Amen Dunes – Through Donkey Jaw (2011)

The tale of Damon McMahon’s cultural journey from the Catskills to China and back again is one of self-discovery; the sort of dreamy tale woven from the fabric of Americana. Though it sounds corny, it’s the same identity crisis that has lent itself to McMahon’s Amen Dunes persona. It continues to boil over throughout the upcoming Through Donkey Jaw. The album hums with dark confessionals and mumbled pop overtures; the amount of genre bleeding amounts to the blood, sweat, and tears McMahon has long placed in his musical vision. “Christopher” represents McMahon coming out the other side, a changed man but one in tune with his kaleidoscopic view of the world. Balancing psychedelia, garage rock, and the isolated, echoing production of confession, “Christopher” stands triumphantly as McMahon’s warm embrace of his multi-faceted personality.