"Ann, I have seen the ghost of David..."
Ghost of David evidences Seattle singer/songwriter Damien Jurado's continuous maturing as an artist since his previous full-length, 1999's Rehearsals for Departure (Sub Pop). And rather than focusing on composing catchy melodies, finds him concentrating his keen storytelling talents on crafting songs more lyrically complex, while also effectively adding a rough lo-finess to his recordings and album art (polaroids) that does much to complement the album aesthetically.
Where Jurado's first album, Waters Ave S. (Sub Pop, 1997), was a strange assortment of random songs often bearing no relation to each other in mood and content, Ghost of David, as well as his second album, Rehearsals, follow a general theme. And while Rehearsals had a concept of voluntary and involuntary separation from friends and lovers often due to leaving town, growing up, and other unfortunate depressing circumstances, Ghost of David has a theme of death, the moments before and long after, and of the fleeting glimpses of life along the way.
The songs relating to the concept of death are the opening song, "Medication" (an acoustic song which ends with the main character making a plea to God to take his mentally unstable brother's life); "Tonight I Will Retire" (a suicidal, somewhat lullabyic song, on which David Bazan of Pedro the Lion plays drums and piano); "Ghost of David"; "Rosewood Casket" (a traditional folk song that features Amy Rockwell singing a beautiful harmony to Jurado's soft affectionate vocals); "December" (a song about a man in a North Dakota winter who becomes trapped in his car and freezes to death); and the final lingering song, "Ghost in the Snow."
The songs that deal with candid glimpses of life along the way are the acoustic "Desert" ("Yesterday is miles away, you'll miss it if you blink"); "Johnny Go Riding"; "Walk with Me" (a recording of muffled voices in the background coupled with the music of a slow brooding piano give the feeling of watching an old black and white movie on a projector); "Great Today"; "Parking Lot" (featuring the sultry voice of Rosanne Thomas); "Paxil"; and "Rearview."
The song "Paxil," which guests Matt Johnson (of the defunct Roadside Monument) on drums, has a southern rock vibe to it, and the effects placed on Jurado's vocals are somewhat comparable to the effects on some of Tom Waits' more recent songs, sans Waits' signature rough voice.
The closing track, "Ghost in the Snow," is a slow instrumental song with an old phone ringing in the background, subtly giving the impression that the resident has recently moved on and nothing but a ghost remains.
Albums with the aura of timelessness that Ghost of David emanates are rare, making this Jurado's most creative and brilliant work to date.
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2001Reviewed by Jason MoreheadThe characters that have populated Damien Jurado's previous albums have always had to deal with the challenges of life. Topics such as loneliness, regret, kidnapping, and broken marriages are common themes that wove themselves throughout Jurado's songwriting, as his various characters struggled to make a better life for themselves. On Ghost of David, they come up against the greatest challenge of…Similar sounding releases
2004CastanetsCathedral
2005Static FilmsLove of Light
1999LowSecret Name
1999EmpressEmpress
1999Sufjan StevensA Sun Came
2002David HurnHe Was a WomanMore from Damien Jurado
1997Waters Ave. S.
2005On My Way to Absence
2003Holding His Breath
2002I Break Chairs
2000Postcards and Audio Letters
1996Trampoline
