Lateness of Dancers

Lateness of Dancers
Studio album by Hiss Golden Messenger
Released	September 9, 2014 (2014-09-09)
Length	42:48
Label	Merge Records
Hiss Golden Messenger chronology
Haw (2013) Lateness of Dancers (2014) Heart Like a Levee (2016)
Singles from Lateness of Dancers
"Southern Grammar" Released: February 3, 2015 [1]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.6/10 [2]
Metacritic	81/100 [3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
American Songwriter	[5]
Classic Rock	[6]
Consequence of Sound	A− [7]
Drowned in Sound	7/10 [8]
Mojo	[9]
musicOMH	[10]
NME	9/10 [11]
Pitchfork	7.6/10 [12]
Record Collector	[13]

Lateness of Dancers is the fifth studio album by American band Hiss Golden Messenger. It was released on September 9, 2014, under Merge Records. ^[14]

Critical reception

Lateness of Dancers was met with universal acclaim reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 81, based on 16 reviews. ^[3]

Accolades

Accolades for Lateness of Dancers

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
American Songwriter	Top 50 Albums of 2014	8	[15]
Consequence of Sound	Top 50 Albums of 2014	23	[16]
PopMatters	Top 80 Albums of 2014	57	[17]
Uncut	Top 75 Albums of 2014	7	[18]

Track listing

Lateness of Dancers track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lucia"	3:11
2.	"Saturday's Song"	4:35
3.	"Mahogany Dread"	4:06
4.	"Day O Day (A Love So Free)"	5:30
5.	"Lateness of Dancers"	5:20
6.	"I'm a Raven (Shake Children)"	2:50
7.	"Black Dog Wind (Rose of Roses)"	4:30
8.	"Southern Grammar"	4:52
9.	"Chapter & Verse (Ione's Song)"	4:47
10.	"Drum"	3:07

Personnel

• MC Taylor - lead vocals, guitars, production
• Scott Hirsch - bass guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, mixing, production
• Phil Cook - guitars, banjo, piano, organ, electric piano, background vocals
• Brad Cook - bass guitar, background vocals
• Matt McCaughan - drums, percussion
• Chris Boerner - guitars
• Terry Lonergan - drums, percussion
• William Tyler - guitars
• Alexandra Sauser-Monnig - background vocals
• Bobby Britt - fiddle
• Mark Paulson - strings

Charts

Chart performance for Lateness of Dancers

Chart	Peak position
US Folk Albums (Billboard) [19]	13
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [20]	22

References

1. "Southern Grammar - Single by Hiss Golden Messenger". Apple Music . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
2. "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
3. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
4. Jurek, Thom. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
5. Maloney, Sean (September 4, 2014). "American Songwriter Review". American Songwriter . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
6. The music is quirky, textured Americana. [Sep 2014, p.93]
7. Terry, Josh (September 9, 2014). "Consequence of Sound Review". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
8. Lavery, Aaron (September 12, 2014). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
9. [MC Taylor's] voice is a gorgeous, low-slung burr, his melodies are fireside-warm, his restless imagination follows the lineage of Southern literary giant Eudora Welty and the collective chops, overseen by long-time studio accomplice Scott Hirsch, are impeccable. [Oct 2014, p.92]
10. Paton, Daniel (September 2, 2014). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
11. Snapes, Laura (September 7, 2014). "NME Review". NME . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
12. Deusner, Stephen M. (September 9, 2014). "Lateness of Dancers - Hiss Golden Messenger". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 11, 2025.
13. Bell, Max (September 9, 2014). "Lateness Of Dancers - Hiss Golden Messenger". Record Collector . Retrieved August 11, 2025.
14. Richards, Chris (September 9, 2014). "Complicated faith: Searching for God in the songs of Hiss Golden Messenger". The Washington Post . Retrieved April 25, 2020.
15. "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2014". American Songwriter . November 24, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
16. "Top 50 Albums of 2014". Consequence of Sound . December 12, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
17. "The Best Albums of 2014". PopMatters . December 22, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
18. "Uncut's Top 75 Albums of 2014". Album of the Year. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
19. "Hiss Golden Messenger Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
20. "Hiss Golden Messenger Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2020.