Every day until Christmas we will be pointing you in the direction of a London-inspired Christmas gift that (with a bit of luck) you won’t already have on your list. Climb up onto our collective lap and we’ll see what we can move from our sack to your stockings…
Back in the summer we were sent the debut single from Kilburn singer-songwriter, Sean Taylor. We liked it. It went on our London playlist.
Now there's an album, Chase the Night. We don't really do album reviews on Londonist but when we got the CD sent to us by the man himself and described as a "lyric for London", we had to have a listen. He says, "It is a celebration of my home - from the drinkers of Kilburn, to the ravers of Brixton, from the bohemia of Camden, to the golden glow of the Thames."
And while London is a stand-out song (stuck on repeat as we write), the whole album's born out of a London life filled with urban wandering, bars, night buses, drugs, sex and hangovers. An insatiable appetite for all the city has to offer runs through the music. We particularly like the folky feel of Biddy Mulligans, about the old Irish pub on Kilburn High Road, sadly now a betting shop, and the spoken word blues track that closes the album, River, a meandering epic ode to London.
Support a home-grown artist and enjoy some London-inspired songs - stick this CD in your stocking.
Visit www.seantaylorsongs.com for more info and to buy his music. The album Chase the Night costs £10.98 or you can download the single London from iTunes for 99p.
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