"Industrial noise centered space ambient. I enjoyed it all." -- DJ Geoff Goodfellow, KZSU reviews, Jan 14, 2007 "Except to a very few, Don Falcone and Stephen Palmer aren't exactly household names in the gentrified electronic neighborhoodand why in hell not? Falcone's been milling about under a variety of guises since the post-techno days of the chill-out room, making some tentative, low-key gestures first under the auspices of Kim Cascone's former ambient brand Silent, trading as half of Spice Barons, then later under the cheesier nom de disque Spaceship Eyes. Palmer's persona has achieved higher visibility sloughing it out under his usual Mooch alias, a moniker that's emitted five slabs of primo British synth-dub-prog gooeyness on an irregular basis throughout the 90s, all hopelessly obscure, all jim-dandy records that should be hugged tightly to chest lest they vanish. Gothic Ships is of a similar stripe to its predecessors, except in this case the parts are often greater than the sum, which itself is nothing to sneeze at. One uses "atmosphere" a lot in the average musique critique, but Falcone and Palmer paint their surroundings in big bold super-expansive swatches that reek so strongly of far-flung alien utopias the average olfactory sense needs the frontal lobes of Jeff Morrow's Metaluna scientist from "This Island Earth" to process it fully. No wonder Mooch's alter-ego's penned works of science fiction in his spare time; such sounds are integral to the phantasmic minutiae populating their Aldebaran studio, subsequently transferred to disc. A splendid time is guaranteed for all present. Gesticulating Moogs, rocket booster synth surges, robot-army percussion marches, shimmering acid rains whipped by tornadic electronics, all makes book there'll be many tooling up Gothic Ships quicker than Palmer and Falcone's other cold-cranked hallucination engines." -- Darrin Bergstein. e | i magazine, Mar 2007) "Lots of adventures in sound and fun freakiness!" - - Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations
"All told, electro-fusion music kind of ahead and not of its time, and frontal lobe-expanding to boot." -- e | i magazine, Issue 6, Spr. 06 ". . . this is fairly relaxed material, not jarring, angular or edgy dare I say mellow? These are eventful and intelligent sounds one can use for background listening." -- Peter Thelan, Exposé #32, September, 2005 "Interesting & often captiviating ambient, space music. Features Kim Cascone (from noisers PGR and early 90's experimental/ambient label, Silent Records) and Larry Thrasher who's worked with Psychic TV. Great late night listening." -- Ragnar of Ravensfjord, KZSU reviews, Aug 24, 2005 "Originally recorded in 1996, 'Solaristics' (Noh Poetry, 2005) features a trio of electronic musicians (Don Falcone, Paul Neyrinck, Kim Cascone) as well as percussionist Larry Thrasher. The style ranges from the linear jamming of Solaristics (funk guitar, cosmic-psychedelic keyboards, African percussion) to the abstract electronica over a steady tabla beat of E-Space, from the suspenseful waves of noises and voices in Drowning Weather to the dissonant dance music of Mining Camel." -- Piero Scaruffi "Big bass and deep textures makes 'Solaristics' the perfect chill pill." -- Thomas Dimuzio, Gench Music "... you won't be the least bit surprised to find that this is one of THE finest ambient albums of early classic Orb/hints of early T.Dream - influenced magic to come out in years. Right from the opening eight minute title track, you'll hear chunky electro-percussive beats and rhythms, swirling synths, electronic backdrops, a huge depth to the sound, plenty of layers and a constantly shifting, solid yet wholly atmospheric soundscape that just transports you to another dimension." -- Andy G, CD Services
Fireclan started as some "sonic soundscapes" (I read that as "jam sessions") to 4-track-tape with drummer Mychael Merrill and synthesizer player Luis Davila. After adding Don Falcone to the project's roster ... they re-recorded everything and invited some guest artists (including Gong's Daevid Allen) to play as well. The result is a very spacey album that sounds a lot like modern Gong (Daevid's glissandoz guitar is unmistakable, though he plays on only two songs, and the bass lines sound particularly Gongish as well). Recommended for those who might like a less adventurous (and less silly) version of instrumental Gong but with some modern touches as well. -- Fred Trafton, GEPR, 3/4/05 The debut album, called Sunrise To Sunset is a wonderful, mostly electronic work reminding one of the melodic atmosphere of Melting Euphoria, but without most of the psychedelics. It should be noted that Gong founder, Daevid Allen is on this album and has more than a few co-writing credits for the album. The album is very much in the vein of Ozric side project, Nodens Ictus, but goes deeper into the Electronic world of Andy Pickford, Synaesthesia, Early 80's Tangerine Dream and Valley Forge, also interlaced with mid 70's era Pink Floyd. The music is what you would expect from a former Psych band, spacey melodic pieces with a great amount of atmosphere and depth behind them. It's difficult to say whether you would like this album if
