REVIEWS reviews...... sounds...... pictures...... words...... links...... info written by Jim Brenholts for Ambient Visions http://www.ambientvisions.com/ The Apiary Descent "Descent" is an experimental ambient CD from The Apiary, nee M. Bentley, owner and creator of The Foundry label. This long composition began as an accompaniment to an installation by Charles Browning titled "What are you afraid of?" The project deals with the tensions between man and nature. The structure of the album is symphonic. There are five distinct movements, three of which are subdivided into to shorter passages. The soundscapes are expansive and steeped in mysticism. They surround and invite us with experimental overtones. The invitation is to another journey to the darker realms of life. While this CD is inspired by nature, it is neither maudlin nor syrupy. It is uniquely melodic, minimal and dark. Thus has M. Bentley accepted and met a challenge. He has created a dark mystical journey filled with expansive pastoral soundscapes! That oxymoronic coupling provides a genuinely pleasurable listening experience. Reviewed by Jim Brenholts, author of "Tracks Across the Universe: A Chronology of Ambient and Electronic Music" due for publication in May, 2001. (2/18/2001)