Full article via CVLT Nation
This year has brought me a lot of shows that would be my first time hearing the performing artists. And this one was not an exception. I had a vague idea of what to expect, yet the actual show proved to be beyond anything I imagined. The bands complimented each other perfectly and the music invoked so much emotion, it was hard to contain.
Almost complete darkness on stage, with just a few yellow lights pointed at the faces of the band. From below… Creepy, viby… Hmmm… And then the music starts and immediately captivates everyone at the venue, making people sway in a trance like state. It’s so raw and so beautiful. Just the right amount of complexity and just the right amount of simplicity to make it understandable; to trust it to guide your conscience through whatever journey the musicians are about to take you on. Yet, it’s interesting enough to keep you intrigued. And so amazingly atmospheric with just the right effect and the perfect sound aesthetics complementing the singer’s low and rich voice. A special treat was having an actual saxophone join the band towards the end of the set and making everything even more pleasantly creepy, when you though it couldn’t get any better. Part music, part night storytelling while at a campfire with wolves lurking behind your back, part a deep adventure of self discovery, part a shamanic ritual, and all together a musical experience everyone needs in their life.
The first thing that amazed me was the guitar tone and the playing. So rich, yet so open and spacey, blending the best what post-rock has to offer with indie, singer-songwriter, gothic rock and that special spice that Emma is. And then she starts to sing with overflowing emotion, letting the room get filled with reverb and the echoes of the listeners’ thoughts. Just like Jaye Jayle her music has that perfect blend of simplicity and complexity, complementing her own style of storytelling, or more like that mesmerizing way she is able to make thoughts and feeling come to life and have shape in her music. It is so beautiful and touching. And the lights supported the performance splendidly, mostly coloring it with different shades of blue, only seldomly offering other palettes, which still would stay very desaturated and calm. The set seemed short, though it was still enough to find a soul even in the most lost of us. And the encore came ready to destroy whatever is still alive inside. She finished the performance with “You Don't Have To Cry” and “Shadow of Your Name”, performing the last completely alone, which only made it stronger.
For me her music… It hit the spot, it both gave hope, made me realize I’m not alone in this world feeling loss, grieve, sadness, being lost, yet wanting to have meaning. But it also made me revisit all those said feeling in a deep and overflowing way, with each word stubbing me right through the heart making me want to just give up and fade away. A perfect and delicate balance, probably as close to the edge of your own feelings and thoughts as music can take you.