Behold is Ojo Taylor's first new album for over 20 years, the title is meant to be crossed out, in the title, he is cancelling himself, while delivering is personal negation of Ego in the decade of total egomania, Ojo Taylor are Joseph Taylor and his musical accomplices Greg and Aaron with Nick Branson, Julia Catherine, Jeff Schroeder, Gym Nicholson, Eric Campuzano. Executive Produced by Ken Johnston. The album was mixed and mastered by Christopher Colbert at National Freedom Studio. Julian Kindred mixed Disappear at Nonsuch Studio, London, UK.
The album opens with Ojo Taylor leading us into a Dark Room once more, with swirling intricate guitars and some eastern mysticism, moving between veils, taking us into that Dark Room to share in the sacrament together, entwined in a swirled progressive maelstrom of will and desire.
Deep In love with fuzzy buzzy guitars, taking you Deep In to those woods, harmony vocals attempting to stop the pain and distress, on this meandering anathema to the full on commitment he wants to pledge, through wailed guitar among all the static, dissipating through the final violin notes resonating Deep In you.
I Will Meet You There deep within the cocoon of sparse piano notes and strings to cuddle and feel safe together. The Altars that you pray before, to bring a different outcome to the fires that used to burn between you, in this ambient Diana Express style epic for tortured souls, princes and prophets destroying everything that should have been held sacred, his world collapses around that altar, while the epic grandeur of selfish overindulgence draped in gold leaf is still never enough to sate your beast.
Behold Nothing you won't ever find the right way to get the forgiveness you seem to think you deserve, no matter how many times you fall off that wagon once more, over the slow repeated guitar figure twisting every way you can beneath those sheets, but somehow you never get things right. He claims he isn't your monster, but if all he plays are long slow progressive jams, that may just be why she had to get out to pastures new.
Interlude II does what is says it will, a rather pretty neo classical Interlude that is very peaceful with evocative piano playing. From Dust And Clay asks for the help they need to get through another day, wondering at how they survive without the things they should have had, this builds a weird ambience trying to be unexceptional, not needing to rule and be master of his own destiny, slow ruminations trying to find hope in despairing times, he asks what could he have done to change the course we are on.
May It Be So is a choral hymnal using a local school choir and bells to summon up all the dreams and aspirations, that the affirmation May It Be So should be attached too, a eulogy for those who feel they are currently without hope, this evolves in the calmest ways possible, hinting at all the horror around them.
The album closes with Disappear a slowly evolving ambient soundscape for quietly disappearing into the background unnoticed, able to slip away from all the finger pointing and blame being thrown around, perfect for an ambient chill out space.
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