Damien Jurado: On My Way To Absence

Damien Jurado travels a narrow road, but he's explored every inch. Melancholy folk-pop provides his balancing center, but Jurado kicks against easy definition with each album: His debut, 1997's mostly cheery Waters Ave S., gave way to detailed re-readings of the same framework in the weepily brilliant Rehearsals For Departure and its almost-as-good follow-up, Ghost Of David. The bitter, angry I Break Chairs danced too close to unpaved territory, proving that those about to rock should sometimes be counseled, not saluted. Where Shall You Take Me, Jurado's quick dip into Americana (or, more specifically, Bruce Springsteen-indebted Nebraska-ana) made up for the unwise fire, and also showed that even when repeating himself, Jurado could make good use of fractional differences.

For album six, On My Way To Absence, Jurado's path sometimes feels too familiar. Moments of inspired darkness still abound, but for the first time—even counting past misfires—he retraces steps almost exactly, occasionally sounding bored in the process. Given that lone troubadourism by its nature already treads the line between inspired and rote, it's a dangerous place to be. For Jurado's fans, the pedestrian "White Center" and "Lion Tamer" just add to a solid stockpile, but those songs probably won't inspire further study. The same goes for roughly half of On My Way To Absence, from the overly rocking "I Am The Mountain" to the sad-sack "Sucker." Jurado has been there before, and it feels like he knows it.

When the album does click, Jurado sounds as assuredly unsure as ever: He's still great at naked sadness ("Fuel," "Northbound") and even breathless little soundscapes ("Big Decision"). Friends buoy other songs: Crooked Fingers' Eric Bachmann plays piano on "Night Out For The Downer," which also gets help from strings and glockenspiel; longtime Jurado associate Rosie Thomas lends pretty backing vocals elsewhere. But the album's strongest track is also a reminder of its overall flaws: "Simple Hello" is reprised from Jurado's Gathered In Song EP, and while it's an excellent new version, it calls attention to the fact that On My Way To Absence might've been better served by fewer songs.