As noise of the
Traveller atmospherically floats in with delicately placed piano notes, Brian Eno's influence can be felt through the intuitive touch of Rhian Sheehan. Right down to the last beautiful orchestrated note in
The Furtherest Place, it is easy to gather where the heart of Rhian Sheehan lay in his
Tiny Blue Biosphere.
Rhian Sheehan crafts each note of electronic brilliance with dedication only shown by the true intellectuals of the genre. Sheehan's influence from pioneers such as Jean Michel Jarre and Brian Eno can be vividly felt as Sheehan consistently relies on long synthesized waves underneath melodies of pure gold.
Phobos travels through space with long heart-wrenching female vocals that focus in on consonants of words. A fatty rhythmic synthesizer keeps a sense of form above the melody, before fading away as the song floats away from the mechanic devices of propulsion, entering a state of endless beauty. The tone is marred by a sense of unpreventable doom lurking ahead, soon reprieved by haunting spoken words "The Universe grows smaller every day, there must be security for all, or no one is secure."
Choral voices make the moment of depression ever-more pertinent, with sadness seeping into the listener.
The Sci-Fi feeling mentioned above stays constant through most of the album, and although not enough is done to separate each song clearly, the emotion of each song is exquisitely moulded. Whether it be the haunting sense of paranoia presented by high-pitched squeals in
Patterns in Time or the sense of awe at the scope and splendour of the universe in
Cosmology; each song is given thought and understanding that clearly pays off.
The percussion within the
Tiny Blue Biosphere is often natural and unassuming, leaving the emotion up to the synthetic harmonies. At times, Sheehan allows this conforms of drumming to float away and give the listener time to soak in the emotion. This is always done with precision, choosing his moments to extend and contract time strikingly well.
Perhaps realising his reliance on synthetic means, a concerted effort has been made to borrow from his past as an acoustic guitarist.
Miles Away takes the more typical approach of acoustic guitar and vocals. Light tapping drums and off queue guitar make a platform for the eerie vocals of Gramsci. The mood feels very intimate, and at the same time is marred by underlying mystery. Synthetic noise is added underneath the rhythm and melody as if hidden from sight, before it totally engulfs the song with rasping synthesized drum crashes.
Anon plays solely with a earthly acoustic guitar, once again reinforcing the underlying intimate nature within the
Tiny Blue Biosphere. Each time the album looks inward upon humankind and planet earth, it does so in relation to the endless universe. At times Sheehan looks in on our
Tiny Blue Biosphere, reaching out to its fragile beauty.
Sunshine takes the soulful vocals of Jess Chambers and approaches the listener with uncomplicated emotion. The ever-evolving string section and cordial flute do nothing but release the
Sunshine, and do so with overwhelming grace.
Perhaps the best moments however are when Sheehan brings himself closer to mother earth, as in
Te Karanga. Cloudy atmosphere swarms in upon the song, before an Nguru flute captures the soul of ancient inhabitants of this
Tiny Blue Biosphere. The spirit of Maori culture is obviously borrowed from, with a haunting Maori sound transcending across the song. As a direct translation from Te Reo Maori,
Te Karanga means 'The Calling'. In one of the most chilling moments of the album, whispery vocals from fellow Kiwi Anika Moa make a lasting impact.
Te Karanga captures the heart and soul of a culture unknown to many and forgotten by most others. Technical aspects of the
Tiny Blue Biosphere become irrelevant as Sheehan captures what most other musicians struggle to realise. He captures the natural beauty of our planet.
His picture of our
Tiny Blue Biosphere feels so delicate, a mere spec of dust in comparison with the universe. Yet as any conformities of the music world fade away, the image he creates is idyllically beautiful. As the greatest realisation of this, in the last fleeting moments of our
Tiny Blue Biosphere Sheehan captures the story of planet long neglected by those closest to it. With a 16-piece string orchestra at hand,
The Furtherest Place in the traveller's journey looks back with regret. Like most other songs on the album, it is but a mere moment of time. What makes Sheehan's sophomore album special however is the way it captures the essence of cultures, creatures and even the entire universe within those moments. His view of our
Tiny Blue Biosphere in relation to the universe creates one of the most thoughtful ambient creations so far this century. Much like the planet it embodies,
Tiny Blue Biosphere is by no means perfect. But within it are moments of natural beauty, captured through Sheehan's vision.
