j. carter: vessels

This is the third and final instalment of Jeremiah M. Carter's album triptych, Vessels. Following Rejoice and Speak You Also, all three albums were conceived within a six-month period during ferociously exalting creative sessions. The emotional turmoil of the early pandemic is as present on Vessels as it is in the other two albums, yet the final instalment showcases as more distinctive sense of focus, where the earlier albums saw Jeremiah expel a state of uncertainty and trepidation into an intense, almost spiritual form of musical cleansing. Vessels still bears those same hallmarks, yet comes across with an air of refinement and finality. Spanning six pieces, each work feels like an integral part of the albums overarching narrative, fervently nestled amid divinity and humility. By its final piece, which also clocks in as the longest in the entire triptych, we are treated to one of Jeremiah's finest moments, and for a few seconds, it all comes together for one last swansong, forming a sonic distillation of elation and grief, desire and passion.