What's New, Tomboy?
Damien Jurado pared down his songwriting to its barest of essentials on 2019’s *In the Shape of a Storm*, an all-acoustic set that paid homage to his late friend and frequent collaborator Richard Swift. The Seattle singer-songwriter’s 15th album follows a similarly understated route, touching on themes of guilt, commitment, and acceptance over a broader palette of sounds. Jurado narrates story sketches that feel like part of a larger story on \"Arthur Aware” and “When You Were Few,\" decorating his acoustic arrangements with lush ambient textures over his soft, gravely voice. “Sandra” is just as spare and mysterious, setting up an intimate moment that leaves more questions than answers: “Don’t get up just yet/For I am still changing my mind.” The serene cosmic waltz of “The End of the Road” is gorgeously orchestrated and adventurous, which, just like his five-album stint with Swift (best demonstrated on his sprawling Maraqopa trilogy), shows his willingness to take chances.
Damien Jurado: Guitar, Vocals, Percussion, Mellotron Josh Gordon: Bass, Electric Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Hammond C3, Rhodes, Mellotron, Drum Machines All songs written & performed by Damien Jurado Produced by Damien Jurado Recorded & Mixed by Alex Bush at Sonikwire Studio Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound Cover art by Damien Jurado Layout by Scott Paverstone
Channeling stripped-back pop songs into hushed folk arrangements, the Seattle singer-songwriter’s 15th album confronts life’s impermanence in terms tender yet unsentimental.
A sequel of sorts to its immediate predecessors, The Horizon Just Laughed and In the Shape of the Storm, What’s New, Tomboy?
Twenty-five years and 15 albums into a career that is especially remarkable in how infrequently it is remarked upon, Damien Jurado provides...
Rarely does anything in Damien Jurado’s extensive catalogue fall short of expectationsIf the albums Damien Jurado made with the late Richard Swift between 2012 and 2016 are to be considered an emphatic trilogy of masterfully produced records, then the following trio of subdued musings can be considered as the calm after the storm.
Starkness is not new for Damien Jurado. Many of his most memorable recordings and renditions have been solo performances
Albums by big stars are slipping from release schedules, as artists and labels hastily make new promotional plans in the wake of lockdown.
Prolific US singer-songwriter continues on his own very individual path. Album review by Thomas H Green.