With his latest release, Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son, you might find yourself thinking Damien Jurado is some kind of guitar-swinging preacher with everything he says about an “eternal son” and his adventures on the “Jericho Road.” He’s not. Jurado is more of the heart-on-sleeve folk artist, whose music is elevated out of the coffeehouse through producer Richard Swift’s work behind a soundboard. Their third release together, Brothers, is a choppy album, but one that retains a few victories for the duo.
Brothers serves as a direct sequel to Jurado’s previous album, Maraqopa. Through reflections on the spirituality that permeated its predecessor, and a literal “Return to Maraqopa,” Brothers continues where Maraqopa left off, lyrically and musically. “Metallic Cloud” and “Jericho Road,” two of the album’s strongest songs, are key pillars of this spirituality. “Metallic Cloud” places the listener in a state of reluctant idolization—hollow worship of a “metallic cloud” because of its mass appeal. “Jericho Road” alludes to a biblical site analogous to “loving thy neighbor” with more ironic Ennio Morricone-like music applied to its folk template.
Brothers’ biggest center point isn’t Jurado’s songwriting—it’s Swift’s production job. In fact, at times it’s too much of a center point. Throughout much of the album, Swift’s embellishments serve almost as kickstands for Jurado, and they cause Jurado to drag as a songwriter. The biggest offender, “Silver Donna,” drags on through six minutes of falsettos and loosely connected lyrics, barely saved by Swift’s added drumbeats and bass lines. “Silver Malcolm” and “Silver Katherine” continue the trend. By the time the all acoustic “Silver Joy” is reached, it’s a rewarding return to Jurado’s undersold songwriting skills.
As a whole though, Swift helps many of Jurado’s tracks become fully realized, building up songs like “Magic Number” and “Suns in Our Mind” with instrumentation harkening back to George Martin’s work with the Beatles. It’s through Swift’s production “Jericho Road” becomes a song of desperation and “Metallic Cloud” retains much of its beauty. While they falter at times, Jurado and Swift prove they can be a potent duo when they both put their heart into it. Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son isn’t a perfect album, but Damien Jurado can write some pretty winning songs when channeled right.
Rating: B
