Music Review // Julian Taylor "Pathways"

 

I've been listening to a lot of music lately which feels like it can be focused on death and as this song, "Pathways", also seems like it might be about that I can also find a way for it to not be so grim.  There is a chorus which starts the song that says "On this pathway / As we get closer / I'll be there as we grow older".   This does make it look like we're on this path which concludes with death, as age is mentioned, but I like to also think of this more as a song about aging and growing old together, walking the path of life.

Julian Taylor just does a wonderful job of singing in the chorus with Allison Russel.  There are acoustics and other instruments come through in this song as well, but the vocals are really at the front of it all.  The verses can almost feel like they're spoken in a Lou Reed way while the chorus can feel like a big choir singing, in a gospel sort of way.   This just has that big sing-along feeling to it.

During a verse there are the lines: "From the first thing we see / To the last thing we need / It's the life in-between that matters".   I really like this idea because it is set on the now.  They say depression comes from focusing on the past and anxiety from worrying about the future, so to just think about what's happening now feels like the best way to go through life for many reasons.  Plus we can just spend too much time thinking about what comes next or dwelling on the past to appreciate what is happening right in front of us right now.

Ultimately "Pathways" just feels like it's a song about the choices you make in life and that path you take, but also the people who are on that path with you.  It's about helping them out when they need it and they'll help you out when you need it.  In many ways, we're all in this together so it's better to go through life helping people if they need it than pushing them off of the path and feeling like they're in your way.   But Julian Taylor says it best: "Be gentle, be kind / Be grateful take time / Remember we're in this together".