Enchanting musical soundscapes, deep-colored textures, and unbridled romantic expression. These are the elements of my debut album "Lady of Arbor Hill", fondly named after my childhood home where over 20 arbors cover the range of a 5-acre property in rural New Jersey. My album officially released on the last day of summer, September 22.
I call myself the Lady of Arbor Hill because I relate to the Lady of Shalott as described in Alfred Tennyson's poem. I weave my songs into musical tapestry, but I'm slowly becoming "half sick of shadows" where love is unrequited and paradise is unreachable. One day, I fear “the curse” will come upon me as well.
Ever since I was born, my parents have dedicated their time and effort into creating gardens that are beautiful enough to be compared to the idealistic Garden of Eden. I often think about that ancient garden, the place where we once experienced close intimacy with God. It is a universal truth that we all long to return to our original home. To the paradisal bliss we were designed to enjoy with each other. My album echoes this homesickness through my songs of heartache and longing.
"Lady of Arbor Hill" is a multi-genre album covering pop, soft rock, cinematic and singer-songwriter. The album listening experience should feel like experiencing a summer day. The songs begin with a bright and upbeat atmosphere, but as dusk settles in the songs become more somber in mood and slow-moving in tempo. As if the last day of summer is coming to a bittersweet end...
It is my hope that by listening to "Arbor Hill", you will feel like you have been transported into its lush and dreamlike gardens. Each of my romantic songs are woven with different elements of my childhood home. In one song, there are sounds of wind chimes hanging from the sugar maple tree in my front yard. Playful notes of the piano in my living room are heard in another composition. Familiar echoes of birds chirping, the sounds I wake up to every morning, wax in and out of my other songs. The more time that you spend listening to "Arbor Hill," the more you will understand how these peaceful settings and colorful landscapes have influenced my artistic sound.
"Beauty will save the world..." I have recently been meditating on this quote by the Russian novelist Dostoevsky. I believe the creation of my album is a reflection of that hopeful perspective - that despite the heartbreaks, tragedies, losses and broken dreams of this world, a redemptive mindset can make all the difference. Writing the songs on my album and bringing them to life through audio and video production has felt like transforming my grief into beauty. I hope that my music inspires my listeners to find the beauty that is around them and allow its healing essence to transform them as well.
There is still time to donate to my album campaign if you would like to support my music career. Songwriters only receive an average of $0.006 per stream (each time a song is played), so donating directly to my campaign would be an immense help. Click here to donate!
Watch this video to hear more about my album:
Every summer, my family and I visit my mom's siblings and cousins in Ohio. When we stop at Portsmouth for the day and go antique shopping, I always pick up a new book from the second floor of the antique mall called Ghosts in the Attic. This summer, I chose "The Art of Loving" from Erich Fromm. It was the perfect book for me to read as I was reflecting on the release of my album and the concept of it.
In his book, Erich Fromm describes the experience of separateness and how it arouses anxiety in each of us. He claims that our separateness is the source of all anxiety because “being separate means being cut off… to be helpless, unable to grasp the world - things and people - actively,” and that it arouses our shame and the feeling of guilt. He then references the biblical story of Adam and Eve to support this claim.
When Adam and Eve ate from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil" and disobeyed God (because there is no good and evil unless there is freedom to disobey), they emancipated themselves from the original animal harmony with nature and saw “that they were naked." This made them ashamed, not just because they weren't clothed, but because they became aware of their separateness, "and of their difference," Erich Fromm describes, "inasmuch as they belong to different sexes." As long as they are separate, Adam and Eve - men and women - are strangers to each other. The concept of love and its sacrificial, selfless nature has not yet been understood or acted out. Fromm says it is man’s deepest need then to overcome this separateness, “to leave the prison of his aloneness” (pages 7-8).
There is no shortage of writing songs about heartbreak. Ever since Adam and Eve were sent away from the garden of paradise, love has been sought to solve our problem of loneliness. Most of us, if not all, misinterpret love as lust and this is why we are always left dissatisfied and heartbroken. Erich Fromm explains the false view of love that is founded in Western culture.
“Love is viewed as the outcome of a spontaneous, emotional reaction, of suddenly being gripped by an irresistible feeling. In this view, one sees only the peculiarities of the two individuals involved - and not the fact that all men are part of Adam, and all women part of Eve,” (page 47).
