Hiss Golden Messenger (from the album Jump For Joy

Hiss Golden Messenger (from the album Jump For Joy

Hiss Golden Messenger (from the album Jump For Joy available on Merge Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
There’s no doubting the fact that Hiss Golden Messenger has graduated to the top ranks of today’s Indie music pantheon. Creating a sound that’s organic, imaginative and melodic in equal measure, the band, led by its mainstay M.C. Taylor, consistently delves into new musical terrain in an ever-going quest to explore new sonic spheres.

A follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed 2021 album Quietly Blowing It, Jump for Joy is touted as a semi-autobiographical work revolving around the life and musical journey of Taylor himself, using a character called Michael Crows as a fictional stand-in of sorts. Yet at the same time, the music is consistently conveyed from a personal perspective. When M.C.Taylor repeatedly proclaims ‘I saw a new day in the world’ in the song of the same name, it quickly becomes clear that his euphoric worldview is both clear-eyed and complete. “Shinbone” shares the same sentiments, given the pronouncement, ‘I woke up this morning/My God, I felt happy’.
 
You don’t get any more enthusiastic than that!
 
The optimism pervades the entire album, with songs that delve into life, love, faith and those ongoing encounters that need to be carefully considered within everyday circumstance. The tone and tempos underscore the positive feel, from the easy lope of “Shinbone” and the infectious title track, to the sparkle and sheen of “The Wondering” and “Nu-Grape”, and onward through the upbeat, effusive “California King”, the galvanizing and vibrant “Feeling  Eternal”, and the resolute Rocker that ends the album with ultimate engagement, “Sunset on the Faders”.
 
It’s hard to doubt Hiss Golden Messenger’s ecstatic emotion, and indeed, there’s no reason to. Jump For Joy is thoughtful, engaging and instantly absorbing. It’s the kind of album that’s sure to mark a milestone for this band, given its coherence, clarity, and a seemingly effortless expression. Given today’s often perilous predicaments, flush with tension and turmoil, it’s an excellent way to ease whatever doubt and distress the day may bring, and substitute instead ideas that offer a far more positive point of view. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Hiss Golden Messenger from AMAZON
 
Please visit the Hiss Golden Messenger website for more information