Nathan Taylor – Life Is But A Dream

Nathan Taylor’s debut under his given name, 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐𝘴 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘈 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, presents a hypnagogic atmosphere unfurling within the space spanning crepuscular phantoms to late-night reveries. Though the album’s title and eight extended tracks initially suggest a sleep-inducing stasis, its ultimate effect hearkens towards the primal, unsettling unknowability of the things that go bump in the night. Think sleep paralysis rather than bucolic visions of sheep jumping fences. Tracks are grounded by singular sonic sources - such as resonant bells, deep analog synthesizer sweeps, or a chorus of alto recorders - which float like faded liturgical etchings amidst field recordings, heavily modulated whispers, and disembodied voices.

𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐𝘴 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘈 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 draws us into a peculiar zone where language, sound, and thought congeal into the uncanny, deftly balancing experiences of discomfort and the sublime. Lucid dreaming or unconscious living? There are no hard distinctions in an increasingly hallucinatory post-2020 information landscape, and Taylor presents an album perfectly suited for our time.

~Glyn Maier