Damien Jurado
Waters Ave. S.
Reviewed by J. Edward Keyes
a witty lo-fi folk album, each song is a story & each lyric is an actor. each of his sad sorry characters live within the fragile confines of damien's creaky voice and delicate chord progressions. like dylan on prozac, jurado serenely delivers tales of lost love, new age mothers and vindictive circus clowns. adding to the sparse arrangements are a variety of instruments such as trumpet, harmonium, mellotron & hammond organ. producer, steve fisk, keeps the sounds rough & loose letting damien's lo-fi sensibilities rule the record, w/o sacrificing a feel that is pro. while early 7"ers displayed a keen sense of humor, this cd features a # of heartbreaking songs. he is able to cut the listener to the quick by presenting his characters in such a way that make identification with them inescapable. overall: alternatively sublime and sarcastic.
Other coverage for this album
7ball #12Reviewed by Chris WellDamien 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…