Search - Damien Jurado & Gathered in Song :: And Gathered In Song / I Break Chairs

First great record of 2002

Jonathan J. Casey | the twin cities | 02/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yeah, it can be disorienting- even alarming- to hear the balls-out rock guitar of the opener "Paperwings," but if you make the adjustment you will be rewarded. I wasn't too excited by the somnambulant "Ghost of David" album, so for someone like me "I Break Chairs" is a great reward. Damien has put together a solid band (Gathered In Song) and his friend David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) produces. Jurado's usual themes (loss, distance, pain) are still present even if the package they're wrapped in looks a little different. There are some more laid-back tracks, though, like "Air Show Disaster," a sing-songy meditation on ruin. "Like Titanic" stands out with its glockenspiel and "I don't know the meaning of self-destruction" chorus. I love Beulah but this is a completely different sort of record: more along the lines of Jim O'Rourke's "Insignificance" from 2001 (conflicted, often negative lyrical content mixed with rootsy guitars and occasional touches of serene beauty). Not a "pop" record per se but certainly a thoughtful, earthy batch of songs."

Jurado gets guitar-y and loud...

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 05/15/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a big fan of Jurado's 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 it's 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, he's 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 Jurado's you-can't-quite-place-it style... Plus, you can make the lyrics out again, and they're kind of cool and weird, just like you'd expect. Then the record starts to get a bit bash-y again, but it ends before it can really get on your nerves. I don't know if hardening his sound and thickening the production was the right move to make, but after a few tries, I discovered this record wasn't as impenetrable as I thought at first... It's worth sticking with it if you're a Jurado fan, though it may be slow going for some."

"Uncle Tupelo Springsteen?"

Mudd Madison | Stanberry, Mo. USA | 11/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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 I've heard forever and "Never Ending Tide" is just incredible. I don't know what genre to try to put this in. I wouldn't necessarily just call him a singer/songwriter although he is. I don't know what "alternative" or "alt-cpuntry are" so I won't use those. I guess you would just have to call it "damn good music.""