Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song Album Review:
Awesome! at 2002-03-15
This is one of those CDs that you can play over and over and keep discovering new things. Very cool indy music. I love the honesty in Damiens music and lyrics. Ive heard this CD twenty times in the last two weeks and I cant wait to hear it again. I wish there was more music like this out there.
Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song Album Review:
Thanks to the band at 2002-04-22
This is a great album. I have always wondered what Damien would sound like with a full rock band backing him. This album is full on indie rock. Great melodies. Damiens voice is a little different when he sings with a full band, but this is a good thing. He has so much power in his voice, you really feel what he is singing. If you are a fan of his previous work, you will get plenty of satisfaction from this. The airwaves need more songwriters like this.
Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song Album Review:
Jurado gets guitar-y and loud... at 2002-05-15
Im a big fan of Jurados mopey, not-for-everyone, lo-fi-ish weirdo pop approach, although I have to confess I was, like many others, caught a bit off guard by this one. I guess its the overly aggro, thumpa-thumpa guitar rock attack of the opening tracks that rubs folks the wrong way; on his last couple of albums, Jurado has been moving towards an ever-more subtle sound, and here, suddenly, hes just bashing away. All the songs sound the same, and the lyrics are impossible to make out -- you find yourself wondering, when will this record relent? That happens midway through, on Never Ending Tide, which is followed by several other songs reminiscent of Jurados you-cant-quite-place-it style... Plus, you can make the lyrics out again, and theyre kind of cool and weird, just like youd expect. Then the record starts to get a bit bash-y again, but it ends before it can really get on your nerves. I dont know if hardening his sound and thickening the production was the right move to make, but after a few tries, I discovered this record wasnt as impenetrable as I thought at first... Its worth sticking with it if youre a Jurado fan, though it may be slow going for some.
Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song Album Review:
A super record at 2005-07-03
Edgier and more demanding than his recent, more lo-fi, dirtier material. Rough, guitar-driven (ahem) indie-rock with a melodic sprawl. My favorite by him, and thats saying alot.
Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song Album Review:
Uncle Tupelo Springsteen? at 2003-11-21
With most of the people today listening to whatever the 5:00, drive-time DJ brainwashes them into believing is a good song, it is no wonder I had never heard any songs by Damien Jurardo before buying I Break Chairs. I have to say I was absolutely shocked/amazed by this album. It reminds me of Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt but with more of a Bruce Springsteen type voice. The scary thing is, that is not such a bad thing in this case. Paper Wings is as good a song as Ive heard forever and Never Ending Tide is just incredible. I dont know what genre to try to put this in. I wouldnt necessarily just call him a singer/songwriter although he is. I dont know what alternative or alt-cpuntry are so I wont use those. I guess you would just have to call it damn good music.


Damien Jurado and Gathered in Song Album Editorial:
Like Mark Eitzel and the Red House Painters Damien Jurado has made a name for himself by writing fairly melancholy pop tunes. Over the course of five albums Jurado has authored enough sad dark stories to strike a chord with Nick Drake fans and leave listeners hearts very heavy but he hasnt really done anything new with his work. II Break Chairs is a different step in Jurados career as he brings in a full band (Gathered in Song) that mixes the moody melodies up with slightly higher-energy indie rock tracks--but the overall vibe is still as sedated as his early stuff. IChairs just kind of ambles along without really going anywhere--even when the tempo changes from pastoral folk to buoyant rock the song always seems to sound the same. Fans with the if it aint broke attitude toward Jurados music might find some hidden gems in this album but for catchier mood-swinging indie pop releases from Death Cab for Cutie and Beulah are better choices than IChairs. Jennifer Maerz