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What a great way to start the New Year: I have been looking for The Conet Project for a long time! Of course, my problem was that I could not remember what it was called. I very clearly recalled reading something about recordings of WWII code stations on Slashdot years ago. So, it was just a matter of coming up with the right Google search phrase…

Anyway, the Conet Project is a 4-CD set of recordings from so-called Number Stations. I won’t rehash what has been extensively covered elsewhere:

• Excellent Washington Post article
• Dark Side of the Band at WIRED gives a good overview.
• Another good Salon article. Also explains where the title “conet” came from: apparently, it is the sign-off signal on one station.
• Pitchfork gave the recordings an 8.0 in this review.

There is an interesting side-story about how Wilco used a recording of a woman’s voice repeating “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” in one of their songs (and as the title of the album) and was then sued by the Conet Project. This WIRED article has the details. By the way, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” is a phenomenal album… So, it’s a shame (or, perhaps, a blessing) that you can now download all four discs plus the 80-page booklet for free!