Customer Reviews

Between Earth and Sky

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Move softly on the ground..." ..."Hush now as the wind blows . Willows sway in time . As one we move with the breeze"...

"Underneath the starry glow, the earth is spinning slow... Dance with the unknown..."

The first time I ever listened to 'Between Earth and Sky' I remember becoming mesmerized as the melodies washed over and consumed me, which doesn't happen often. It usually takes several replays for me to truly take in the magnitude of any great CD, but with Rhea's Obsession my attention was grabbed instantly and, to this very day, it still won't let go! From "Too Deep" to "Breakthrough" I am gratefully hypnotized by the dark ethereal vox of Sue Hutton (whom can rightfully take position below goth Queen kaRIN) and with the band's exotic dreamscape, which is sure to take full reign on all who dare to step outside the confining walls of mainstream and allow themselves to become blissfully intoxicated. And while their sound may have a distinct industrial feel to it (which is expected of a group signed to the Metropolis label), Rhea's Obsession is hard to classify for songs like "Mahakala" and "Spill Elixir" include world influences while songs like "Spiritual Fear" and "Dreaming Blade" have more of an electronic-rock edge that sets them apart from partner groups like VNV Nation and Clan Of Xymox...

Rhea's Obsession may not be the most original act out there but 'Between Earth and Sky' is a must-have for electronic-rock/goth fans that preferably enjoy bands like Collide, Edera, Faith and The Muse, and maybe even Delerium...

This is Highly recommended!

Toronto musical duo, Rhea's Obsession, is the brainstorm of foxy (yeah, I know it's dated but I like it) muti-talented Sue Hutton who teamed up with Guitarist Jim Field in 1994 to form the Rhea's Obsession. When performing on stage the duo adds, Dave Klotz on keyboards and Mike Rosenthal on drums.

Rhea's Obsesion is the fourth review I've done on a duo and I know of at least 4 or 5 others, so I guess they're the wave of the future. I imagine duos save on expenses, arguments, egos and every other downside of larger groups. Additionally, I guess any income generated would go farther, too.

In this day and age of programed music it really doesn't matter how many band members you have, it's the music that matters. An example of this is Trent Reznor whose Nine Inch Nails and Martin Scherinc whose Hollenthon are basically solo operations but certainly sound like a fair sized group. Christopher Morris of Nicodemis also did his debut sans a band but he has since gotten associates.

The only trouble is solo and duo acts are not conducive to large elaborate concert appearances but I guess studio musicians could be brought in toward that purpose.

BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY

I know this is a very overused cliche but I just gotta use it again, "This music is really, very hard to categorize". There I've said it now I will try to categorize it. I read where some have said Rhea's Obsession has Bulgarian and east Indian influences (odd combination). I didn't even know they played music in the former Peoples Workers Paradise of Bulgaria. Whether they do or not and whether Sue Hutton gets her inspiration from there or not, the music is intriguing. It is darkwave, it is exotic, it is gothic, it is new age, it is folk, it is ethnic, it is intoxicating, it is atmospheric, it is ethereal, it is serious music! Did I leave anything out. Oh yeah, It is not pop, it is not alternative, it is not rock, it certainly is not hip hop, it is not redundant, it is not boring and it's not metal!

Many of you don't know this but after my beloved progressive metal, I like Folk / New age and between Earth and Sky fits nicely in there, It's not like, but, kind of, is like, Dead can Dance, Delerium, Loreena Mckinnitt, Kidney Thieves, Chandeen, Hungry Lucy, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Cirque du Soleil. If you were to take an octagon and put each of these bands on a corner and draw a line from each to it's opposite, in the center where all the lines come together is Rhea's Obsession. I have described the five best songs below.

"Spiritual Fear" 3:19 is a medium paced Arabic influenced piece with Sue singing in what sounds like a mild echo chamber, while Jim plays an intricate acoustic guitar in the background.

"Dreaming Blade" 3:42 a definite industrial feel with pronounced drums and clinks and clanks mixed with violins in the background. Sue sounds a little Shirley Manson-ish on this song.

"Nightshade" 3:41 another song with a near east feel which in addition to Sue's captivating voice in duplicate has light congas and a full orchestra backing. probably the best song.

"Between Earth and Sky" 5:14 I take it back, this is the best song. Oh heck it's the co-best song. Another enchanting, near east influenced song of a nice easy going pace with heavy electric guitars and Sue again accompanying herself on vocals, much of which is chants.

