Uncomfortable and unabashedly avant-garde, Taylor lets his emotions reign supreme on his new album “In Response To”.
Based in London, Benedict Taylor is a violist and violinist whose music has been involved with a variety of big-name production companies such as the BFI, the London Film Festival, MoMA New York, BBC Radio 2, and many more.
Being a film composer, Taylor’s music often favours a more atmospheric sound with an experimental and sometimes improvisational approach. “In Response To” embodies Taylor’s ethos of music and deeply challenges the listener’s understanding of what music is and what it can be.
“Unfunny” pulls no punches and lands the listener right into the thick of Taylor’s strange experimental soundscape. The slightly chaotic structure of the sound samples and the use of vanishing conversations make the song feel like you’re inside someone’s untidy day-to-day thoughts.
The juxtaposing hum of an unknown upbeat melody makes the song feel even more eerie and artistically uncomfortable.
“Loose Screws” is exactly as the title suggests: eccentric, weird, and, to be honest, not even a song at all. The song functions more as an audible diary of mental deterioration and emotional instability. Taylor’s vocals begin to “shake” more and more as the song continues, until it feels like they are chaotically vibrating.
“Bank Holiday” feels like a deranged pub anthem with subtle rock inspiration and infectiously punchy drums. The vocal performance reflects a feeling of maddening freedom and simultaneous disturbance; this theme is presented in the lyrics themselves. “It’s a beautiful day to go outside; I’m going to sit indoors,” Taylor chants maniacally.
On the contrary “Pub Lessons”, the real supposed “pub anthem,” is more like a heavenly gospel choir. “Don’t take forever to make your mind up; if you wonder too long, you will leave with an empty dry cup”, Taylor chants throughout the song as if it were a hymn.
The song serves as a metaphor for people who overthink their life choices and ultimately end up putting off acting out any real change for themselves. If you take forever to decide what to drink at a pub, the pub will eventually close, and you’ll leave without even having a drink.
The album closes off with “Photosynthesis”, a far cry from the depressing and grungy sounds of “Unfunny”, This song has a mellow feeling of hope and growth in the same way a plant may grow out of the ground.
The vocals and lyrics feel Bon Iver or James Blake-inspired with their sombre and melancholic undertones.
“In Response To” is an album that goes beyond the rigged bounds of a scoring system and simply must be experienced by the listeners themselves. It’s an experience that is felt rather than ranked, and for some people, it may connect, while others may shy away.
With harsh, engaging, and imaginative sounds, “In Response To” is a challenge for music fans of all genres, posing the question “What is music?”.
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