Tonight marks the beginning of what is sure to be another exhausting weekend for music lovers in Champaign-Urbana as Pygmalion 2013 kicks off at the Krannert Performing Art Center. While many people will be lining up to see up-and-coming indie folk-pop darlings The Head and the Heart, it’s the one-two opening act punch of Damien Jurado and Daughter that makes this such an exciting entrée into Pygmalion for me, and hopefully, many others.
I always find it a special treat to see artists that I love in the beautiful confines of Krannert. Much like fellow music writer Jon Stone, who captured his sentiment beautifully in a recent article published in both Bonfire and here on Smile Politely, I have a soft spot for the expansive complex that is as beautiful as it is a great venue. This is especially true on those rare occasions that an indie rock band has the opportunity to perform in the center. There is just something so compelling to me about the shift in tone that comes from the move out of the typical bar venues that I have come to expect for these kinds of shows. I feel a forced reverence and focused atmosphere that I experience as both unexpected and potentially captivating. Maybe venues like this force me to remember the art behind the music that can be easy to forget in the noisy haze of bars and clubs.
I fully expect both Damien Jurado and Daughter to take full advantage of the kind of atmosphere afforded by Krannert. And while both bands arrive in Champaign-Urbana for Pygmalion having found success along two very different journeys, they both excel in composing dark introspective songs that shouldn’t be overlooked by fans of THATH.
DAMIEN JURADO: INDIE’S WAYWARD SON
In my honest opinion, Damien Jurado is one of the country’s most talented and underappreciated songwriters. Jurado began his musical career creating lo-fi folk songs in the ripe musical landscape that was Seattle in the mid 1990’s. Over the last two and a half decades Jurado has been slowly amassing one of the most potent and compelling catalogues of anyone in indie rock. From his first full-length release on Sub Pop, Waters Ave S, to his most recent work Maraqopa, Jurado has compelled listeners with a knack for emotional storytelling and introspective songwriting.
While Jurado got his first big break with Sup Pop composing songs like “Wedding Cake” on Waters Ave S that feature driving lo-fi backing as well as high and lonesome vocals, the early 2000’s saw Jurado make a stylistic shift to sparsely accompanied songs that showcased his lyrics and songwriting. Songs like “Abeline” on his 2003 release Where Shall You Take Me became the kinds of songs that his strong fan base in the Northwest came to know and love. And as the industry around him continued to evolve throughout the decade, Jurado continued to churn out earnest music that seemed to be more concerned with honest artistry then it did larger national trends. That decision, while it did provide a laundry list of gripping music for his fans, never really allowed him to break through to the national spotlight someone with his catalog and virtuosity might come to expect.
Enter renowned producer Richard Swift, who has recorded the likes of the Shins, the Mynabirds, Foxygen, and Laetitia Sadier. In 2010 Jurado released Saint Bartlett, an up-tempo album that finally seemed to marry the rock composing of his early work with the intimate songwriting of his mid 2000’s work. It was Swift that helped push him to shed his skin a bit while putting together the album. In a very brief interview with Smile Politely this past week Jurado reiterated his love for working with Swift. “It’s just freedom,” Jurado said of working with Swift, “he creates a space or atmosphere, if you will, for the artist to swim in. All color, all sound. I don’t see myself working with anyone else but him. He’s the greatest.”
It was this collaboration that finally pushed Jurado, and Saint Bartlett, more firmly into the national spotlight. Ever since that album in 2010, Jurado has been crafting music that can hardly be pinned down as just folk or singer/songwriter. And according to Jurado we can expect more of the same from his newest album set to release early in 2014. “It’s a follow up or sequel to the last album,” Jurado said of the work, “spiritual, heavy.”
It’s been a long road for Jurado, but he’s finally starting to get the recognition that an artist of his capabilities, after all of these years and eleven albums, deserves.
DAUGHTER
Daughter began as the solo project of London’s Elena Tonra, and unlike the slow wayward journey of Damien Jurado, Tonra’s status as quickly rising up-and-coming darling of indie rock has been a journey somewhat more typical of bands in the current age of fast paced ascendancy at the hands of music blogs around the world.
The band somewhat stereotypically burst onto the scene in 2011 with a pair of self-released EPs, His Young Heart and The Wild Youth, that demonstrated a knack for poignant, lush, and sad songs. Hailing from London, the band still managed to catch the attention of bloggers both in Europe and in the US. They grabbed that attention, amazingly, despite not yet having any of the perks that come with the kind of media machine afforded by signing to a label. It helps having compelling and unique sound when it comes to fighting your way towards the top of the ever-critical music blog scene and Tonra has never been accused of lacking talent and intrigue. Her music quickly captured attention thanks to those two Eps that featured beautiful arrangements highlighting Tonra’s powerfully hushed vocals and lyrics.
After a near two-year hiatus, 2013 saw the release of Daughter’s highly anticipated first full-length album If You Leave. As the title suggests, the album brought another full dose of lamenting a love not so long lost, the overarching sentiment that made up both self-released EPs. This latest album has a knack for beautiful pacing as it works its way through the stories of scorn and heartache that make up the narrative arch of the album.
Tonra’s work can easily be compared to the “wear it on your sleeve” approach most recently made popular by Sharon Van Etten. And Etten is, I believe, an apt benchmark for the latest compositions of Tonra. She brings rawness to her lyrical approach and dark pained vocals that are topped only by the powerfully arranged compositions of her backing band. Given how Daughter debuted such a fully formed sound, it’s exciting to see how they’ve used their hiatus to continue to grow and develop. Their latest work strays away from the airy electric guitar and deep “from the pit of your soul” drums beats of their EPs in order to experiment with acoustic and driving arrangements. Much like her past loves, it appears Tonra is not about to let this newfound fame of hers go so quickly and so quietly.
You can catch both Damien Jurado and Daughter tonight at the Krannert Performing Arts Center as apart of Pygmalion Music Festival 2013. The show starts at 7:30. Single show tickets are sold out, but you can still get in the door with a festival pass.