"Mahakala" 5:15 on this one we combine a psychedelic sound with the eastern sound and some male chanting while Jim plays a wicked whining electric guitar in the background.

CONCLUSION

I wanted to give this Five Stars and it's very, very close. I just felt, while the great songs were marvelous, there were three or four songs that didn't do it for me. Hell, they might do it for you, there not bad.

At fiftyeight plus minutes this is a long album, so maybe the standout tracks, standout more and the lesser ones get diminished. Take the iffy tracks out and you have a forty-six minute five star album. Trouble is the other tracks are too good to lose. Quandary!!!!!!

It is typical in this day and age to pay little attention to bands who have been given the title of playing "darkwave" music. After all, darkwave or "Gothic" bands have nothing more to offer than solemn, sometimes Satanic outings that feel like dudes in leather trying to connect with the forces of evil through their amps (Electric Hellfire Club, even Marilyn Manson). But Rhea's Obsession proves you cannot judge a band by category, theoritically this band is a goth band, but their music is only gothic in the classical sense, in their sound and lyrics they are a band that strives for something more poetic and atmospheric than simple distortion. "Between Earth And Sky" is a wonderfully evocative album, a little gem of underground rock that mingles and mates with Middle Eastern textures and poetic flavors. Comparisons with Dead Can Dance are not out of order, indeed this band (who appears in the Dead Can Dance tribute album with a great cover of "Mesmerism") evokes the kind of other-worldly vibes Dead Can Dance achieved through their work. Some of the songs such as "Spiritual Fear" experiment a little and add techno flourishes, but not of the dance beat kind, they stand simply as musical brushstrokes. The married couple of vocalist Sue Hutton and guitarist Jim Field are an amazing team, together they create, invoke and bring to life music of the kind we wish more popular bands would experiment with. Take for example the track "Dreaming Blade," the wall of sound is hard rock with Field's guitars, but Hutton's vocals evoke Lisa Gerrard and take us to another place other than just the confines of normal music listening. The album's best cut is "Nightshade," a poetic, hypnotic experience that also boasts a Dead Can Dance vibe but also proves the band as an identity all it's own. Here Sutton's vocals really shine as well as the instrumentals, all combined with some enchanting lyrics create a song of great atmosphere. The song "Between Earth And Sky" is a myth-like little invocation that summons-up the spirit of Jim Morrison and "Spill Elixir" feels like something ancient and mystic. Rhea's Obsession is not an enormously popular band, indeed, this is the kind of group that is discovered by the listener seeking new sounds and flavors and who is willing to search in the underground, beneath the metropolis of MTV and VH1. Rhea's Obsession captures us and for a few songs manages to let us escape, which is what all great music does.

Of the literally hundreds of CDs I hear each year, this was one of the rare few that immediately grabbed my attention on the very first listen. Is it groundbreaking? Not completely; the influence of Dead Can Dance, Faith & The Muse, Delerium and Enigma can definitely be heard throughout. However, Rhea's Obsession manages to mix their influences with their own ideas to create a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. Electronics play a subtle but significant role on this album; they are complimentary without being intrusive.

DJs may not find a wealth of dancefloor fodder here, but nevertheless, this disc will doubtless be remembered as one of the best of this year. Fans of world music, ethereal goth, or female vocals - and perhaps even some trip-hop fans - would be well served to give this a listen.

Just got my copy of Between Earth & Sky, and it is definitely the most arresting R.O. disc to date in my opinion.

I believe this is the first English-speaking CD, although I don't think that's the reason it's so much more enjoyable. I think the band sounds freer, happier and bolder. The rhythm section is spot-on, and Sue Hutton's vocals have never been better.

I had the pleasure of meeting the band at the two past La Femme Nikita conventions, and found them engaging, funny, and very polite... not what you'd expect from an alternative band, but there it was!

I will watch their progress very carefully, and will always seek out their work.

I strongly suggest you do the same.

