“Nocturne,” a podcast that’s “peering
into the dusty corners of the night,” as its tagline tells us, is hosted
and produced by the independent Bay Area producer Vanessa
Lowe. Lowe co-created the show with her
husband, Kent
Sparling, who works
in film sound and who composes much of the show’s evocative music.
Episodes begin with the chirping of crickets, the hooting of an owl, and
a bit of music by Sparling that makes you want to wander out into a
shadowy wood and explore. The show has a nocturnal mood, atmospheric and
occasionally mysterious, that feels just right between the hours of
eleven and deepest dark. Lowe has described the show as “essay radio”;
most episodes tell stories. She plays with form from episode to episode.
A few are impressionistic, like “A Catalogue of
Nights,”
featuring recordings of night sounds from across the world. Some are
rather funny, like “(This Is Not) A Love
Song,”
about people’s love for and loathing of mockingbirds. We…