Description
The songs that make upJump for Joythe sharpest and most autobiographical that Taylor has written under the Hiss nameread as a sort of epistolary, postcards between the present-day songwriter and his aliasMichael Crow, a teenaged dreamer very much like Taylor himself, who trips his way through the 14 tunes that make up the record. In this way,Jump for Joyis a meditation on a life lived with art, and the ways that our hopes and dreams and decisions bump up againstand, with a little bit of luck, occasionally merge withreal life. Creating this character became the way that I could explore these vulnerable, tender moments that were so decisive in my life, even if I didnt know it at the time, explains Taylor.
“Through Michael Crow, I was able to get inside these places that exist so deep in my sense memory: Me at 16, knowing intuitively that there had to be something out there for me, something mysterious and divine that wasnt full of fucked-up, confusing pain; me with my hardcore band, age 18, wandering the vast expanses of Texas beneath a big, fat tangerine moon, scrounging change to fill the gas tank, trying to make a soundcheck for a show that never happened. Theres me at 30, having kids, writing songs as though they were gravestone epitaphs, not yet understanding that nothing is so permanent and serious and that I needed to be gentler with my spirit. Theres me at 35, still chasing the thing because Ive touched it once or twice and I know its the only way for me to feel whole and real and useful, but in the rear-view mirror, I can see everyone who gave up in search of something easier and not so heartbreaking.”
Produced by Taylor and engineered by longtime Hiss compatriotScott Hirschover two weeks in the late fall of 2022 at the fabled Sonic Ranch studio in Tornillo, TX, just a short walk from the Mexican border,Jump for Joydances with joyful, spontaneous energy that feels like a fresh chapter in the Hiss Golden Messenger oeuvre. Taylor is accompanied throughout the album by his crack live band: guitarist Chris Boerner, bassist Alex Bingham, keyboardist Sam Fribush, and drummer Nick Falk, a collection of musicians that have helped make Hiss Golden Messengers live performances grand affairs.
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