Emma Geiger and the illuminating folk storytelling of "Reverse Bloom" (Official Video)

 

"You break the silence with a song / In the emptiness my answer rings / Your bitter words have grown in strong / Through the cracks..."

That saturated sadness and hopeful healing of "Reverse Bloom" by Durham, North Carolina singer-songwriter Emma Geiger feels deeply drawn. From the very onset, the slowly swelling sounds, like a dense fog rolling in reveals beautiful, yet emotionally clouded guitar picking, as somber as they feeling fleeting. Geiger's vocal presence often time bolstered by self harmonies are lush and dreadfully pretty, but, thankfully, feels conversational. This intimate aesthetic works wonderfully for such an emotional festering song. The complex wash of sounds that build around the storytelling manifesting in pedal steel guitar loveliness and dark orchestrations pull your heart down while the persistent drums and bass seem to push through the melancholia. 

LINER NOTES (bracketed):

[Geiger began writing “Reverse Bloom” in response to a song released by a once close friend about their fallout. Geiger recalls, “When I first heard it, I felt her anger, frustration and bitterness. That friendship meant a lot to me, and losing it really shook me. It brought up a lot of questions about who I am, and who I was in that relationship.”]

[With its expansive arrangement and imagery from the natural world, “Reverse Bloom” rejects bitterness and instead offers a tender and open hearted vulnerability. “When I sing “Reverse Bloom” now, I don’t feel as weighed down by the feeling of loss. I’m reminded that the story may have more chapters, and I think that’s something worth remembering in relation to all kinds of losses or regrets. When we tell ourselves that a story is over, it’s like we are preventing it from being changed. “Reverse Bloom” reminds me that endings don’t have to be so final.”] 

Obviously, "Reverse Bloom" works and moves us for a multitude of reasons. The production serves the contextual pull of the song perfectly, the balance is perfect, it is not style over substance but a paring of both. At the end of every listen, though, I am struck by Geiger's vocal countenance. The hesitations in her lyrical shapes, the earnest nature of her singing as her emotional instrument. I honestly think I would be nearly as moved hearing "Reverse Bloom" stripped back to just voice and guitar.

LINER NOTES (bracketed):

[The songs on Reverse Bloom have different origins than those on Haven, but draw from the same emotional core – Geiger’s creative attunement and distinct artistic perspective. “The record is about passion and ambivalence, aspects of love and longing and loss—sometimes more raw and uncomfortable emotions—but it’s not focused on the past. I think of it as a place where I was able to wrestle with a lot of things, and ultimately lean towards hope. I want to allow space for things to transform, as people grow and change. I think this is what I’ll take with me from the process of making the album, to refrain from creating expectations or reaching conclusions so that possibilities can unfurl.”]

[The album features contributions from Justin Morris (Sluice, Fust), Joe Westerlund (Califone, Sylvan Esso), Zack Kardon (Indigo De Souza, The Dead Tongues), Emma Kelly (Happy Axe, Maple Glider), Michael Grigoni (Taylor Deupree, Chihei Hatakeyama), Katie Addada Shlon (mems) and Archer Boyette, among others.]

I am now thinking about how life is filled with all kinds of pain, from scrapes to full blown trauma and maybe for songwriters, their songs are just scars. Lovely, artful scars, reminders of what shapes them. 

-Robb Donker Curtius  

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1yepwCXWhfLvAtIXCNwmYM

https://www.youtube.com/@emma_geiger

https://emma-geiger.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/emmageiger/

https://twitter.com/emma_geiger_


Emma Geiger's ethereal folk music has emerged from a life spent creating from daydreams and curiosity, investigating the intricacies of heartbreak and presenting them with wonder and honesty. In April, 2022, she released her debut EP Haven with Seattle indie label, Ghost Mountain Records. Received enthusiastically by Bandcamp, Various Small Flames, IndyWeek, WXDU and WKNC, among others, Haven introduced Geiger to a burgeoning scene of genuine, contemplative, singer-songwriters, many of which Geiger has since played with, such as Natalie Jane Hill, hemlock, Sluice, Libby Rodenbough, and Strawberry Runners.


Her more recent songs since Haven continue along the same lines of inquiry while delving deeper and more fearlessly into a constantly shifting internal world. “All Your Words” is the first single from her second collection of songs, which were recorded by Alli Rogers (Plains, Wye Oak, The Tallest Man on Earth) at Betty's in Chapel Hill, NC. Accompanied by Joe Westerlund (Sylvan Esso, Megafaun, Bon Iver), Zack Kardon (The Dead Tongues, Indigo De Souza), Justin Morris (Sluice), Emma Kelly (Maple Glider) and Michael Grigoni (albums on Longform Editions, 12k, Other Songs), this new manifestation of Geiger’s artfully crafted songwriting is evocative and lush. It invites the listener closer to Geiger, and in so doing, closer to themselves.

Emma Geiger, folk, singer songwriter, indie rock, North Carolina, emo, emotional contexts, deeply drawn, storytelling, confessional, personal stories, "Reverse Bloom" (Official Video),