Creating a narrator through which autobiographical stories can be told is a well-established literary device, and it’s one that MC Taylor, leader of North Carolina five-piece Hiss Golden Messenger, deploys to good effect on his latest album of superior Americana. As “Michael Crow”, Taylor tells stories from different eras of his life, some real, some imagined: as a teenager, as a struggling musician trying to make it (20 Years and a Nickel), as a father. Less reliably, as a stonemason on Nu-Grape.
Throughout, there’s a beguiling sense of wide-eyed wonder, best illustrated by Shinbone’s opening line: “Woke up this morning, my God I felt happy.” It makes for an aptly titled record. Taylor’s tightly marshalled bandmates play their part, too: theirs is a warm distillation of country-soul and folk, with subtle funk undertones. On the standout Feeling Eternal, there’s even a distinct resemblance to the War on Drugs’ motorik relentlessness. In a world of diminishing returns, not many artists hit their peak 11 (or so) albums into their career. That only makes Jump for Joy even more of a triumph.
