In the Shape of a Storm
by Damien Jurado
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
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  1. Mojo
    May 1, 2019
    80
    These 10 compact songs work both as intimate affirmation of Jurado's current brilliance and a hushed elegy for his too-soon-departed friend. [Jun 2019, p.89]
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  2. Under The Radar
    Apr 16, 2019
    80
    Flourishes of soft rock and soul-pop have completely fizzled out. It's just Damien Jurado now, his thoughts laid bare, his voice perpetually trembling on the verge of collapse. It's deeply moving.
  3. The Skinny
    Apr 12, 2019
    80
    Here, there are some of the sweetest songs Jurado has ever recorded.
  5. Uncut
    Apr 5, 2019
    80
    It's a gorgeous and gutting return to Jurado's Rehearsals For Departure-era roots, wandering and bare, wielding only guitar and voice and recorded in one afternoon. [May 2019, p.30]
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  6. AllMusic
    Apr 5, 2019
    80
    Although the songs were not conceived as an album and, therefore, don't carry quite the weightiness of some of the Jurado's most profound works, In the Shape of a Storm still seems essential as a showcase of his songcraft at its most elemental.
  7. Paste Magazine
    Apr 5, 2019
    78
    Jurado possesses a gift for elevated simplicity, and this quality graces In the Shape of a Storm and gives its ten songs a pleasingly rounded shape.
  8. The Line of Best Fit
    Apr 9, 2019
    75
    Although the switch to stark monochrome from the blazing multicolour of the Maraqopa trilogy can seem underwhelming and slight at first, further listens reveal In the Shape of a Storm--boosted by Jurado’s hypnotically committed, intimate performances--to hold together surprisingly well considering the disparate origins of the material.
  9. Pitchfork
    Apr 5, 2019
    74
    In the Shape of a Storm is an album’s worth of that feeling. In grief many cloak themselves in distractions, or hide away entirely: Jurado treats it as an invitation to look closer, feel deeper.
  10. PopMatters
    Apr 12, 2019
    70
    It Took the Shape of a Storm may turn out to be a stop and restart album in Jurado's career, a compass point between significant bearings. If it is, it is both a worthwhile, fitting pause and a promise of new adventure to come.
  11. Exclaim
    Apr 10, 2019
    70
    As with so much of Jurado's work, In the Shape of a Storm is simple in its construction, but panoramic in its impact.
  12. Q Magazine
    May 14, 2019
    60
    Though probably not the best place for the uninitiated to start exploring the work of this often brilliant and evocative musician, at the same time, songs such as the aching South rank up there with his best. [Jul 2019, p.110]
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. Disink
    Apr 21, 2019
    8
    Give this one a chance. Quick and brisk at less than half an hour, the songs are deep and mirror the loss that Jurado has felt recently.Give this one a chance. Quick and brisk at less than half an hour, the songs are deep and mirror the loss that Jurado has felt recently. Start, perhaps, with the stirringly beautiful “Throw Me Now Your Arms.”… Full Review »
  2. lonesomevee
    Jan 20, 2021
    10
    I count this record as a dear companion I intend to keep close for the rest of my days.
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