Music > Album Reviews

Emily Jane White - Immanent Fire

18/10/19

This latest album from Californian musician Emily Jane White may not be the most serotonin-infused song cycle to emerge from The Golden State, and is certainly not the sunshine tonic that anyone hunkering down for their annual bout of SAD will be looking for in November, but those familiar with the work of this Oakland born balladeer will discover much within this collection of ten songs that will challenge and re-energise.
 
Immanent Fire (cf. 'imminent' – the two words have very different meanings) is a stark exploration in darkness and light which spans a spectrum of tone from breathy and sensitive to onerous and weighty. Following the themes of race and gender inequality explored in 2016's They Moved In Shadow All Together, White re-assesses a world that now appears to be on the brink of destruction, and attempts to honour the sacred, the earthly and the feminine in a society still consumed by capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy.
 
Listening to the deepening storm that follows opening track 'Surrender' into 'Drowned', and to the atmosphere of foreboding within 'Infernal', and of resignation in 'Washed Away', it seems difficult to find hope or solace within Immanent Fire. However, the pastoral sounds of 'Metamorphosis', reminiscent of Bat For Lashes, act as a tipping point, leading to a more tranquil outcome that symbolically concludes with 'The Gates At The End'
 

Thought-provoking, at times perhaps a little clichéd, but entirely relevant and altogether rather beautiful.
 

7/10