you are a Melting Euphoria fan, as this is definitely a different
music altogether. But if you like Melting Euphoria with a dash
of Electronic Music, pick this one up. Fireclan will definitely
entertain from "Now, it's not often in the field of electronic music
that someone does something genuinely new with it, but here is
a prime example - and it works!! ...For the most part it's multi-layered
synth soundscapes with lush backdrops, melodies, rhythms and
full-sounding expansive textures, but with this amazing rhythmic
propulsion from the bass and drums, all so accessible and atmospheric,
melodic and solid at the same time, but it's like no-one else
around, yet just fantastic music. ". . . (an) outstanding set of fluid instrumental spacerock tracks that groove effortlessly and flow through numerous portals as they make their way through dense clouds of sonic coloration." --Peter Thelan, Expose #30, September 2004 "Overall, this is a solid effort by Fireclan. It will appeal most to fans of the various space rock outfits. . .an enjoyable album of superior 'chill-out' music." -- Tom De Val, Dutch Progressive Rock Page, Vol 48, 2004 ". . . this is an outstanding set of mind-expanding space rock that takes the legacy of Melting Euphoria in new and exciting directions. Highly recommended." -- Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations, June 2004 [Complete review] "Chilled out grooving sonic soundscapes A cross between 'Rainbow Dome Music' & 'Stroking the Tail of the Bird' constructed on an eclective percussive platform. As always, Daevid's gliss guitar is transformatory. A very relaxing pipe full or two of music indeed." -- Planet Gong, Kasbah, May 2004 ". . . These three (Mychael Merrill, Luis 'Zero' Davila and Don Falcone) along with a few guests . . . have produced a brilliantly beautiful space rock opus entitled Sunrise To Sunset. For those of you out there who've been waiting patiently for a new Melting Euphoria disc, this should definitely satisfy your needs. Most of it is quieter and more atmospheric but it should be an excellent addition to any space rock collection." -- Floyd Bledsoe, Progressive Ears, May 15, 2004 [Complete review]
"In the world of ambient/synth-based music it's nice to hear a release of dark, thought provoking, ambient music, rich in depth and dimension, such music that is on my sort of level. Deep, dark, atmospheric (for the most part, anyway)... It all adds up to a nice collection..." -- Alan Freeman, Audion, #46 "All in all, this is a hell of a standout release for the oversaturated genre." -- Chuck Rosenberg, Aural Innovations, Issue 17, September, 2001 [full review] "... this is a good collection of (dark) ambient tunes." -- Henrik Stromberg, Igloo Magazine, August 26, 2001 "A half dozen foreboding ambient recordings best heard far in advance of bedtime. This is sound etiolating as it unfolds." -- Marc Weidenbaum, disquiet.com, August 5, 2001 "... my favorite track on this recording is probably Kim Cascone's Pythagorean Sea II ... This piece is also my favorite type of Ambient because it changes very subtly very slowly, almost like it's not changing at all ... Another work that really stuck out to me as a sort of perfect Ambient piece was Steven Wilson's A Grapefruit in the World of Park. This is a weird, very quiet Ambient piece. It's definitely a slow drift atmospheric work ... this (CD) is a fantastic recording that clearly represents a new school of Ambient/ sound art ... Great job and great work. Definitely worthy of a listen." -- Matt Borghi, freelance music journalist/ AMG staff writer, July 2, 2001 "A great ambient space music compilation ... Wild, experimental space and recommended deep listening album." -- Dwight Loop, Earwaves Network, CD reviews Jan-Jun, 2001 "Just one of the very best rhythm-free space-ambient albums you'll find on the planet with six tracks of deep, dark, atmospheric, layered electronic music that is so chilled and cosmic as to transport you into new dimensions. ... all equally ethereal and on the dark side of spacey. ... this is fantastic from start to finish - you cannot live without this album." -- Andy G. CD Services "Here is a new collection for those who prefer the darker side of ambient. ... Look into the face of dark, amorphous ambient; this is your music collection. This third release from San Francisco's Noh Poetry Records is a slick compilation." -- Lloyd Barde, Backroads Music
