Damien Jurado: Visions Of Us On The Land

Damien Jurado
Visions Of Us On The Land
(Secretly Canadian)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The term “singer-songwriter” doesn’t quite do justice to Damien Jurado. Yes, he can deftly handle an acoustic guitar, sings distinctively thanks to an ethereal voice, and seems to have an endless amount of melodies both sweet and sour at his disposal. But what he really does best is make headphones music, the kind into which you can submerge yourself and come away with something new every time.

Visions Of Us On The Land is the culmination of a trilogy loosely telling the story of a car-crash victim’s physical and spiritual journey toward salvation. But you don’t need to have heard the first two albums or know much about the story to appreciate the new one, which features distinct songs that each conjure their own specific mood while also contributing to the arc of the character in the middle of it all.

Things start spiky and dramatic with the Spaghetti Western vibe of “November 20” and “QACHINA,” which sounds like a spy movie in the desert. Jurado and producer Richard Swift cloud much of the album in an alluring, exotic haze. Considering some of the trippier lyrical questing in which Jurado occasionally indulges, this approach makes sense. And songs like “Sam And Davy” marry the portent of the lyrics with the mystery of the music perfectly.

That haze eventually dissipates, clearing a path for Jurado to reflect on the journey past. “On The Land Blues” regrets past mistakes and mourns “one more hand to let go.” Some sort of peace is reached in the final three songs, which cop a slightly brighter outlook. On the closing track “Kola,” the refrain “I will remember you the way you are right now” makes for a sweet farewell. Jurado manages to fill these Visions Of Us On The Land full of musical surprises, but the unfettered emotion that sneaks in toward the end is the most welcome surprise of all.