“If I’m being honest, I think I’m more of a soul musician,” says Taylor rather directly, reached on the phone from his London home after yet another night in the studio. “But in terms of the blues, I think it’s important to express yourself. The blues can be so soulful, the way [blues players] wear their hearts on their sleeves. I love that. But the troubadours, Tom Waits, John Cale, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, these are the people I really look up to.”
If it’s the troubadours that Taylor truly admires and is attempting to model his career after, he’s already managed to get close. His three headline tours of the United Kingdom not withstanding, Taylor’s supported Band of Horses, The Neville Brothers and John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. They’ve been opportunities that Taylor, who disarms with a genuine charm and enthusiasm, appreciates incredibly.
“For me it’s a real dream come true. It’s great to watch their process, what they have to do before they go onstage. To see what guys like John Fogerty go through, you can see that it’s almost natural for them. As if they were born to perform live.”
As appreciative as Taylor has been for the opportunities granted to him, it’s brought clarity as far as how long the road ahead of him truly is.
“I’ve been playing live for about 12 years, and I have improved in those 12 years, but even seeing some of the people I’ve shared the stage with, you realise how much more you have to learn. And to be able to play with these people, it’s truly a dream come true.”
The experience Taylor has gained is beginning to show in his recorded output. Love Against Death, his fifth full-length, is as inspired a listen as anything he’s ever released. He’s managed to look to the troubadours before him and craft a selection of songs that capture a place, time and mood. And the story Love Against Death tells is as vital a story as any other being told.
“When I was recording the album, the whole Occupy movement was really heating up. That influenced a couple of songs while I was recording, but even leading up to the recording, there was a bunch of marches, anti-austerity marches in particular that I really identified with. They very much inspired the songs and where the album was heading. Like a lot of people in the world, I felt a sense of desperation,” he says emphatically.
“People are losing their homes, committing suicide because they had no money, and yet the banks got off scot free. It’s not all political, but I think the album title, Love Against Death really sums it up. You can choose the avenue of love or choose the avenue of death in life, and I think these songs speak to that idea. All my heroes have created textures and made ambient music,” he adds, coming back to his heroes he spoke of earlier. “I’ve tried to do that.”
BY JOSHUA KLOKE
