Hiss Golden Messenger

All Music Guide:

Essentially a solo vehicle for singer/songwriter Michael Taylor, Hiss Golden Messenger's fusion of classic rock, folk-pop, and sparse blues in various guises has seen him compared to the likes of lo-fi legends Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Bill Callahan. Born and raised in Southern California, Taylor was inspired to pick up the guitar by his musician father, who had previously played in the Settlers, a pop outfit who once opened for John Denver. Influenced by the likes of the Beatles, the Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield, he began writing his own songs, and in his late teens, he moved to San Francisco where he fronted country-rock outfit the Court and Spark, who released four critically acclaimed albums before disbanding in 2007. After relocating to North Carolina, he teamed up with former bandmember Scott Hirsch to record material under the alias of Hiss Golden Messenger, but performed entirely solo with just an acoustic guitar for accompaniment when it came to playing live. Following the release of albums Country Hai East Cotton and the vinyl-only Root Work through his Heaven and Earth Magic Recording Company, he signed a deal with U.K. label Black Maps, who distributed his international debut, the nine-track acoustic mini-album, Bad Debt, in 2010. Taylor has also been a college lecturer specializing in folklore, is responsible for the blog The Old Straight Track, and has helped edit a music education curriculum for Quincy Jones.

Wikipedia:

Hiss Golden Messenger is an American folk music duo, originating from North Carolina. The duo consists of MC Taylor and Scott Hirsch, the ex-members of the bands Ex-Ignota and The Court & Spark.

The band was formed by MC Taylor and Scott Hirsch in 2007, after their relocation in North Carolina. Both Taylor and Hirsch were the members of the hardcore punk band Ex-Ignota and San Francisco-based indie rock band The Court & Spark, whose dissolution led to the formation of the band. The band's early recordings were released through Taylor's own recording label, "Heaven & Earth Magic Recording Company."

The band's debut album, Country Hai East Cotton, was released in 2009 via Taylor's label in a limited edition of 500. This was followed by their international debut album, Bad Debt, in 2010, released via Black Maps. The band's third album, Poor Moon, was released in 2012 via Northern Carolina-based "Paradise of Bachelors", and received positive reviews. The band's fourth album, Haw, was released on April 2, 2013.

The band's music contains elements from various musical genres, such as folk, country, dub, country soul, rhythm and blues, bluegrass, jazz, funk, swamp pop, gospel, blues, and rock. The band's style was also described as "alternative country" and "country rock." The band's main influences include the Beatles, The Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield. The band was also compared to Will Oldham and Bill Callahan.