Damien Jurado - Maraqopa

Damien Jurado - For fifteen years, Jurado has been the guiding creative force of the Pacific Northwest's indie alt/folk community -- "Seattle's folk-boom godfather" opined one scribe -- turning out one quietly momentous album after another...new project, his latest with producer Richard Swift, boldly crashes the stylistic boundaries with aplomb, an ever-evolving mash of stark folk, churning psychedelica, 50's-styled Latin rhythms, childrens' choirs and ramshackle retro-rock // Release: Maraqopa (February 21, Secretly Canadian) // Sounds like: from the shaggy folkster croon to the Spector-ian kitchen-sink production approach to the peyote dream atmospherics, Jurado conjures up the loose, inventive and unrestrained ambition of Neil Young in a rain and sweat-soaked version of Laurel Canyon...

Quote: "My songs tend to have a life of their own. I just do what they tell me. If it shows up and wants a voice, then that’s what I’m supposed to do." // What we like: sprinting out of the gate with a mind-bending mixture of free-wheeling Electric Ladyland guitar fireworks and humbucking distortion, "Nothing is the News" gently fries the brain cells on low flame with a side of acid flashback lucidity..."Museum of Flight" shuffles amiably with a killer chorus and tremeloed fret work, Jurado's voice a winning strain of unkempt directness...the title track achieves a hushed chamber-folk elegance, vocal harmonies leading into graceful piano lines and a subdued lunar howl...

Damien Jurado - "Museum of Flight" (from Maraqopa)

Damien Jurado - "Maraqopa" (from Maraqopa)