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Wednesday :: July 2, 2008

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Damien Jurado

Damien Jurado - "Murderer" (Low Cover)

After hearing "Gillian Was A Horse" from Damien Jurado's forthcoming Caught In The Trees, we contacted the Seattle singer-songwriter and asked if he'd want to premiere a track at Stereogum. Lucky for us (and you), it turned out he had two unreleased gems, both covers. In this week's Drop we have Jurado's version of Low's "Murderer." Make sure to check the site later today for his cover of another band and an expanded Q&A. For now, dig into this hauntingly beautiful take on the Drums And Guns track.

You mentioned being a big fan of Low. What is it you admire about their work?
With a band like Low, I have always compared listening to their music to that of a self reveling and holy, or religious experience. It's hard to explain. The only way I could describe it is: If you were dying and that feeling of fear or joy comes over you ... Low is what that experience would sound like. Everything revealed ... and then light or dark, comfort and terror.

How did you decide on this song?
Choosing songs to cover was a difficult task, only because there are so many great songs. Not that I would be good at covering all of them. I just chose the songs that I think I can play best, or at least give my best interpretation. Covering any song from an artist you admire is always nerve racking too, and it's because you are automatically afraid of what the artist might think of it if they were to ever hear it ... and not just the artist but also their fans.

What does "Murderer" mean to you?
You know, I'm not sure. I'm not one of those people who analyze much on lyrics. I just sort of take them at face value. I did see the recent Low documentary You May Need A Murderer, and Alan Sparhawk is asked what "Murderer" means. I don't quite remember what his explanation was verbatim, but I recall being surprised by his answer... this doesn't really help. Sorry. You're just gonna have to watch it. It's a very inspiring documentary ... and so is the one on Dead Moon. did you see that one? You should. It changed my life in some ways.


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