Ang Lee made a mistake with the otherwise flawless 'Brokeback Mountain'. He neglected to commission Damien Jurado to score the soundtrack. In his latest release 'And Now That I Am in Your Shadow' Jurado has created the spiritual equivalent of doomed relationships between individuals born at the wrong time and in the wrong place.
If the breathtaking sceneries in the movie can sing they will sound like this collection of songs, sparse and possessed of a stillness that is overwhelming in its scope.
She has a dad she doesn't know
Who sends her letters with no return address...
"I don't know his name..."
"He don't know my face..."
"I am better off this way..."
You never ever listen to Jurado on speakers. His music is painfully personal and should be listened to only on head phones preferably with the lights turned way down low. Recently Jurado declared himself officially a band by adding 2 permanent members ostensibly to augment his musical vision. Ironically he sounds even more alone than ever.
The melodies are skeletal but speaks of wide open spaces where strangers meet up accidentally and just as suddenly break up and move on. Memories of painful separations permeate the words which say more by saying less. Love goes unrequited giving rise to painful longing which feels so bad that it feels good. Looking for a good hurtin'? Look no further. File under 'very special indeed'.
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