By billing “Gathered in Song” as his backing band, folky singer/songwriter Damien Jurado has announced a new direction for his sound: Rock. Whether countrified, emo-pulsed, or bright and jangly, when the tempo’s up, Damien’s cynical, hearty-vocal reflections have a little more oomph this time around. And lyrics like “Here’s a noose for your head/Here’s some tape for your broken wings (”Paperwings”),” and “Castles that you’re building/Are eventually falling down” (”Castles”) are more palatable than they would have been in the past. When he slows it down a little, though, you have mixed results. Things can tend to drag, but Damien will usually salvage any sluggish portion with a strong melody. Besides, half the songs clock in right around two minutes, so there’s little time to get lost.

- Dave Powers
(As posted 2/26/02 on 3wk.com)