Richard Bone - The Ghosts of Hanton Village

3.5

Release data:

Richard Bone – The Ghosts of Hanton Village
CD-R, Quirkwork Laboratory Discs, 2009

“The Ghosts of Hanton Village” marks the 25th release on Mr Bone’s label Quirkwork Laboratory Discs. It contains ten ambient/experimental compositions that have been inspired by the folklore surrounding Hanton Village, a mysterious commune in the northwest hills of Rhode Island, close to Richard’s home. It was settled by a group of unknown travelers in 1790…who vanished without a trace in 1890.

For the music, Richard Bone envisioned an outcome that ranged from dark, chilling excursions to musings filled with hope and promise, same as the stories themselves. “Nemiah” and “A Silent Season” are quite happy tunes, while “Pyrambala” (Solace and Embers) submerges in darker, mysterious soundscapes.
“Lament for Evangeline” though is a moody and classical exercise with a strong reflective, emotional realm, but in the following tracks the unusual, quirky side of Bone’s music briefly shows up again.

The excellent 15-minute “The Slumbering Sky” though feels like a warm embrace with its glowing, slowly shifting vintage synth textures, lofty piano and accompanying instruments. The next tracks nicely follow up to that with their spacious sound design.

Nevertheless, this is 65 minutes of well-executed gloomy music with a strong sense of remembrance. Occasional spooky, dark and with abstract/experimental rims, it may be a harder to crack and appreciate work for some ambient fans, but it will proof to be rewarding in the end. On Richard’s website and YouTube one can also find a beautiful ambient video complementing the “The Ghosts of Hanton Village” concept.

Website: www.richardbone.com

You can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Richard Bone artist page