Reggae Film Star
Arriving 25 years after his debut album *Waters Ave. S.*, Damien Jurado’s *Reggae Film Star* finds the Seattle singer-songwriter a few months from 50, wrestling with the weight of that milestone through the lens of a cinematographer. These poetic folk-pop ballads, which are almost mystical in nature, unfold like filmstrips spliced together from faded memories. “Poor attendance, Reader’s Digest/Talk show topic, Norman Alden/Multi-camera, Mount St. Helens/1980, ashes, ashes,” he sings on “Ready for My Close Up,” a reflective tune full of old Hollywood imagery (Pan Am, jukeboxes, pay phones, and 1980s sitcom actors like Richard Sanders and Charles Levin). Occasionally, the filmmaking theme is implemented more literally: On “Meeting Eddie Smith” and “The Pain of No Return,” Jurado sings from the perspective of a director recalling their early days, brainstorming shots and staging scenes, full of promise and possibility. It’s unclear whether these are glimpses into his own memory bank or a larger metaphor for what it feels like to age as an artist, but Jurado makes each vignette feel intimate and real (“Taped in Front of a Live Studio Audience,” for example, is a rambling first-person account of the routine banality of midlife). Still, he\'s far from down and out. Despite all the gloomy nostalgia and retrospection, there is a quiet sense that the show must go on—even if it means taking a breath and starting over.
Reggae Film Star is Damien Jurado’s 18th full length studio album and the second on Maraqopa Records. 25 years since his debut album Waters Ave S. came out, Jurado is more prolific, driven and creative than ever. The twelve mystical songs on Reggae Film Star are gorgeously cinematic and feature a rich production and diverse sonic textures.
While revisiting a treasured childhood TV show, the amber-voiced songwriter reaches back for the psychedelic majesty of his work with the late Richard Swift.
Damien Jurado heads down the concept album route on Reggae Film Star
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US artist's latest is singular to the point of opaque, but also often intriguing. Album New Music review by Thomas H Green