“The Hunt for Barren Riches” is an examination of the 21st-century consumer culture and its emphasis on material acquisition. Just as possessions attempt to emulate the organic value found in inner peace, the sounds used in the composition are manipulations of natural sounds (snow, wood steps, artesian well, and voice), distorting their original purpose and presenting them with a new function. Furthermore, the altered voices use text from an original poem that exemplifies the materialistic customs of our society.