Shortly after World War I, mysterious shortwave radio stations began cropping up on long-dormant frequency bands across the globe. These stations, dubbed “Numbers Stations,” are thought to have been created for espionage purposes. Allegedly, government agencies would broadcast encrypted messages to undercover spies, who would then decode the messages using a one-time pad, or cipher key.
At any given time, a radio listener could dial into one of these stations and hear an artificially processed voice reciting strings of phonetic alphabet and numeric code; transmissions intended to be heard exclusively by just one person.
In 1998, Akin Fernandez, owner of London-based imprint Irdial Records, compiled more than 100 unearthed recordings of Numbers Stations into a 4-disc box set entitled The Conet Project.
In the years leading up to the recording of Wilco’s fourth studio album, the Irdial set was a staple in frontman Jeff Tweedy’s car stereo. The singer was especially intrigued by the compilation’s fourth track, “Phonetic Alphabet – Nato,” in which an alleged Mossad agent repeatedly speaks out the abbreviation “YHF.”The agent’s accent is tough to assign, though she delivers each word in a cold, comprehensible monotone: “Yankee…hotel…foxtrot…”
-
decayofanicon likes this
-
thosewithhabitsofwaste likes this
-
laurentbelkacem reblogged this from senjukannon and added:
My new phone ringtone.
-
laurentbelkacem likes this
-
keep-calm-stay-frosty reblogged this from moshingracingoperating and added:
WHY WON’T THIS PLAY ON MY PHONE!!!???
-
moshingracingoperating reblogged this from senjukannon
-
mintsmintsmints likes this
-
senjukannon reblogged this from thedailywilco
-
senjukannon likes this
-
39715 reblogged this from thedailywilco
-
show-emtheropes reblogged this from thedailywilco
-
marujalimon reblogged this from alexbracken
-
um-okay-then reblogged this from alexbracken
-
alexbracken reblogged this from ladyeclectic and added:
ALSO relevant to The Darkest Minds.
-
ladyeclectic reblogged this from thingsofinterest
-
mrnnr likes this
-
misscaiomartins reblogged this from thedailywilco
-
mearkat reblogged this from thedailywilco
-
mearkat likes this
-
n-e-v-e-r-s-l-e-e-p likes this
-
andgatherhoney likes this
-
risingconverging reblogged this from thedailywilco
-
barndonmartin likes this
-
thingsofinterest reblogged this from thedailywilco
-
tylerk88 reblogged this from thedailywilco and added:
a happy 10 years to what might be my favorite album.
-
traviswsmith reblogged this from thedailywilco and added:
Holy Shit that’s cool
-
arkofthecovenant likes this
-
svenjolly reblogged this from thedailywilco
-
twodudestwocomputers likes this
-
prettylittlecurls reblogged this from thedailywilco and added:
Hearing this on a loop and isolated from the context in which I know it is eerie. It reminds me of Rousseau’s...
-
cherrystrands likes this
-
clivedee likes this
-
belleischrome likes this
-
mjmoss said:
The accent sounds south african, maybe Afrikans. The way she pronounces Foxtrot makes me think that anyway
-
frozenviews likes this
-
thedailywilco posted this
