Fred Armisen - 100 Sound Effects (2025) (Hi-Res)

Actor/comedian/musician/producer/writer Fred Armisen has long been known as one of the most curious entertainers in the business, creating a wild variety of things for television, film, stage, records and other media. The latest proof of his inquiring imagination is here: 100 Sound Effects, out September 26! “Music Venues”, out today, collects the first 7 sound effects as one nifty pre-release single.

Fred Armisen’s 100 Sound Effects is a sound effects album like no other: a fantastic contemporary entry in a classic album category that can be used as a library or just for brain-stimulating deep listening. Fred's goal was to create a number of specific and evocative sounds; some follow the basic blueprint, like doors shutting and glass breaking, while others are more abstract scenarios. Along with versions of his personal favorite sound effects (see: “Small Theater Booing”), Fred wanted to recreate other specific moments not always covered on sound effects records, like “Music Venue Employee Kicking Everyone Out While Throwing Away Bottles” (actually, an incredibly common scene for a great many of us). From haunted house soundscapes to idyllic camping trip sounds, the possibilities are endless!

The majority of 100 Sound Effects was done at recording studios, but occasionally ambient sounds were needed. Those were captured by Fred on a portable digital recorder, pointing it at the sky, or a car, or a glass breaking room — whatever it would take! Additional help and inspiration came from from Mary Lynn Rajskub, Amber Coffman, Tim Heidecker, Riki Lindhome, and Alice Carbone Tench.

A personal note from Fred about the making of 100 Sound Effects:

“I was thinking about haunted house sound effects albums and how fun those seemed to record. I wanted to do it at Steve Albini’s studio in Chicago, Electrical Audio, but since this wasn’t a collection of songs and I didn’t know how long it was going to take, I needed to do this where I live, in Los Angeles. I told Steve what I was doing and asked if he knew of any engineers I could work with in L.A. He was very excited about the idea and asked Dave Grohl who might be available to help. Dave recommended Darrell Thorp and we started working at Studio 606, and then later Sunset Sound. Darrell was really inventive and a lot of fun to work with. Because Steve was so instrumental in making this happen, I dedicate the album to his memory. I miss him every day.”

Tracklist
01. Music Venues [5:08]
02. Music Store and Car Doors [4:08]
03. Theater and Glass [5:29]
04. Planes [2:26]
05. Tasks [2:42]
06. Camping and Leisure [7:16]
07. Haunted House [2:27]
08. Film [2:50]
09. Museum and Travel [6:42]