The monster who hated Pennsylvania

"The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania may not feel as tight or as full as his classic material, but it remains a skillfully crafted bundle of character sketches and story songs which finds Jurado well-perhaps even comfortable-and showing no intentions of sputtering out any time soon. Like much of his output, this may take a couple of listens to fully settle into, but once you have, it will have been worth it".

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"With our collective idea of what a song can and should do long since set in stone, it's next to impossible for a songwriter to avoid the cliches of their chosen artform. Adhering neither to navel-gazing soul-baring and self-consciously 'poetic' obliqueness, Damien Jurado manages the feat with virtuoso ease on The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania, his fourth album since 2018".

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"While The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania doesn't necessarily break new ground, it's a strong, affecting set from a songwriter who proves himself among the elite at doing more with less".

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