New York, NY (Top40 Charts) As the August 25th release of Hiss Golden Messenger's new album Jump For Joy draws near, the band has released the new track "20 Years And A Nickel." The song opens with a searching piano and organ section before smoothly melding into a dancing groove as "20 Years And A Nickel" kicks off Jump For Joy and sets the tone for what lies ahead.
Jump for Joy is a semi-autobiographical work about the life and musical journey of bandleader, songwriter and vocalist M.C. Taylor. Taylor created the character Michael Crow to represent himself through his various experiences while following the path of a life in music.
From being obsessed with music at the very beginning, to being called by the road, to almost giving up, to having a family, right up to the present day, Taylor touches on many of the moments that shaped him. While the album was written from the perspective of personal experience, many of the themes are universally relatable.
"If the 14 songs on Jump for Joy might be heard as the Book of Michael Crow, a temporal travelogue, of sorts, that traces the ecstasy and sorrow of a life lived alongside music through a character very similar to me, then perhaps '20 Years and a Nickel' is the prologue," says Taylor.
"Not only is it the first song, but it also lays out two opposing perspectives that I am lately trying to hold in my hands, and brain, simultaneously. Namely, after twenty years and a nickel—my longhand for 25 years, although I guess I've been writing songs even longer than that—I'm a little bit of an expert on the form AND I have no idea how to write a song. Is there such a thing as a simple song? Maybe. But they don't come easy."
The narrative that runs throughout Jump for Joy is optimistic and outward facing. The album offers a new perspective from the more internal and thought-provoking albums from Hiss Golden Messenger's acclaimed body of work that raise questions about life, love, relationships, faith and the mechanisms around us.
Jump for Joy was produced by M.C. Taylor with Chris Boerner (guitar), Alex Bingham (bass), Nick Falk (drums) and Sam Fribush (keys).
Jump for Joy is the follow-up to 2021's critically acclaimed release Quietly Blowing It, which received 4-star reviews in Rolling Stone and American Songwriter along with positive coverage in The New York Times, Associated Press, Relix and more (See Highlights). Hiss Golden Messenger's 2019 album Terms of Surrender received a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album.
