Stream: Damien Jurado, ‘South’

Zane Roessell on February 12th, 2019

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As prolific as he is prophetic, Seattle indie-folk veteran Damien Jurado returns in 2019 with new album “In The Shape of A Storm,” hot on the heels of 2018’s superb “The Horizon Just Laughed.” Leading with the forlorn single “South,” “In The Shape of A Storm” eschews the embellished arrangements of his previous offerings to focus on the sparseness of his voice, acoustic guitar and the occasional accompaniment of Josh Gordon. Recorded in the span of an afternoon, months prior to the passing of longtime collaborator and friend Richard Swift, a weight looms still. Per Jurado, “His absence is very much felt on this record.” On “South,” Jurado’s lyrics, despite being as discursive as ever, are given cohesion with the starkness of his voice. Every wavering note wrests emotion you may not have considered you were harboring.

“‘South,’ like most songs that I write, is a collage of sorts, or collection of snapshots, that center around two characters,” Jurado says. “One could even presume me, or me as an alternate self. Dark, isolated, and slightly menacing in tone for a waltz number.” “In The Shape of A Storm,” is out April 12 via Mama Bird Recording Co.

||| Stream: “South”