Drawing inspiration from Tennyson’s poetic masterpiece, Madison Taylor uses ‘Lady of Arbor Hill’ as a canvas for her contemplations on home, unrequited love, and the ever-present yearning for a lost paradise. The album is deeply personal, yet universal in its themes, exploring the gap between where we are and where we long to be, both emotionally and spiritually. It’s a portal into a world where fantasy and reality collide, where you can almost smell the earth of her rural New Jersey upbringing, with the towering 20 arbors and Eden-like gardens serving as both backdrop and metaphor. Taylor’s home becomes the Garden of Eden we’ve all been kicked out of—inviting us to wander back in, knowing full well we can’t stay.

photo by Melissa Joy

The music itself is an intriguing blend—pop melodies with a dreamy, almost cinematic quality that pulls you in, but leaves enough room for reflection. There’s a softness to her sound, like a breeze moving through the arbors she sings about, but also a heaviness in her lyrics that touches on deeper, often darker emotions. The droning guitars and atmospheric production give each track a sort of melancholic float, as though they’re untethered, just like the emotions they carry.

Madison Taylor’s album opens with the glistening pop number “Milk Chocolate,” a track that feels like sipping iced tea on a sun-drenched porch. There’s a lazy-day warmth that washes over you as the smooth layers of light percussion and shimmering vocals come together in a way that feels like magic. Madison’s voice practically melts into the melody, giving you that rare, floaty sensation—like you’re being carried away from the chaos of the city, somewhere with nothing but sun, sky, and a breeze to keep you company.

Then “Golden Image” sweeps you up with bright guitars and infectious pop hooks. Madison’s voice soars, giving off carefree, summer-day vibes. It’s an irresistible contrast to the opener, full of energy and brightness that pulls you into the album’s rhythm.

“Violet’s Library” takes a darker turn, with cosmic synths and a more introspective mood. Madison’s voice feels distant, almost like a secret being shared. It’s cinematic, deeply atmospheric, and leaves a lasting impression, making it one of the album’s standout tracks.

Then there’s “Waldeinsamkeit,” where delicate keys and soft strings set the scene for one of the most intimate moments on the record. Madison’s voice hovers so close, it feels like she’s whispering directly into your ear. There’s something undeniably tender about this track, like it’s written in the secret language of love and loss. The lush strings wrap around her voice in a way that’s both comforting and heartbreaking at the same time. You can practically feel the cool night air settling in as her voice tugs at your emotions, pulling you deeper into the twilight world she’s created.

photo by Melissa Joy

And just when you think relief might be around the corner, “Paint Mine Blue” drops you right into the thick of it. The track brings sharp guitar riffs and strikingly high frequencies that keep the tension tight. Madison’s voice feels distant, almost like it’s drifting just on the edge of consciousness, giving the whole song an eerie, dreamlike quality. It’s a companion piece to “Waldeinsamkeit,” like the other half of the same emotional coin. Together, these tracks cut deep, offering a bittersweet balm for those moments when you’re wallowing in your own sadness but can’t quite bring yourself to pull away.

“Arbor Hill” brings acoustic warmth, with heartache woven into its melody. It’s a quiet, soulful reflection on love and loss, slowly building into something cinematic and tender. The album closes with “Hiraeth,” an ambient piece filled with nature sounds, evoking a peaceful, almost spiritual homecoming. It’s a quiet, reflective ending to an album.

“Lady of Arbor Hill” goes beyond sadness. It delves into the beauty within that sadness, the peace found in accepting what you can’t control—the people you can’t hold onto, and the life that inevitably slips through your fingers no matter how tightly you cling to it. In “Lady of Arbor Hill,” Madison Taylor invites us to join her in the garden, to sit under the arbors, and to accept that, while we may never regain the Eden we lost, there’s a certain kind of paradise in simply dreaming about it.

By the time the final track fades out, you’re left with that bittersweet feeling of having experienced something beautiful yet fleeting. It’s a reflection of the very themes Madison wrestles with throughout the album – how do we reconcile the beauty of life with the inevitable loss that comes with it? “Lady of Arbor Hill” doesn’t offer any answers, but in its questions, it finds a kind of serenity, a place where, much like the Lady of Shalott, we can look out at the world from our isolated towers and still find something beautiful to hold onto.

*This review was made possible by SubmitHub