Lake Bottom

I never tire of discovering what Mark Buxton will do next with his signature usage of Iso E Super. Here, it serves as a cornerstone for a composition otherwise abundant in natural materials, evocative of moist bog, bitter vegetation, and exposed roots in a shallow pond. The Iso E ties together these elements so they are not so murky as to collapse onto themselves, a scaffolding propping up the organic matter into true pageantry. All manner of green and herbal is on display here: the exhilarating, pungent camphor of mugwort combined with a wet-peppery-green violet leaf and, of course, just the right amount of galbanum for that elevation, that verdant sting. Everything feels temperate: neither cool nor hot. It's worth noting Buxton's usage of arnica absolute, a material solvent abstracted from Arnica montana, colloquially known as mountain tobacco. Yes, this is the same arnica that soothes sore joints and muscles, but it also yields aromatic material that is a curious cross between white thyme (due to its thymol content), prune, and tobacco. From having owned, analyzed, and experimented with it, I discern it here, ingeniously adding to the intended saturated, muddy flora and wet wood effect. Almost peaty as it eases, a measured dose of nagarmotha, combined with vetiver, carry this effect into its dry down. Yet it all manages to feel sheer and legible, courtesy of Buxton's applaudable restraint.