Natalie

Repeatedly critics were telling that this record was one of the best dark wave albums in 2000, and it was not in vain. Rhea's Obsession show us that they are not one-day band, and they know how to create real music. The human being is an animal by its nature (and by the way, 'nature' is the keyword for this record). And as an animal, human being needs genuine expanse, distant horizon and sense of unrestricted freedom. This statement is true in moral and spiritual meanings too. And Rhea's Obsession gives you that in "Between earth and sky": you can see beyond daily common things, you have your own world with wishful freedom and natural infinite space. The album is natural itself, like one live organism, and the aggregate of songs is like breathing: take for example the interchange of sinister "Mahakala", then following soothing "Spill Elixir" and again active "Matrika", and after that - measured "Delusion"; then you feel completely hypnotized by "Breakthrough". You can barely feel how awesome tension gives place for dreamy serenity. From one side this album is "ethereal", from another - "industrial", from the third it turns to pure "goth". I can count styles for several pages, because Rhea's Obsession are grounded on experimentation and used it without ceremony. But one interesting thing takes place: you can't fly up too high to "ethereal", to the Sky, because "goth" and "industrial" are trying to hold you on the Earth and in that way don't let you fall down to hit yourself badly with reality. The band itself can confirm it: Sue Hutton's sensual voice wants to bring you to the Sky, but Jim Field's irresistible guitar can't let you go, and this collaboration holds you in suspended condition directly Between Earth and Sky. The album begins with "Too Deep" and "Mortal Ground", lyrical ballads with competent guitar sound and soft bewitching vocals, making you relax. Then without any warnings you're getting into sharp and changeable "Spiritual Fear" and "Nightshade", songs with pronounced rock sounding. Stylish and beautiful song "Between Earth and Sky" is marking out opportune tablas contrasted with smooth guitar passages. "Mahakala" and "Spill Elixir" show Jim Field's great skills in playing music in all its ways, from professional guitar soundscapes to beat slides. And of course the pride of this album is Sue Hutton's voice, multi-leveled, powerful, with subtle Celtic notes, it can brilliantly express inner and outer chic beauty of its owner. In general, "Between earth and Sky" will always be an embellishment of dark wave scene, as it will touch hearts of the listeners.

I've been addicted to this cd for more than a month now and simply can't take it out of my cd player.. Gorgeous, powerful, even brutal at times.. I can't really describe this band without gushing: Imagine tool without the metal pretentions ("hmm.. this song is going no where.. How about I just scream?), vast before Jon Crosby sold out, and a bit of the dead can dance thrown in as well.. Actually, comparing bands is just pointless.. Go on napster, get a song called Spiritual Fear (search for Rheas since 's doesn't work) and PLEASE buy this album if you like it.. These guys are not on a major label and should be supported.. peace

This is the music I have been looking for since Dead Can Dance left the Industrial/Goth scene in the mid-eighties. I love the direction Dead Can Dance went in...and love Lisa Gerard even more, but Rhea's Obsession fills the gap that was left behind, and takes the music as their own (this is not a re-hashing of Dead Can Dance!).
It is dark, powerful, introspective, spiritual, gentle, and HARD. Play this music loud and it will force you to move, play it soft and it is the perfect music for an evening of incense, candles, and artful brooding.
There is so much to discover on this album...I haven't been getting much work done, because when I play the music, I just want to listen to every note and every inflection of the voice.
Go buy this CD and tell everyone about it. Let's give Rhea's Obsession the fan base they deserve.

Gentle reader, if you havent heard this remarkable album you are missing out on a treat. This is a very very good album, and one can only hope that we will see some more of this band.

The music style- well, the best known band I can compare it too would be a blend of the middle eastern sounds of the soundtrack to the last temptation of Christ (kind of) with the hard rocking and passionate edge of Tool (kind of) with the etheral and mystical sounds of Delerium (kind of). Despite being called darkwave, the band really defies description, and anyone who loves passionate music would be ill advised to pass this gem up. Singer Sue hutton has one of the best voices in music today, and although she still cannot compare to kaRIN of Collide, she would give her a pretty good run for her money.

A must have. The track "spiritual fear" is staggeringly good- i have just about melted that one alone.

BTW_ the CD is an enhanced version with pictures and videos and stuff- Nice!

Alternative world beat? Psychedelic electro-rock? I can not imagine what the hell this album is. Nor, when thinking about it, do the sound layers seem like they would make a compatable song -bulgarian(i think...) goth-enya lyrics with a rock-solid wall of electric guitar. But, from the murky pool of these influences rises a misty vapor as mesmerizing as just about any CD i've heard in ages.

This music is very edgy, almost disturbing. And unlike a good chunk of EBM (a stretch to call it so...), i think it's really important to turn down the volume a bit to really take in what this album is about. Truthfully, i can't wait to listen to it again and become once more lost in the mysteriously dark mix of... erm... whatever this is. Rhea's obsession stands alone.