Damien Jurado
Waters Ave. S.
Reviewed by Chris Well
Damien Jurado comes from the school known as "emo pop," a musical form that mixes the contrasting dynamics of grunge with free-form lyrics and improvised vocal melodies. His old band Coolidge was featured on the Tooth and Nail indie punk sampler I'm Your Biggest Fan. For his solo debut record, however, Jurado trades in his punk roots to try on his "sensitive songwriter" hat for a record that borrows from folk, '60s pop, and a dash of lo-fi modern pop. For example, the second track, "Angel of May," layers Hammond organ, mandolin, piano and a rhythm that I would swear was sampled from the game "Donkey Kong Country." "Space Age Mom" uses a surf arrangement and Beach Boys vocals to underscore his quirky tale of the post-atomic nuclear family. These songs are all about characters, and it's easy to cast the characters of these songs as residents of Jurado's street. In his tales, Waters Ave. S. lies just around the corner from hope springs eternal. Many of the songs ("Wedding Cake," "Treasure of Gold," "Hell or Highwater," "Halo Friendly") are about love lost and unrequited. They are romantic, sad songs that believe more in the notion of love, not in spite of all the broken hearts, but because of them. They may bring a tear to your eye, but they'll bring a smile to your face as well.