To kill some time before the release of the new album Haw in April, MC Taylor has expanded this previously limited release into a full album. It was originally part of the release of the magnificent Poor Moon. There were three options to purchase the album, where you could also receive downloads of Lord I Love The Rain and Plowed: Live In Bovina if you placed an early order of the vinyl edition. Of course I bought them all at the time and really enjoyed them in that form.
Having said that, the expanded vinyl version (limited to 600) blows the download away. The album is expanded by the addition of several tracks which were not on the original download. It's also sequenced wonderfully and flows great across two sides of vinyl.
The killer though are the two covers; The Revenant (Michael Hurley) and Tell Everyone (Ronnie Lane). If I hear a better track than The Revenant this year I'll be a lucky man. Truly this track is the definition of sublime, it is just magnificent.
As ever on a Hiss Golden Messenger the themes are religious, honest, and built around acoustic guitar. The atmospheric recording is fleshed out by a distant passing freight trains whistle blowing, chairs creaking, bird song, you name it, it's all there.
Michael asked via Facebook for fans to post video of the album playing, so he could understand where the album was now residing. I wish Michael would do the same and video some of his recordings, because the image I get is a country scene, a wooden shack with a guy playing a guitar on the deck, maybe a sleeping dog at his feet. I'm fairly certain this is how much of the album was recorded and all the better for it.
As I said the full scale new album; Haw is due in a few months and hopefully Hiss Golden Messenger will be back over for some live dates this year.
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