Unfortunately, Damien Jurado has always been lost amongst the shadows of more reputable songwriters. Even though critics have greeted each of his records with praise, he has never managed to stretch beyond a small cult following. But this never stops Jurado from releasing consistently solid records. With And Now That I’m In Your Shadow, he has crafted another worthy release in his characteristic macabre style.With each successive album, themes of death, family and domestic strife become more and more dominant in Jurado’s writing, and his new record is no exception. The majority of the songs on And Now That involve someone who is dead, dying or breaking, like “I Had No Intentions” and “Shannon Rhodes.” These songs find Jurado painting grim portraits of bullet wounds and fatality that you only pray are fictional.But unlike his last few releases, this record is much more united in theme as well as sound. He’s kept the record somber throughout, and relies almost solely on his voice and guitar to carry it. When some drums, pianos or female vocals do come in, he uses them sparingly and only to add a little colour.And Now That… shows a more focused and mature Jurado, and proves he is only getting better with age.