Reality of a Dreamer

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's an attractive sound that Canadians Bob D'Eith (piano, keyboards) and Paul Schmidt (classical guitar) have cobbled together as Mythos, supplementing their largely pastel instrumentation with stylish, subdued grooves and airy female vocalese. The result is an uncomplicated yet appealing brand of pop instrumental music that lies somewhere east of trip-hop and west of crossover classical, and at its best occasionally brings to mind the quieter instrumental passages once heard from 10cc, OMD, or Simple Minds. Mythos's sound (similar to Enigma, with less obtrusive vocal elements) is more New Age than pop-rock, and during a track such as "Vision I" the first image your mind's eye might conjure up is a mirror ball. Yet the overall vibe D'Eith and Schmidt create is a worthwhile variation on the New Age theme--mostly instrumentals (plus a concluding vocal track) that are energized yet still relaxing--compositions with a pulse, a heart, and just a hint of mystery. --Terry Wood

Reality of a Dreamer,Mythos,Higher Octave,New Age,New Age / Meditation,Pop

Reality of a Dreamer

The Reality of a Dreamer
Average customer rating:

Mythos has done it again!

Mythos: The Crossroads of New Age

Wish it retained the eerieness

A worthy sucessor, but a little disappointing

A bit of a departure....

The Reality of a Dreamer
Mythos , Bob D'Eith , Paul Schmidt , Christine Duncan , and Jennifer Scott
Manufacturer: Higher Octave
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music
Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music
General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00004SQW3
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Tracks:

Alchemy
Kaleidoscope
Venice
Vison I
Requiem
Solstice
Fantasy
Destiny
Reveries
The Rind
Redemption
Vision II

Amazon.com

It's an attractive sound that Canadians Bob D'Eith (piano, keyboards) and Paul Schmidt (classical guitar) have cobbled together as Mythos, supplementing their largely pastel instrumentation with stylish, subdued grooves and airy female vocalese. The result is an uncomplicated yet appealing brand of pop instrumental music that lies somewhere east of trip-hop and west of crossover classical, and at its best occasionally brings to mind the quieter instrumental passages once heard from 10cc, OMD, or Simple Minds. Mythos's sound (similar to Enigma, with less obtrusive vocal elements) is more New Age than pop-rock, and during a track such as "Vision I" the first image your mind's eye might conjure up is a mirror ball. Yet the overall vibe D'Eith and Schmidt create is a worthwhile variation on the New Age theme--mostly instrumentals (plus a concluding vocal track) that are energized yet still relaxing--compositions with a pulse, a heart, and just a hint of mystery. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews:

Mythos has done it again!.......2005-07-30

Fabulous job on this album. I have their last one entitled "Mythos", and thoroughly enjoyed that one as well. I would recommend both to lovers of new-age music. As with their previous release, there is not one track on this album that I don't like. Just put it in and press play. Like their previous release, you will be in for a moving captivating otherwordly mysterious and touching journey into sound and emotion. Do yourself a favor and buy this and "Mythos-Mythos". A real treat.

Mythos: The Crossroads of New Age.......2005-06-16

Mythos is unlike Era, Enigma, Enya, Lesiem or Delerium but stands on its own as a meeting place of a mixture of sounds that blend well in the background of whatever you are doing at the time you listen to this CD. I found this CD quite entertaining yet I didn't particularly find this CD distinguishing. This is Mythos' second offering and it isn't half bad and nor is it a CD you can write home about.
Pop, jazz, ethereal female vocalists and rather obscure trance themes are brought together and blended to create a passable listening experience. The two best songs of this album for me were 'Vision 1' and 'Requiem' - these two show that Mythos with time shows promise and that the music of Mythos is undertaking a major evolution that may take some years and releases to be revealed but I have a feeling we won't be disappointed.

Wish it retained the eerieness.......2004-11-07

I originally bought this cd for track 2 "Kaleidoscope". The song was a brilliant mix of piano, guitar, drumbeat and airy female voice. The dissonant sound of it is eerie and enchanting, and helps your mind to soar.

However, the rest of the cd I only found mediocre. Never again throughout the remaining tracks was that certain dissonant sound to be captured again. Whether it was a fast track like "Requiem" or a slow one like "Solstice", I never felt as if the music was going anywhere - it just kind of goes on and on but never satisfies.

Perhaps it is my own fault for expecting the cd to be dark and mysterious based on one track. Instead of ethereal I found it to be generic.

