Damien Jurado - Nothing is the News Maraqopa | Secretly Canadian, 21 February 2012 | Buy
Damien Jurado looks set to continue his collaborative hot streak with Richard Swift with Maroqopa, out next month. 'Nothing is the News' starts out softly, a cousin to the tender 'Pear' from 2010's career-high Saint Bartlett, before unexpectedly bursting into the kind of epic psych jam you just don't hear anymore, more's the pity. It's as much a surprise as Saint Bartlett opener 'Cloudy Shoes', a disembodied, existential pop song that reminded me of The Flaming Lips' 'Waitin' For A Superman'.
It's great to see Jurado kicking against the confines of the singer-songwriter archetype this far into a solid career, while retaining the pared-down dramatic realism that has made his work so compelling. I look forward to Maroqopa - long may these two run together.