Despair and hope do battle on Story’s End, the first solo album in seven years from Maria Taylor. This spellbinding collection of moody vignettes spotlights hearts in their darkest moments, finding enough strength in these difficult episodes to carry on and even thrive. Like the most anguished blues songs, Taylor’s brooding folk-pop offers the genuine catharsis that comes from facing problems rather than trying to escape them.
Taylor has been recording for a quarter-century, both as half of Azure Ray, with Orenda Fink, and on her own; along the way she’s logged collaborations with the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Michael Stipe, and Conor Oberst. Story’s End features tender strings on many tracks, while others have a similar chamber-music vibe, subdued yet simmering with emotion. Wrapped in haunting melodies, Taylor is a compelling, solemn singer, suggesting an introvert who’s summoned the courage to bare her soul. If she often sounds glum, she also seems determined to rise above the situation.
