City Sounds Vinyl cover art.

City Sounds   

This album started on a train. From sounds we collected in LA, The Bay, Chicago, Boston, NYC, D.C. and hundreds of field recordings from transit riders across the country, City Sounds was born.   

The very talented Nate Schwartz took the thousands of recordings we’d amassed and the musical history of each metro area to spin a record that’s totally transit, totally ambient, and totally delectable.

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Details

Contributors

This project would not have been possible without the support of contributors from across the country!

Voice Actors

Charlie Pellet "Stand clear of the closing doors, please!"

Frank Oglesby Voice of the MBTA 'T'

Lee Crooks Voice of CTA 'L'

Randi Miller "Doors Closing!"

Voice of LA Metro Rail

George & Gracie TTS (BART)

Field Recordings

Alissa Berman 
Morgan Madderom 
Nico Soto Hay 
Christian Chen 
Nick De La Torre 
Diego Aldana 
Sarah Salama 
Vansh Gupta 
Sanjana Kaicker 
Cristian Hernández
Pérez 
Karan Golani 
JedLikesTrains 
Marc Davis 
Protyasha Pandey 
Sarafina Elia 
Kathy Wei 
Stephen Romer 
Thomas J Wyatt 
Justin Ammons 
Sydney Brown

Julie Falise 
Jacob Day 
Bernice S. 
Gabriel Rangel 
Leon Cao 
Ryan Ruhde 
Kevin O'Halloran 
Emily Gjovik 
Katie Weaver 
Dean Covert 
Eden Seiferheld 
Paige O'Brien 
Marc Grau Davis 
Valeria Arriola 
Jack Weiss 
Cheviot Sound 
Alex Stein 
Gavin Richard 
Jin Park

Side A

Side B

Intro

00:24

Bay Area

05:40

Los Angeles

06:01

Chicago

06:40

Interlude

00:27

Boston

06:58

New York

06:45

D.C.

05:09

Outro

01:03

Play a Snippet

Bay Area

L.A.

Chicago

Boston

New York

D.C.

City Sounds record without the record sleeve.

Field Recordings

We collected hundreds of sound samples from the six Metroboard cities and received hundreds more from people’s field recordings of their daily commutes

City Sounds Field Recording.

Production

Our friend and incredible artist Nathaniel Schwartz took these sounds, grabbed some musicians, and recorded, mixed and produced the whole album over the course of several months.

Dressed

Next, we worked with Gregorio Zanardi to create the album art. We wanted it to feel just as evocative as our experience on the subway in these cities. Gregorio nailed it.

Pressed

Nate listened to a high-fidelity test pressing to confirm quality before starting the full production run. Once verified, we pressed 1,000 buttery orange vinyls.

Voila!

City Sounds is now available to take you on a journey across six iconic U.S. subway systems. Drop the needle, kick back, and enjoy the ride from the comfort of your couch.

City Sounds vinyl pressing.

The New York City Metroboard is one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. It’s absolutely beautiful to look at — not just a clever idea, but a truly striking piece of art that adds so much character to the room. The craftsmanship is excellent, and every time I look at it, it gives me that rare feeling you get when you buy something and immediately know you completely love it.

Jim L.

The most amazing intersection of art, transit, and functionality! It's so cool to see your city's subway map come to life in real time in a classy design that you're proud to display.

Laura A.

It is, without exaggeration, one of the most impressive projects I’ve ever supported. The anodized aluminum panels, oil-rubbed walnut frame with double-miter keys, resin-filled LEDs, and crisp epoxy paint station routes create a piece that is both functional and stunning. Photos and videos simply don’t capture how remarkable it looks and feels in person.

Jim C.

The metroboard is fantastic! All the guests who have been to my house have been so interested in it, and it provides a good and easy to way to see which trains are at the station when I'm about to head out!

Evan V.

Love it! Super easy setup, looks fantastic, works even better!

Mark Z.

The New York City Metroboard is one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. It’s absolutely beautiful to look at — not just a clever idea, but a truly striking piece of art that adds so much character to the room. The craftsmanship is excellent, and every time I look at it, it gives me that rare feeling you get when you buy something and immediately know you completely love it.

Jim L.

It is, without exaggeration, one of the most impressive projects I’ve ever supported. The anodized aluminum panels, oil-rubbed walnut frame with double-miter keys, resin-filled LEDs, and crisp epoxy paint station routes create a piece that is both functional and stunning. Photos and videos simply don’t capture how remarkable it looks and feels in person.

Jim C.

The most amazing intersection of art, transit, and functionality! It's so cool to see your city's subway map come to life in real time in a classy design that you're proud to display.

Laura A.

Los Angeles Metroboard

Bay Area Metroboard

Chicago Metroboard

D.C. Metroboard

City Sounds Vinyl

Boston Metroboard

Transit Trading Cards

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