Sonic Immersion - A Review by Bert Strolenberg
(2008)

SHORT WAVES
Richard Bone

March 20, 2008 saw the release of Richard Bone's beautiful packaged audiovisual project "Short Waves", which was carefully crafted over the course of a year and a half. It is available as a limited edition cd, which contains the actual soundtrack of the dvd plus extended bonus versions of four of the tracks and a the dvd "Short Waves: 12 Brief Excursions Into Surreal Video".

Those familiar with Bone's previous releases know he has a rather peculiar approach towards ambient music, in which he uses lots of treated sounds, unusual combinations next to implementing remarkable twists.

The outcome on this album is no exception, on which Bone states influences as varied as Harold Budd (“The Indifferent O”) and Bob James can easily be heard.

Still, this is imaginary mood music of which the shadowy, foreboding ambient tracks suit me better than the upbeat ones with their jazzy undercurrents, which sustains with my findings on his former music releases. I especially like the piano flavours and the flute sounds, the latter creating a positive, relaxing vibe. The quiet atmospheric "Autumn Falls" is my personal favourite, closely followed by "Blue Cordial".

The dvd holds 12 impressionistic videos, for which Richard had the idea to create 12 concise pieces that would capture the viewer's imagination but then, like an elusive dream, are gone. It sure is an interesting match with a surrealistic, experimental touch.

Sound clips and still images are available on Bone's website for those who like to get a taste of the whole concept.