When a group takes the risk of combining sound and vocal styling that initially seem to be polar opposites, it often threatens to make the compilation a “tale of two albums”-the best of songs and the worst of songs. However, on rare occasions, the risk pays off when the yin-yang concept gives the album added depth and diversity thematically and the unique and, at times, competing sounds complement each other in a way that elevates the album to new heights like Fleetwood Mac did with Rumors and Buried Beds does with their second studio album Tremble the Sails.

Led by Brandon Beaver and Eliza Jones, Buried Beds parlays the risk into reward by accomplishing their most impressive and enjoyable offering to date featuring both up-beat folk-rock as well as the soothing melodies fans have grown accustomed to from their first album. Tremble the Sails features skillfully constructed symphonic arrangements that alternate between the two unique lead vocalists, making the listener feel like they are in the middle of an atmospheric struggle between a looming rainstorm and the sun who refuses to yield the sky.

Buried Beds has the flexibility of a Romanian gymnast vaulting from rousing tracks like Steady Hand, Breadcrumb Trail and Ivory Towers to the evocative Mother and Home while featuring various instrumental accompaniments. However, with cleverly disguised lyrical depth and an earworm-ish melody, Telegram may be the best overall track on the album. Beaver and Jones’ elasticity is perhaps most prominently displayed by the fact that despite the album’s organic sound, it also simultaneously possesses the kind of broad commercial appeal that makes it a natural fit for feature film soundtracks and television commercials- at least if the ironic trend of car corporations using folk music to sell overpriced items to people who can’t afford them company continues.

While there are moments when the heavy influence of the Beatles and other well-known acts from that generation can be tangibly felt on the album, threatening to make the group’s unique sound seem oddly derivative somehow, those moments are few and far between and are vastly overshadowed by the strength of the musical composition, emotionally involving lyrics, and stirring vocals.

Given the group’s talent and diversity, Buried Beds is easily one of the most promising contemporary folk-rock groups and if Tremble the Sails is any indication, only clear skies lie ahead on their horizon.