On My Way to Absence
continues on the similar delicate path that
Jurado
paved starting with
Where Shall You Take Me?
, with subtle differences.
seems to broaden his palette with which to express this dark business of life on
-- lush strings swirl underneath tracks like
"White Center"
and
"Night Out for the Downer,"
while the use of minimal
electronics
, keyboards, and samples creeps up on tracks like
"Big Decision"
"A Jealous Heart Is a Heavy Heart."
All of this is sequenced next to the stripped-down and melancholy
rock
tracks that
is known for, the dark confessional
"Fuel"
and the raw
"I Am the Mountain"
being the best examples.
offers many new areas of musical exploration, suggesting a more mature arranger in
Damien Jurado
mingling with the wonderfully sad storyteller and vivid landscape painter that he is already known for on previous releases. ~ Francis Arres