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Terms of Surrender
Terms of Surrender in Bloomington, MN
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Size: CD
It's a myth that most artists need a crisis in order to be creative, but there is anecdotal evidence to suggest bad times can trigger someone's need to express themselves.
M.C. Taylor
has been steadily productive as a songwriter and recording artist with his project
Hiss Golden Messenger
, creating a strong and expressive body of work since making his debut with
Country Hai East Cotton
in 2009. But in 2018,
Taylor
found himself dealing with the death of his father while his long-standing depression ramped up considerably and he began having serious doubts about how his nomadic life as a musician was impacting the lives of his children. The 2019
album
Terms of Surrender
was written and recorded while
was stricken with grief and struggling with his darker emotions, and in a press piece about the album he described the songs as "my therapy and my church." While not all of
's emotional trials are clearly expressed in the lyrics,
is an album that clearly deals with sorrow and uncertainty. But it's an album that also finds its share of joy in this world, and the music is full of hope and a potent sense of life as a difficult but worthwhile experience. "Whip" clearly deals with the demons that haunted
, but as he sings in his chorus, "I was tired of the whip/Don't you get it?/Don't let it in/It'll change you." And
struggles with uncertainty in "Happy Birthday, Baby," but the love he expresses for his children speaks of a compassion that's vivid even if he can't always extend it to himself. Unlike most
albums,
's frequent creative partner
Scott Hirsch
wasn't part of the team for
, but producer
Brad Cook
helps
give this music a sound that's natural but clear, present, and inviting, and the musicians (including multi-instrumentalist
Phil Cook
,
Aaron Dessner
of
the National
, and
Jenny Lewis
) bring a solid groove to the melodies that's easygoing but funky when it wants to be and eloquent when it needs to be. One hopes that
's dark clouds have parted, but on
he's taken his troubles and made something beautiful and inspiring out of them. If you want to use music as therapy, this is the way to do it. ~ Mark Deming
M.C. Taylor
has been steadily productive as a songwriter and recording artist with his project
Hiss Golden Messenger
, creating a strong and expressive body of work since making his debut with
Country Hai East Cotton
in 2009. But in 2018,
Taylor
found himself dealing with the death of his father while his long-standing depression ramped up considerably and he began having serious doubts about how his nomadic life as a musician was impacting the lives of his children. The 2019
album
Terms of Surrender
was written and recorded while
was stricken with grief and struggling with his darker emotions, and in a press piece about the album he described the songs as "my therapy and my church." While not all of
's emotional trials are clearly expressed in the lyrics,
is an album that clearly deals with sorrow and uncertainty. But it's an album that also finds its share of joy in this world, and the music is full of hope and a potent sense of life as a difficult but worthwhile experience. "Whip" clearly deals with the demons that haunted
, but as he sings in his chorus, "I was tired of the whip/Don't you get it?/Don't let it in/It'll change you." And
struggles with uncertainty in "Happy Birthday, Baby," but the love he expresses for his children speaks of a compassion that's vivid even if he can't always extend it to himself. Unlike most
albums,
's frequent creative partner
Scott Hirsch
wasn't part of the team for
, but producer
Brad Cook
helps
give this music a sound that's natural but clear, present, and inviting, and the musicians (including multi-instrumentalist
Phil Cook
,
Aaron Dessner
of
the National
, and
Jenny Lewis
) bring a solid groove to the melodies that's easygoing but funky when it wants to be and eloquent when it needs to be. One hopes that
's dark clouds have parted, but on
he's taken his troubles and made something beautiful and inspiring out of them. If you want to use music as therapy, this is the way to do it. ~ Mark Deming
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