A worthy sucessor, but a little disappointing.......2003-07-22

Let's get this out of the way first: I love Mythos. The debut CD was filled with enchanting, wordless, timeless melodies from start to finish; every track is 5-star in my book. From the haunting opening of Brazil to the last second of the last track, MYTHOS was an album that utterly captivated my senses.

Reality of a Dreamer is not that album. It is good, there is no doubt, and compared to the commercial music most people hear all day, it is an effortless work of art. However, it falls short of its predecessor. Gone are the haunting, memorable vocals (no words, just beautiful humming) of November, gone is the dark and mystical sound of Sunless Sea, gone is the beautiful solo guitar of La Cathedral...

Reality of a Dreamer is a worthy investment for the Mythos fan, however, its tracks are quite consistently of 4-star and not 5-star quality. Some are even rated 3 in my iTunes player, shocking coming from a huge fan of the duo (Venice is really THAT bad)... but overall, it's still a great disc. The sound is a little tired-sounding, the euphoric perfection of the first is not quite up to par in the second, and the melodies are a bit recycled... but it is still Mythos, and that means it is still good.

Favorite tracks include Alchemy (admittedly, it took me a while), Redemption, Requiem, the two Vision tracks (although I am upset by their use of two very old and very overused samples), and Fantasy. However, all too often I feel a bit anxious to skip past the overused "lalala" style singing, only used sparingly in the first track and seemingly overapplied on this album...

You know what's wrong with Reality of a Dreamer? It's too happy, too meaningless, too insipid almost. It's a great piece of work, but compared with the drama and power of MYTHOS, it comes off being almost bubblegum-y in comparison.

Listen to all the tracks, and decide if this is really what you want to hear. If you've never heard Mythos, buy their first CD, MYTHOS, first. If you have, I'm sure you'll enjoy parts or even all of this CD, but it would be hard to say that this is better than their first.

A bit of a departure...........2002-12-27

With the addition of some really wonderful vocals, this CD was a pleasant surprise. I would recommend it to any Mythos fan. This is a CD I like to listen to frequently, it really doesn't get old too quickly.

Average customer rating:

Ambient Yet Groove-Oriented, Ethereal Yet Grounded...

The Reality of a Dreamer
Mythos (New Age) , Bob D'Eith , Paul Schmidt , Christine Duncan , and Jennifer Scott
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00018QIC0

Tracks:

Alchemy
Kaleidoscope
Venice
Vision 1 [Instrumental]
Requiem
Solstice
Fantasy
Destiny
Reveries
Ring
Redemption
Vision II

Customer Reviews:

Ambient Yet Groove-Oriented, Ethereal Yet Grounded..........2006-10-13

A wholly cinematic new age project designed by a Canadian duo bears close resemblance to the sounds of Deep Forest and Enigma. Soothing ambient washes and celestial electronics weave in and out of wordless female wails above light beats."--MusicStack

"Ambient yet groove-oriented, ethereal yet grounded with irresistible dance beats, the music of the Canadian duo Mythos offers a perfectly textured balance between modern electronic sounds and ancient flavors that ring timeless. Blending sounds that are purely human and organic (soaring vocals, piano, and guitar) with foundations and atmospheres strictly from the age of the synthesizer, Bob D'Eith and Paul Schmidt achieved international acclaim with their self-titled 1998 Higher Octave debut, which Chart Magazine called 'otherworldly.' Mythos' latest recording, the similarly provocative 'Reality of a Dreamer,' shifts focus from the globetrotting tendencies of the first album and to a more Western leaning combination of classical, jazz, and pop influences. Producer D'Eith and guitarist/assistant producer Schmidt added the human element to Mythos' sound with the primarily wordless vocals of accomplished jazz and classical performers Christine Duncan and Jennifer Scott (who also appeared on Mythos' debut), and the alternating thundering and subtle basslines of Rene Worst. Each track has a one word thematic title--'Alchemy,' 'Kaleidoscope,' 'Venice,' 'Reveries'--which captures the feeling of the songs themselves. 'Vision II' presents a first for Mythos, taking the throbbing instrumental track to 'Vision I' and putting actual lyrics (as opposed to wordless vocals) to it. The lyrics were inspired by the duo's experiences filming the video 'Platinata' in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula for their last album." ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

"While the first album from the Canadian duo known as Mythos existed mainly in the dreamy synth region of Enigma, this album opens its melodic arms to include some jazz, and even classical ideas. Try 'Alchemy' (#1) and 'Kaleidoscope' (#2)."--Borders Review

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