Anthology Vol. 1 offers a satisfyingly thorough recap for Julian Taylor’s many fans, while extending a wide-ranging introduction to those yet to come across this talented Canadian artist.
Whenever you connect with the body of work of a career artist, there’s a natural impulse to reach back into their catalogue to explore the roots of how they got to where they are today — and perhaps also find some clues about where they may be going next in the process.
Toronto-based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor recognizes that archaeological urge — which is but one of a number of reasons why he’s sifted through the archives of his own long and storied recording legacy to personally compile Anthology Vol. 1, a deep-seeded collection of 18 songs that track the full arc of his career from the formative days as a member of Staggered Crossing to the genesis of his own Julian Taylor Band collective to his ultimate transformation into a soothsaying solo artiste of the highest calibre.
Anthology Vol. 1 will be released via Taylor’s custom Howling Turtle, Inc. label, with distribution via Warner Music/ADA, on all major digital platforms on October 20, 2023; with a double-vinyl edition expected to follow later in the year. In addition to the 15 vintage tracks he’s curated here, Taylor has added a trio of all-new songs exclusive to Anthology Vol. 1 that serve to bridge the gap between those historical roots of yore and the forward-leaning songwriting template he forged during the making of his two most recent solo LPs, 2020’s highly acclaimed The Ridge (which garnered Taylor’s anointing as Solo Artist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards) and 2022’s equally lauded Beyond the Reservoir.
Each of these three new tracks — the reflective singalong drive of “Georgia Moon,” the transient travelogue that is “City Song,” and the plaintive acceptance of “Long Time Ago” — the album’s feature track – confirm Taylor’s ever-upward creative trajectory.
Visceral storytelling has long been a primary focus for Taylor as a songwriter. “With my words, I’ve always attempted to make sure that what people are hearing, they can also see,” he explains. “That’s how I write most of my lyrics. The main things I focus on as a songwriter are visual lyrics, life lessons, and love. They almost act like allegories, in that they explain the ways of humans just being.”
As a truth-seeking songwriter, Taylor has never shied away from getting down to the rightful heart of the matter. “I write a lot about heartbreak and love,” he continues. “I try to write mostly about the human condition, because I think that’s my job.”
One of Taylor’s key job requirements is to honour the tenet of being as honest as he possibly can to ensure the words he’s singing match the intent of any given song’s subject matter. “When you place certain words in certain places, they can change things very drastically — and very dramatically,” he outlines. “I tend to focus on the right way to phrase things, especially when I’m writing choruses. Choosing just one wrong word — even if it’s a word like ‘that,’ or ‘this’ — can alter the way people hear and see it. I find getting the phrasing right is more important than the singing, you know what I mean?”
Taylor is adamant about following the proper word-selection road, no matter where it leads. “Phrasing has actually changed melodies for me — and I really like when that happens,” he admits. “I like when the word changes the melody on you. Early on in my career, I would write songs and try to make sure the words fit the melody. Later on, I realized that if I needed to say certain things I couldn’t fit into the melody, the song just wasn’t going to work that way. I need to say something the way I want to say it — so I surrender and allow the lyric to take control of where the song will ultimately go.”
As he combed through each Anthology Vol. 1 selection, Taylor reconnected with his earlier role as an equal band member in Staggered Crossing, and how that informed his contributions in a group setting. “What’s interesting about those band recordings is I did have to really work hard at balancing what the band needed to hear, and what I needed to hear back from them,” he notes. “Those songs, and that band, sounded the way we sounded because — even though I was the one presenting them with the songs I had written on either acoustic guitar or piano — as soon as they got ahold of them, they wanted the songs to hit hard. The arrangements changed, so I had to sing them to reflect that. And that meant I really had to sing out.”
The DNA found within the myriad Staggered Crossing and Julian Taylor Band selections that reside on Anthology Vol. 1 reflects the artist who Taylor has always embodied, ever since the literal jump. “It’s been so interesting to go back and listen to those early songs, since some of them actually connect with The Ridge. Actually, it’s like going beyond The Ridge,” he muses. “People will ask me, ‘When did you start doing country folk?’ And I’m like, ‘From the beginning.’”
While committing to the songs that appear on this particular Anthology edition certainly planted a flag for where Taylor came from as a developing songwriter, the Vol. 1 portion of the album title suggests his best work is yet to have bloomed. “I don’t think I’ve ever consciously felt like, ‘Oh, this is too hard,’” he theorises about the ongoing impetus he has for writing and recording new material. “I’ve never looked at the whole equation and been like, ‘I need to put this amount of work in to get this result.’ That’s never been my mindset. I just keep going. If I’m able to harness all my energy, there’s always a way forward.”
Indeed, Taylor does keep on going, his creativity flowing like a raging river and his artistic aura standing tall and sturdy like a mighty maple does in the forest — in effect, reflecting the descriptive physical locales and elemental embodiments that are also waypoint hallmarks to be found all throughout Anthology Vol. 1. “It just happened naturally — my writing about earth, air, and space,” he confirms. “It’s always been my place to talk about those things.”
It’s yet another way Taylor continues to connect with his ever-expanding audience. “I’m having a personal conversation with the listener, so that’s why I have to write like that — and act like that,” he concludes. “Sometimes, just being honest is the most important thing. What really stands out in my career — from the music side of things and even from the business side of things, since I’ve been managing myself and my career for over two decades — is that I am authentically and uniquely Julian Taylor.”
In that respect, Anthology Vol. 1 is a rich sonic chronicle that defines the singular artist Julian Taylor has both been, and is, still becoming.
Julian Taylor ‘Anthology Vol.1 is out today, October 20.