TRACK REVIEW: Simon Taylor – The Day You Swallowed The Sun

Image: Simon Taylor by Jon Forster

Newcastle-based Simon Taylor melds folk and pop into a philosophical exploration of emotion with The Day You Swallowed The Sun.

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Nick Drake, Taylor highlights people’s inclination towards pessimism and cynicism, ignoring life’s beauty, and “closing the blinds” on a brighter future. Throughout, there is a stark contrast between the melodic instrumentation and Taylor’s deep vocals – symbolic of the friction between nature’s charm and ‘half-empty glass’ sorts. Piano and guitar fuse to frame the cathartic vocals. Broken sentences reflect feelings of emotional fragmentation that flow throughout the lyrics.

A carefully constructed commentary on the human condition, the track serves as a small fragment of what is to come from Taylor in his upcoming EP Stars.