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CD: Damien Jurado – Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son

Concept album about loss of self from Seattle auteur is a game of two halves

by Kieron TylerMonday, 20 January 2014

Damien Jurado's 'Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son': not far-enough out

Damien Jurado last surfaced as one of Moby’s collaborators on the Innocents album. From the sound of Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son, Beck might have been a more logical musical partner. Texture-wise, Jurado’s new release sits alongside Sea Change-era Beck as well as the dense, fuggy atmosphere of his own last outing, 2012’s Maraqopa.

Like that album, Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son is produced by Richard Swift. He has become integral to helping Jurado move from the lo-fi folkie he was characterised as to becoming an auteur breaching musical barriers. The songs are lyrically linked by the overarching narrative of a man setting off in search of himself but never returning – the ultimate loss of ego and self. However, there is one sticking point: Brothers… runs out of steam after its seventh track with Silver Katherine”, a perplexing sound-a-like of fellow Seattle-ites Fleet Foxes. After that: “Silver Joy”, a return to the solo, acoustic Jurado of yore and the album’s slight closer “Suns in Our Mind”.

Up to that point, the album is a beguiling and dark mélange of downbeat songs which nod to Jean-Claude Vannier’s Serge Gainsbourg arrangements and Clube da Esquina Milton Nascimento. Imagine a downer-dosed Super Furry Animals. When taking it far out, Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son is a gem. But it doesn’t complete the journey.

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Overleaf: watch the album trailer for Damien Jurado’s Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son

Watch the album trailer for Damien Jurado’s Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son

Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son’s songs are linked by the narrative of a man setting off in search of himself but never returning

Find Damien Jurado’s Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son on Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brothers-Sisters-Eternal-Damien-Jurado/dp/B00GTSVPEM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389692701&sr=8-1&keywords=Damien+Jurado+%E2%80%93+Brothers+and+Sisters+of+the+Eternal+Son

Download Damien Jurado’s Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son from iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/brothers-sisters-eternal-son/id727124869

'Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son’s' songs are linked by the narrative of a man setting off in search of himself but never returning

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