Damien Jurado: Caught In The Trees (2008)

New Wax


Seattle's Damien Jurado has cemented himself as a veteran of indie folk-rock and his recent releases have been predominantly somber journeys so the more upbeat feel of his new album Caught In The Trees seems like a sensible respite for the songwriter. Background vocalist Jenna Conrad adds an interesting element to the material and the rock-out knob is turned a few notches up from his last handful of albums while never quite reaching the volume levels of 2002's I Break Chairs . While Jurado's proven to be adept at penning melancholy slow-burners, Caught In The Trees sadly never quite materializes into anything more than a passable release. Sure, the album's opener "Gillian Was A Horse" is a nice little driving song, but like many of the album's tracks, it never quite digs its claws in you. The latter half of the album is more delicate then the first, and there are some nice moments such as the hushed "Paper Kite," but there's just not enough glue here to hold. While I don't think Jurado's capable of making a bad album, Caught In The Trees isn't as consistently engaging as some his better material. That being said, a middle-of-the-road album from one of the better songwriters around is still worth a careful listen. -- Capt. Obvious