"Don Falcone is probably best known for his keyboards and synth work in the space rock group Spaceship Eyes. A prolific performer, he's been active in the ambient and space music scene since the early eighties and has recorded several albums with various groups and contributed to numerous compilation CD's. Quiet Celebration is his latest project and finds him exploring interesting new avenues and infusing jazz and world music influences. He is joined by frequent associate Edward Huson playing tabla and bayan, Ashley Adams on contrabass and John Purves from Spirits Burning, providing woodwinds (mainly sax and flute). On a number of tracks, Falcone adds to Huson's percussion with the Udu drum, giving them an upbeat quality and strongly enhancing the world music flavour. Quiet Celebration is entirely instrumental and all ten compositions are by Falcone. For the most part, his synths are spacious and atmospheric, providing a broad canvas for developing spacey or jazzy themes. Sax is used frequently as the lead instrument and along with Adams' acoustic bass, gives the music a late-night, jazzy feel. However, it never threatens to become bland incidental music, and has more than enough variety to maintain the interest. Some pieces have a delicate, oriental quality, particularly when Purves switches to flute, while others are closer to Falcone's ambient roots, with subtle layering of sound textures and nicely restrained sequencing. Falcone and Quiet Celebration have produced a near-perfect
blend of ambient and jazzy/world music, relaxing and mellow,
but always stimulating and engrossing. I was often reminded of
artists on the ECM catalogue (Jan Garbarek and Trilok Gurtu are
two that spring to mind) and I think fans of the label could
well find a lot to enjoy." -- Dave Griffith, Audion,
#46
"Falcone's keyboard lines have inherited the spookiness of Allen Ravenstine's synthesizers, the fresco-like quality of Klaus Schulze and the fluidity of jazz-rock. The album is a marvelous display of post-psychedelic music in the age of electronica." -- Piero Scaruffi "Spaceship Eyes will appeal to spacers who are looking for something less heavy and more dreamy. And I give it a thumbs up for being image-inducing without chemical aid." -- Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations, #3, July, 1998 ". . . Think Hawkwind and TD, but then add the experimental and tribal edge of Can and you'll be in the right ballpark." -- Jimmy Possession, Jimmy's Riddle/Robots and Electronic Brains, February, 1998 "In the vein of psych-trippers Hawkwind and the electronic projects of the Krautrock artists, mainly Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream." -- Marcos Cardozo de Oliveira, Metamúsica #7, June, 1998 "This is a CD that one can listen to regularly - every time it will probably approach in a different way. Another aspect that leads this production out of the normal are hints from techno genre ... a real unique release created in complete musical freedom." -- Lord Litter, March, 1998 reviews "Very pleasant listening is guaranteed here! Kamarupa is ... something like a cross between Tangerine Dream and the legendary Michael Oldfield... New age for the space age?! Great material for the ones into that kind of trip... Or open enough to discover it!!!" -- Remi Cote, Soundscape #2, January 1998 ". . . this is more designed for lying on your bed clutching a glass of wine - or whatever chemical enhancements you desire - and let the whole thing flow over you. If you are into Dream, Tim Blake, Bo Hansson . . . then this could be right up your street." -- Frank Blades, Avebury Project, December, 1997 " . . . this recording clearly leans more toward the electronic and explorative . . . feed(ing) seemlessly into one another, forming a long continuum that is in a constant state of flux, unfolding and growing, shifting and drifting. In all, high marks for originality, overall concept and execution." -- Peter Thelan, Exposé #13, Summer, 1997 "Falcone has a unique knack for being alternately playful and awe-inspiring with his deep, fluid, flipped-out synth manipulations. ... Kamarupa is a sophisticated album for all space/ambient/psych freaks, and is well worth checking out. " -- John Collinge, Progression #24, Summer, 1997 ". . . this is really a rather excellent multi-layered, vari-soundscaped, superbly paced, ambient synth album with real drums adding to the rhythmic range and a good, varied, solid set of compositions featuring some superb synths and keyboards work with a hand on the tiller of melody, perfect for anyone." -- Andy G., CD Services [catalogue | orders | latest news | mailing list | merchandise | Noh Poetry home]
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