Richard Bone - Age of Falconery

by Dave Goodwin

published: 12 / 8 / 2017

Label: Mega Dodo
Format: CD

Lush ambience on new album from award-winning Georgia-based electronic instrumentalist Richard Bone

Review

If you like electronic ambient music then look no further than this offering from Georgia's Richard Bone. Indeed those who are into this genre will no doubt already be aware of his musical talents. Born in Atlanta, Richard Bone started the label Quirkworks Laboratory Discs in 1991, allowing him freedom to create music of a more experimental nature and retain control of his musical direction after he began his professional musical career creating soundtracks and scores for companies working in experimental theatre. Before then, he released the single 'Pirate the Islands/Headlines Have It' in 1979 under the band name Bone, eventually joining the new-wave band Shox Lumania in 1981. After releasing a single in his own name 'Digital Days/Alien Girl' on Survival Records he released several LPs, EPs, singles and contributed to various compilation albums with his 1983 single 'Joy of Radiation' reaching top spot on the Hong Kong Dance Chart. Since then Bone has released over twenty-five recordings of new material and several collaborations and compilations with three edging to No. 1 on industry charts as well as receiving numerous other honours. He has also picked up awards/nominations for 'The Reality Temples', 'Saiyuji', 'Infinite Plastic Creation' and 2008's 'Sudden Departure'. Recently however Bone has recorded a sparse release on USB entitled 'AERA' which leads us to this CD recording on the UK label Mega Dodo entitled 'Age of Falconry'. This drifts along gently with its undulated, meandering soundscapes until it breaks out for me in a spot of wonderfulness on the fourth track 'Urgent Curious' which reminded me instantly of Bill Nelson during his 'Savage Gestures' era. The fifth track 'Mabuhay!' will no doubt get the chilled Ibiza treatment and takes me back to early Sakamoto days, while 'Banyan Days' recalls a more serene Portishead. It comes packaged in a colourful card open out sleeve with birds of prey on the outer sleeve and medieval horse-backed falconers on the inner, and weighs in at just under an hour's worth of lush, calming electronica.