Optimism can be a hard-won commodity for a great many people, especially in the wake of a few years that have been chaotic by any reasonable standard, and M.C. Taylor knows all about that. Taylor is the vocalist, songwriter, and main mind behind Hiss Golden Messenger, and their 2019 album Terms of Surrender was written and recorded as he struggled with personal tragedies and depression. The follow-up, 2021's Quietly Blowing It, was the sound of a man still trying to make sense of it all while a pandemic and divisive politics poured salt into the world's wounds. 2023 finds the planet only so much more stable than the last time Taylor checked in, but on Hiss Golden Messenger's album Jump for Joy, he's made the choice to be happy, regardless of the odds. The 14 songs on Jump for Joy don't ignore the bad times -- they're often front and center in the lyrics -- but Taylor knows cautious optimism can be a powerful survival mechanism when used properly. Here he tempers his realism with the knowledge that there are still good reasons to be alive, and they deserve to be celebrated. On "Shinbone," he declares, "Guess what? I don't know the answers," but the tune's sunny groove, a rootsy variation on 1970s soft rock tropes with a hint of funk in the rhythms, tells us he's working on it; when elsewhere in the same song he says, "My God, I feel happy -- what a strange sensation," his gratitude is palpable. Taylor produced Jump for Joy, with his frequent studio partner Scott Hirsch engineering the sessions. Sam Fribush's collection of vintage keyboards and the laid-back but rock-steady rhythm section of Alex Bingham on bass and Nick Falk on drums make this perfect music for a sunny Saturday with the windows open, deeply pleasurable and never facile about it. Taylor has made an album that's happy without being silly, and positive while acknowledging just how much of a challenge it can be. Jump for Joy is an exercise in self-help and self-care, and a few spins might help you on the road to better days. It will certainly make them easier to enjoy. ~ Mark Deming