Location:
USA, WA

Category:
Rock / Roots

Try if you like:
Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine, M Ward, Pedro The Lion, Ron Sexsmith

•   Gillian Was A Horse

Damien Jurado is yet another one of those artists that I enjoy when I listen to but never consider myself a fan. Caught In The Trees is no exception to the rule. It's a decent album but not one that would change my outlook on Damien. The first track on Caught In The Trees is one of the most rocking efforts we've seen from Jurado. The follow-up track, "Trials", is a little more on pace for what we are used to from the Seattle native. Then with "Caskets" I can't help but imagine Elliott Smith singing this one. It's got the layered vocals even though it's a little more dense than anything that Elliott ever did.

The album seems to take a downfall after the instrumental "Sorry Is For You". The song "Dimes" has nothing at all going for it. I would have left it off of Trees. If he would have kept up the energy that I found on the first 5 songs or so this would have been a superior release to anything that Jurado had done. Instead, I'm reserving that spot for his last album And Now That I'm In Your Shadow. There are some decent songs and ideas on the second half but nothing that Damien hasn't already done. "Sheets" was an interesting song done with a bit of a different arrangement, ad hoc percussion. Then I was lost again in Damien's meandering on "Paper Kite". I'm sure Damien has a lot of die-hard fans. I'm just not one of them.