AmbiEntrance - Review by David Opdyke
10/30/03

ALTERNATE REALITIES
Richard Bone

    Synthetic jungle-toms bubble beneath the flutational strands that flutter into the halls of Elutherium, where they are joined by chimes and choral entities. Decorated with the colors of subdued-yet-playful keyboarding and bass, The House That Cugat Built (7:16) stands on a firmly rhythmic foundation (and right next door to the dazzling romp of One For The Grooveyard).

    The elegant bounce of bass-driven Waters of Assiyah (alternate version) precedes the delicate wash-and-tinkle of Ariel Dane & The Seraphim Swing (alt. version), which, being perhaps the mellowest piece, swings rather softly. Sorry, but the trumpet-esque leads heard on By Serapis Bay are just too "elevator music".

    In closing, the New Guru in Town (3:20) bops into more-electronic areas, still entwined in faux-brass riffage, electronic strings and happily thumping drumsounds.

    Even if Richard Bone's alternate realities sound a bit antiseptic, it's hard to deny the sheer catchiness of their sample-spawned orchestration. Quiet music doesn't have to be listless, as proven again by the synthmeister (without the aid of computers, of course). B+

David Opdyke