“I don’t like what’s happening with music right now,” said Rhye vocalist Mike Milosh during an interview with Pitchfork late last year. “It’s all image, coming from people who are supposed to be at the height of fashion. The music’s taking a back seat.”
Perhaps this explains Rhye’s mysterious nature. In its early phases, the band adamantly billed themselves as “anonymous” for audiences. Presently, the emerging dance-electro duo maintains a strict distance (they requested their faces be obscured for a recent New York Times piece) as if to completely sever ties to any “scene”.
It’s ironic, then, that Milosh and Robin Hannibal’s first album revolves around the most trite of musical theme: love. It’s titled Woman and the cover depicts a female’s head reared in ecstasy. Even Milosh admitted that his wife lies at the album’s inspirational focal point. It practically screams to be tossed into the nearest garbage can full of Garth Brooks and Rod Stewart records. It would take unimaginable creativity and execution to rectify a hopelessly lost songwriting process, something Rhye does exceptionally.
What makes Woman compelling lies in the group’s ability to do what previous “love” artists frequently don’t do. Though its lyrical themes often seem plain, Milosh’s gentle whisper seamlessly flows between light orchestral melodies, making the “sappiness” appear permissible.
Take single “The Fall,” for example. Its staccato piano chords amid down-tempo string melodies recreate a scene from the resolution of a Hugh Grant film. Yet, Milosh’s delicate murmurs allow the song to become more than just a catchy pop tune. He earnestly says, “Don’t run away / Don’t slip away, my dear” which the surrounding tones strongly reinforce.
These intimate moments are interspersed throughout each track on Woman, combined with the most unlikely partners. New Wave comes together with Hannibal’s futuristic production to create “Last Dance,” while flamenco guitar riffs present an ’80s aura on “Shed Some Blood.” All the while, Milosh speaks openly about how easy it is to describe his wife’s love.
“I’m just attempting to express love and sensuality in a very honest way,” Milosh said. Clearly these intentions drove the making of Woman. While not groundbreaking nor revolutionary, the album provides a better example of how easy-listening tracks can sound with a more focused effort and purpose.
Woman