Holding His Breath by Damien Jurado (Review)

Jurado’s discards are far superior to most people’s a-list material.
Holding His Breath, Damien Jurado

Does Damien Jurado ever make bad records? What the hell was Sub Pop thinking letting this guy get away? Man! I have this theory that Damien Jurado does his best work on EPs. I don’t know why this would be, but the four song vinyl EP that followed the excellent I Break Chairs was simply staggering. And now we have Holding His Breath coming close on the heels of Where Shall You Take Me and, well, damn.

Once again supported by Eric Fisher, Josh Golden, and Andy Myers, his band since I Break Chairs — and also the supporting band for compatriot Rosie Thomas, who turns up here on vocal duties for one cut — Jurado’s Holding His Breath is similar enough in tone to the plaintive, atmospheric folk of Where Shall You Take Me that these just may be b-sides from those sessions. But if that’s the case, then Jurado’s discards are far superior to most people’s a-list material.

He’s walking familiar territory here, with the three original tracks sporting “I Am The Greatest Of All Liars,” “Oh Death Art With Me” and “Big Let Down” for titles. But it’s all fairly timeless stuff and his themes seem none the worse for wear. The two covers come compliments of 764-Hero and Peggy Seeger, and fit quite nicely with Jurado’s original work.

At only five tracks long, the disc is a bit on the short side, and being a European import it can be both pricey and difficult to find, but Holding His Breath is well worth while.

Written by Chris Brown.

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