As a woman, I recognize that all women come from Eve and so I incorporate this biblical view into my songwriting. I describe my romantic interest as a fixed object of attention, as if he is Adam himself who I am designed to love and serve. I lament the complications of our separateness, and my effort to love him in order to overcome his inability to. I try to prove that my love and devotion are not just some overwhelming feeling or infatuation but an active decision to reach out and commemorate our connection through my writing, recording and producing of songs.
My Songs and Music Videos
I've released three music videos to promote my album which you can find on my YouTube channel. Two of them I've already covered on the blog: "Violet's Library" and "Golden Image." My latest music video, "Waldeinsamkeit," was released a week ago. It's particularly special to me because it was filmed at Arbor Hill, in the woods next to my house where I first experienced the feeling of waldeinsamkeit - a German word to describe the feeling of being alone in the woods and the peace that comes along with it. 🌿
I also uploaded song visualizers and sorted them into one playlist on my channel. My favorite one is "Milk Chocolate" because you can see the process of chocolate being made in the background while the song plays (you're welcome 🍫)! The following are my songs in track order with each synopsis described.
Milk Chocolate
"Milk Chocolate" contributes another pop song to the musical world that is dedicated to brown eyes. So many songs praise blue and green eyes, but "Milk Chocolate" describes the allure of brown eyes when falling in love. The song also expresses the faith that is necessary to step into a relationship. Whatever fears may arise, one must be willing to face their demons to start again, and not “let the past tear (their) future apart.”
Golden Image
Who do we really love? The person in front of us or the golden image of them? It is easy to accuse men of objectifying women, but the truth is, women also put men on their own golden pedestals. I openly confess this in my pop funk song called "Golden Image."
There is a fine line between worshipping the ideal and worshipping the material. Even the most God-fearing woman in the world will fall victim to idolization. The book of Ezekiel describes Jerusalem as the wife of God who does not lack for anything, but her lust and pride lead her to defile herself in ways that go beyond what any other woman has done. Chapter 16, verse 17 says: “You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them." My song "Golden Image" brings this biblical allegory to life through the lens of my own personal experience and interpretation.
German Statue
The most sensual of the songs on my album, “German Statue” boldly compares a romantic interest to well-known works of art in European culture. The statue-like and heroic beauty of the man who is admired is interpreted as a sign that he will rescue his love from the “bewildering maze” that is her life and meet her “at the portico” to start a new life together.
Violet's Library
Imagine walking into a quaint bookshop and picking up a violet-covered book with a little bit of dust on its cover. The moment you open it, a shining portal beams out of the pages and you are transported into a mystical realm. The fantasy within a woman’s mind plays out in front of you. Fog covers the creek where she imagines meeting her old lover again and reconnecting over the future they could have shared...
Listening to "Violet's Library" should evoke the settings of wooded glens, rustling creeks and a haze of violet-colored fog. The synth and vocal layered sounds are partly inspired by the Celtic music artist Enya's New-Age style of music. May the peaceful sounds of the harp and synths transport you to an enchanted place in your imagination.
Nostalgic Interlude
Nostalgic Interlude is a momentary respite from the vocal-centered songs on my album “Lady of Arbor Hill.” As you listen, allow yourself to drift into the reverie of your childhood memories. The pleasant ones that remind you of your innocence and carefree union with the world that was once your youth. Imagine that listening to my 10-song album is like experiencing a summer day. The songs began with a bright and upbeat atmosphere, but now dusk is settling in and the rest of my album becomes more somber in mood and slow-moving in tempo.
It’s as if your walk through Arbor Hill is almost done, but not quite yet. There are still more grounds to explore…
Waldeinsamkeit
Waldeinsamkeit is a special word in German which refers to the feeling of being alone in the woods. “Wald” means woods and “einsamkeit” means loneliness. Growing up next to the woods, I often experienced the feeling of waldeinsamkeit during my childhood in northern New Jersey. As soon as I discovered the special word in 2021, I was inspired to write a rhythmic and cinematic song about it.
Paint Mine Blue
"Paint Mine Blue" is a soft rock song that articulates the painful but loving approach to handling a breakup or separation. Even though you still love the person, you respect their wish to be left alone. The love is there, but expressed "from a distance." It feels as if you are leaving their life golden while you allow them to paint yours blue.
