Keith Walsh
As an artist known for his studio wizardry, Julian Shah-Tayler has a way with synthesizers. From his project The Singularity to his work playing Alan Wilder’s role in the Depeche Mode tribute “Strangelove,” Shah-Tayler is a master of electronic music genres.
His lovely new release, “Bet Your Life” subverts expectations. It starts out with a Spanish acoustic guitar, fretless bass and a tender vocal that’s a hymn to physical love. As the song heats up in the chorus, it turns to a glam-ish pop tune. Musical expectations aren’t the only thing that “Bet Your Life” subverts: the lyrics turn morality upside down as well.
“You can bet your life/If it feels wrong, then you’re doing it right/You can bet your life/when you are so bad, you make me feel so right.”
As Shah-Tayler told me: “It’s a song about specific proclivities, breaking rules and pushing one’s own boundaries. It’s also about throwing caution to the wind in service of one’s instincts and desires.”
The melodic landscape of “Bet Your Life” should come as no surprise to his fans: Shah-Tayler has played guitar in bands since his days in London, with his band Whitey and also in his role in the Bowie tribute The Band Who Fell To Earth, as well as other projects including drinkme and Tiger Blood. I asked him about how he found himself departing from the electronic rock he’s been creating of late.
“It was written on David J’s acoustic and fretless,” he explains. “I use all instruments in my periphery for all sorts of different textures.”
I asked him about the drum tracks, which have a pleasant though unusual character: “The drums are a sample of breakbeat slowed down and metaflanged plus Linn kick and snare.” He told me that the sound used for the trippy synth anti-solo after the first verse was generated by a Korg Minilogue.
It’s a truism that when it comes to Julian Shah-Tayler and The Singularity, we can expect the unexpected. Stay tuned, as he promises me that much more music is on the way.
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finis
Love the song. He is an interesting and intelligent songwriter