at how interlinked the world is, despite borders and boundaries, and the possibilities and pitfalls that come with that.

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Thanks so much for being here. I hope you enjoy Noise #172:

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Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #172 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Medical researches at Monash University are looking to the natural world for creative new solutions to pernicious old problems:

On their quest to better heal cuts, lesions, withered muscle and busted tissue, scientists have turned to a strange kind of alchemy – they’ve created high-tech new salves by blasting algae with plasma and boiling silk spun by caterpillars. They’re hoping that one day, we get so good at healing wounds that we will be able to repair tissue that doesn’t typically regenerate, including that of the heart and brain.

The article also talks about zebrafish, their remarkable ability to “regrow fins and revamp their hearts, retinas and spinal cords”—and how human therapies could be developed from their example.

I recorded Noise #171 thinking about medical treasures found in unlikely places—everything from penicillin to the promise of these newest explorations. There’s an offbeat and exploratory energy to the piece, in keeping with the vibe of the news story, and a sense of looking to the future.

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I hope you enjoy listening to Noise #171:

Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #171 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Thanks so much for being part of Current Dissonance. I hope you enjoy Noise #170: The waltz of Harris and Walz:

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Wishing you peace,

Michael

(Noise #170 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

The Washington Post talks about beautiful old books—like a vividly colored copy of Walter Scott’s 1815 narrative poem The Lord of the Isles—that contain significant amounts of mercury, lead, arsenic, and chromium.

The heavy metal pigments are toxic, but colorful. Arsenic allowed Victorian-era publishers to infuse their book covers with striking emerald greens, while chromium produced warm yellow hues and mercury created lush reds.

Run by the University of Delaware, The Poison Book Project researches and identifies antique volumes that contain toxic pigments. It also gives owners and collectors tips on safe storage and handling—like if you encounter a poison book, do not lick it.

I recorded Noise #169 thinking about how cool it is that such a project even exists, and how much I love old books, historical oddities, and fascinating peeks into cultures that are both centuries and oceans removed from my own. To my ears, the music has flashes of heavy metal chord movement to mirror the story’s heavy metal pigments, as well as a sense of mystery, discovery, and storytelling.

I hope you enjoy listening:

Wishing you peace, health, and curiosity,

Michael

(Noise #169 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

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Thanks so much for being here. Stay safe and stay cool,

Michael

(Noise #168 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Both countries took decisive steps away from religious and ideological extremes; there are interesting analyses in The Atlantic and The Guardian if you’re curious to learn more.

Noise #167 is mostly a single undulating melodic line that moves rapidly in unexpected directions, but tends to gravitate around the piano’s middle. And it’s got plenty of excited energy, sometimes resolving brightly, sometimes darkly, sometimes with abrupt uncertainty. It’s all a great metaphor for how I feel about lots of geopolitical situations this minute.

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I hope you enjoy listening:

Michael

(Noise #167 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

…and the Supreme Court treats the Constitution like a Vegas buffet…

…and Project 2025 gleefully reimagines America as a puritanical Christian wonderland…

…other things are happening around the world, too.

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The Independent tells a compelling story about growing friction—and potential for violent escalation—in the buffer zone between North and South Korea.

Local guesthouse operator Yoon Seol Hyun relates how North Korean soldiers crossed into the demilitarized zone several times last month, how balloons filled with trash have been floating south across the DMZ, ostensibly in response to balloons carrying propaganda materials that had previously floated north.

Yoon worries that if things escalate, both sides of the peninsula will go from trading balloons to trading bullets and bombs instead, and that his village will be the first to be impacted.

In Noise #166, I used the extremes of the piano to channel the vision of one entity violently broken into two, with small bubbles of notes trespassing into the space between. The piece also accelerates and ends abruptly, reflecting the senses of increased tension and uncertainty baked into the current situation.

I hope you enjoy listening:

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Wishing you a peaceful weekend,

Michael

(Noise #166 by Michael Gallant. Copyright 2024 Gallant Music LLC. All Rights Reserved.)