An album of rare beauty during troubled times here. Personally, I expected nothing less and hungrily grabbed ‘The Buried Storm’ hoping it would offer something of peace, tranquillity and calm and on 1st spin marvelled at its gorgeous, somewhat dark tinted lushness. Darkher are something akin to a flower in a desert, blooming under harsh climate and flowering oh so briefly until in our case they wither as the next slab of extremity grabs attention. Perhaps that is why the music of Jayne Maiven along with drummer Christopher Smith touched so many with early releases of album and EP ‘The Kingdom Fields’ and ‘Realms’ and also at live performances where it was obvious, they had all of us in their magical grasp. Early in their career they fitted snugly like a velvet glove, into the folds of Prophecy Productions and with performance at Roadburn Festival. They had something that could soften the hardest heart despite the minimalism of their craft. It’s not often you see a band live that during the quiet moments are met by reverential silence where you could literally hear a pin drop.
It’s been too long, especially on that live front what with everything, although the duo have endeavoured to play some shows. Here though we have them all to our selves and pressing play on ‘The Buried Storm’ is guaranteed to have the listener utterly beguiled for the next 40-minutes of their otherwise harried lives. Over the course of it, Jayne and Christopher are joined by two cellists a violinist, a guest appearance on cello and subtle backing vocals by Forndom’s Ludwig and ambient artist Daniel Land. Once opener ‘Sirens Nocturnes’ shivers in and shimmers with gothic, folk led delicacy from the string section it is hard however not to just focus on that siren call which is simply gorgeous as it swells on semi-calm waters, luring anyone caught in its caress. Slow, reverent, booming percussion takes form on ‘Lowly Weep’ and the cello ebbs over the sway of the vocals which take on poetic form recounting what sounds like a dreamy lullaby. As it builds and the melody softly begins to send shivers down the spine it captures you like a moth to a flame. Be warned though beneath the folds of these delicate tales it is easy to get caught off-guard and as the sudden boom in doomy bass shakes, burst into flame. Indeed, our travels do take us to ‘Where The Devil Waits,’ even here though he is at his most benevolent, perhaps the gaze even having caught him up necessitating a day off from all the sickness around in the world and allowing a brief period of healing. Once the simple but oh so effective melody of this one hits via picked strings and babbling harmonics it is one of the most captivating and sensuous songs you have likely heard in some time.
Dark(h)er tones are offered via ‘Love’s Sudden Death’ the romance may still be pulling at the heart but it has been turned black and is now somewhat deadly. There’s a feel of broken trust and betrayal here, one we have no doubt all encountered and can appreciate. Here it is almost worth the pain as it has been turned into such a cathartic musical exorcism. Theme wise one gets a watery feeling from this as far as elementals and song titles are concerned. Nothing about ‘The Seas’ to make one feel sick and it’s another song with an absolutely spellbinding melody. Time passes in a strange fashion such is the absorbing content here, it’s over quickly, perhaps too quickly and you find yourself in a contemplative mood as the last couple of tracks pass like a ship in the night. Talk about being lost in a reverie but you are guaranteed to be back soon as this is an experience that is special and one to treasure.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
Leave a Reply