Damien Jurado Rehearsals for Departure

Personnel includes: Damien Jurado, Ken Stringfellow, Sarah Shannon, Steve Berlin, David Bazan.
Damein Jurado plunges headlong into the heartland on his second full-length album, REHEARSALS FOR DEPARTURE, putting aside the pop sound of his earlier disc and adopting a mostly alt-folk/alt-country sound that suits him perfectly. Produced by Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, these quiet, introspective, and beautiful songs primarily feature guitar and Jurando's distinctive Winnie the Pooh voice.
Despite the change in his sound, it's clear that Jurando hasn't abandoned indie-pop altogether, as evidenced by great, catchy sing-alongs like "Honey, Baby" and "Letters and Drawings." There's also a surprise voice-over on "Eyes for Windows" that recalls a similar part on Simon and Garfunkels' "Old Friends."

• Genre: Folk
• Format: Vinyl