![]() They are musically rooted in the traditions of the American South - folk, bluegrass, swampy rock, country gospel, warped R&B - and offer strange twists and turns on them all. ![]() ![]() These 11 songs are drenched in eternal themes: faith, dread, family, spirituality, and metaphor. The set features over half a dozen guests, including guitarist William Tyler. Taylor and guitarist/bassist Scott Hirsch, has become a quintet. The band, originally just songwriter/vocalist/guitarist M.C. It is titled alternately for a river in North Carolina and for a now extinct Indian tribe from the same region. “We’ll be alright tonight.Haw is Hiss Golden Messenger's second offering for Paradise of Bachelors. “Give me a fiddle and a flattop guitar, give me the gospel of the jukebox in the Lost Horse Bar,” he begs on “Domino,” sounding weary but not beaten. Taylor does not seem to harbor the ambition to join those ranks he’s too much of a fan himself, down here in the pits with the rest of us. Rather, the allusions thrum just beneath the surface of these vivid songs, as if to suggest that specific moments of music can get us through hard times or even just move us a little further down the road. Not that you need to trace every footnote or easter egg to enjoy this album. That wheezing harmonica solo on “Lost Out in the Darkness” sounds like a nod to early Dylan, just as the title of “Gulfport, You’ve Been on My Mind” echoes “Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind.” There’s a strange reference on “John the Gun” to the infamous goth act Sisters of Mercy and more than a few toasts to Van Morrison, most obviously on “Domino (Time Will Tell).” That song, which shares its title and its general tempo with a song from Morrison’s 1970 album His Band and the Street Choir, might have been corny if the band didn’t convey such excitement in the tribute. Music-and the joy we might find in our favorite songs or albums-is perhaps the dominant theme on Hallelujah Anyhow, which see Taylor referring but not deferring to his heroes. Taylor has always made good use of reed instruments going back to 2012’s Poor Moon, and here Michael Lewis’ saxophone tugs at the edges of “John the Gun,” fraying the seams until the song unravels in a long, beautiful coda. He brings a staunch backbeat to these songs, moving “Lost Out in the Darkness” along at an almost martial pace and punching up the AM country groove of “John the Gun.” While there’s nothing quite so experimental as the jagged stomp of “Like a Mirror Loves a Hammer” off last year’s Heart Like a Levee, the arrangements on Hallelujah Anyhow are intricate without being showy, borrowing from various regional folk and blues traditions to imply a sense of movement across the map. Replacing longtime drummer Matt McCaughan (out on tour with Bon Iver) is Darren Jessee, best known as one-third of Ben Folds Five. Taylor recorded the album in a matter of days, bringing his road-hardened backing band into the studio to flesh out the songs quickly, as though any hesitation might lessen their urgency. That modest ambition supplies the music with a certain spark. It doesn’t speak truth to power, but reassures and invigorates those who feel powerless. Instead, it might be called a persist album. (The album title is perfect, the album cover not even close.) Taylor has said it’s not a protest album. How do you find and express joy when the world is crumbling all around you? That’s been the subject of nearly every Hiss Golden Messenger album, but it’s especially pronounced on Hallelujah Anyhow, a record of fluttery soul-grooves and complicated insights. There is something comforting in the contradictions Taylor explores on Hallelujah Anyhow, something that speaks generally to what it means to be a conscientious and compassionate citizen at a time when every day seems to introduce some new travesty. “Jenny of the Roses” is the very definition of bittersweet, as are the songs that follow. As he sings on “Jenny of the Roses,” the first song off Hallelujah Anyhow, “I’ve never been afraid of darkness, it’s just a different kind of light.” With its burbling tempo and gospel piano, it sounds like a joyful tune, but the lyrics reveal gradations of regret and despair as Taylor celebrates the life of someone long departed. Taylor’s constant theme has been joy in the face of misery, jubilation during times of tribulation, hope despite the tide. Bridging two extremely different presidential administrations, Hiss Golden Messenger suddenly sounds all the more prescient in 2017 than it did even on the group’s most recent album, last year’s Heart Like a Levee. Taylor has not changed, but the times certainly have.
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