Snow Kiss
"Snow Kiss" was inspired by a man who told me that winter is his favorite season. I compare the distance between us to the summer sun and winter snow, and their incompatible nature. I want summer days while he clings, “to winter’s snow kiss.” As long as he stays in winter, I cannot join him, and as long as I prefer summer, he will not join me. This sad reality is described in the lyrics of the song's bridge: “So how can we thrive if we both must come undone? We were never the lucky ones, were we darling?"
Arbor Hill
All of the songs on my debut album "Lady of Arbor Hill" were conceived at my childhood home, called Arbor Hill for its 20 arbors covering the property. My parents' zeal for creating beautiful gardens around our house reminded me of the ancient garden of Eden. The universal truth that we all long to return to our original home where we once enjoyed intimacy with our Creator and with each other is echoed within the homesick theme of "Arbor Hill." I go as far as personifying my home, making it seem like it has the power to woo my romantic interest there. “And if Arbor Hill calls to me, she will call to you. Cause if you love me and you want me, Arbor Hill will want you too."
Hiraeth
Hiraeth is a special word in Welsh to describe the spiritual longing for an ancient home to which one cannot return, or a home that never was. It describes the echo of our soul’s past, and the yearning for a person, place or thing that is beyond this plane of existence. It is in the winds, rocks and waves. It is everywhere and nowhere.
“Hiraeth” is the last song on my album which features the natural ambient sounds of Arbor Hill. You will hear the wind chimes ringing from the sugar maple tree in the front yard, birds and chipmunks chirping from surrounding bushes, engines of motorcycles and airplanes zooming by and the wind’s mysterious spirit rustling through the warm summer air. These are the sounds of my hiraeth, and I hope that this final recording all my listeners with a sense of peace.
It was a joy to have many music blogs review my debut album and thoughtfully describe its concept and the sonic qualities of my songs. The following are my favorite quotes from the featured articles.
Album Reviews
"In the crowded landscape of debut albums, Madison Taylor’s 'Lady of Arbor Hill' emerges as a rare gem, a work of startling maturity and emotional depth... this 10-track opus clocking in at just over 45 minutes serves as both a deeply personal memoir and a universal exploration of humanity’s eternal quest for Eden."
"Madison’s debut is an album in which it is easy to get lost. Its lyrics will paint pictures in your mind, while her vocals will enchant you. Add in its varied and atmospheric instrumentals and you have a collection that’s simply flawless. It’s a breath-taking debut, and a candidate for album of the year..."
"She pairs these lyrics and melodies with addicting, ear-worm instrumentations, creating these perfectly crafted pieces of ethereal and enchanting music that take you to another world. I believe Madison might just be one of the most underrated songwriters of our time."
"‘Lady on Arbor Hill’ by Madison Taylor is a sweeping indie-folk/pop album that is ethereal bright and darkly haunting. Its lines are deeply poetic, in the vein of poets and writers like William Wordsworth & Alfred Lord Tennyson, telling stories of love lost and bargained for... Each song contains stories of irresistible attraction, wistful longing and begrudging acceptance of forgone conclusions."
"It almost feels like painting, only instead of acrylic paints, you use the beauty of guitars, synths and strings to create the style. The artist's warm and emotional voice also takes center stage in her music. I like how she blurs the individual instruments in the approaches and draws the listener into a pleasant, tense but also sentimental atmosphere."
"The album is abundant with images full of nostalgia and sensuality. In 'Lady of Arbor Hill,' music and poetry merge into a musical bouquet, into an exciting symphony of joy and sadness. Madison Taylor, possessing her unique style, reminds us that true mastery lies not in the attempt to impress but in the ability to feel and convey."
"The album is deeply personal, yet universal in its themes, exploring the gap between where we are and where we long to be, both emotionally and spiritually. It’s a portal into a world where fantasy and reality collide, where you can almost smell the earth of her rural New Jersey upbringing, with the towering 20 arbors and Eden-like gardens serving as both backdrop and metaphor. Taylor’s home becomes the Garden of Eden we’ve all been kicked out of—inviting us to wander back in, knowing full well we can’t stay."
Some songs from my album have also been added to Spotify playlists if you enjoy listening to different musical compilations from that streaming service. Here are a few of them that you can follow:
I also made my own artist playlists featuring my music and other songs that have similar sounds and genres:
I hope you enjoy listening to my new album! I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
"As summer fades into autumn, Madison Taylor has given us the perfect soundtrack for introspection and reflection."
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