DAMIEN JURADO



By Jim Manion, PD/MD of WFHB Bloomington

The Album
On My Way To Absence

The Label
Secretly Canadian

Liner Notes
Damien Jurado fans have probably lost track of how much music the Seattle-based artist has released over the last ten years, from Subpop full lengths to micro-label EPs and singles. Whatever number On My Way To Absence is, it's a lucky one, because Jurado has really hit the bullseye this time.

Leaning more acoustic than some of his recent work, Jurado's current song cycle draws ever more from the structures of raw folk music. You won't mistake it for rustic Americana, though - On My Way To Absence also has a modest production sheen that drops contemporary creative impulses into the mix, unifying the album as a whole. A strong sense of common musical intent is heard from Jurado's cast of players, which includes Eric Fisher, Rosie Thomas and Eric Bachman.

The songs of On My Way To Absence range from the haunting and ultra-mellow “White Center” and “Lottery” to the rock-edged “I Am The Mountain” and “Icicle”.

Jurado's lyrics, noirish and crisp with room for the listener's imagination, outline short story songs which survey the deep questions and puzzling situations life presents to everyday people. Things like emotional traumas, dark corners, inner conflicts, things that don't turn out so well.

At this point in his career, Jurado clearly lets it be known in interviews that the stories are not about him, which make them even more like found snapshots to interpret. For the most part, On My Way To Absence chronicles one person's slow fade away from a deep relationship in what Jurado has called "a tribute to jealousy".

Engaging beyond the content of any of Jurado's songs is a naturally elevated sense of melody. Based around his steady guitar strum, the riveting tunefulness of his vocal lines carry each song to a place in the mind that will play them back for days. This special quality of Jurado's sound is key to understanding his appeal and it also makes one realize how tuneless much of today's music is in comparison. 

After a rough time in high school and then kicking around the scruffy Seattle scene, Jurado first released Waters Ave. S on Subpop in 1996. Since, tour support for his many releases has taken him around the country and to points overseas, drawing audiences in with his arresting songs that somehow remain both stark and enigmatic.
Some of Jurado's touring has taken him through the underground basement/house show circuit found in many cities and college towns - shows that gave first support to bands like Bright Eyes and The Faint. Many stops in Bloomington led to his current engagement with Secretly Canadian Records.

With some of his better songs strung out over EP releases, it's a great thing to have an album like On My Way To Absence, a full short-story-collection of Jurado's captivating sonic prose.

Site
www.damienjurado.com

On


Retail
On My Way To Absence is now in stores.

Contact
Jennifer Daunt, Dauntless Promotion