I struggled with North Carolinian Hiss Golden Messenger for a rather long time. Everyone whose taste I trust kept on praising M.C. Taylor and his music, but somehow I just failed to hear the greatness of it. Looking back that seems ridiculous and that ignorance might take away the little credibility I still had left. But yeah, it took me until the song Brother, Do You Know The Road couple years back when I finally heard the light and understood that my heart is a good match with the music of Hiss Golden Messenger.
The new Hiss Golden Messenger album Heart Like a Levee came out on Merge Records on October 7th and it has been a big favourite lately. I’ve spent hours just lying on the floor with headphones on listening to this album. Sorta like my very own yoga session. Might not fix my sore muscles, but sure takes care of the soul. The songs are great and it’s so beautifully arranged. I’m especially fond of the title track Heart Like a Levee, Happy Day (Sister my Sister) and the album closer Highland Grace, but it’s all magnificent.
