Literate folk-inflected indie rocker Laura Veirs' third record is full of enough emotional peaks and valleys to satisfy even the most temperamental music fan. Upon first listen, Saltbreakers feels significantly less chilly than 2005's sparse Year of Meteors, but further spins reveal a dark core that radiates warmth only intermittently. Part of this can be attributed to Veirs' masterful way with imagery, a talent that she employs incrementally with each and every release. A native of the Northwest, water, especially of the oceanic variety, tends to creep its way into each song, leaving soggy footprints that zigzag their way through the listeners' head until the very last note. Relationships both new and retired cast a long shadow, especially on the first three cuts -- the simple, fingerpicked guitar and languid viola on the superb "Ocean Night Song" season the lyric "I wonder 'bout the herds of the sea/If they will hurt or if they will help me" with expertly measured melancholia. However, it's not all introspection and hand wringing, as evidenced by the rousing and impossibly hooky title cut (it's a veritable singalong), the marriage of Bill Frisell's signature guitar tone with a full choir on the gorgeous "To the Country," and the hard-driving "Phantom Mountain," all of which paint an artist who continues to expand her sonic vocabulary, even as she revels in what's worked successfully for her in the past.
don't you hate it when you get songs stuck in your head? it doesn't happen all that often for me, but in the past 24 hours i've had a few:Darren Hayes, "I Forgive You" - woke up with this on the brainJewel, "Daddy" - lyric just popped into my mind earlyTori Amos, "Drive All Night" - one of the worst songs from the new album, but somehow still rewardingi believe i have discovered a new project:...
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My new piece on Laura Veirs just went live on MSNBC. This was one of those cases where there was just too much interesting stuff to say about the band. I had a great interveiw with her producer, Tucker Martine, too, but was obliged to only include the material relevant to this project.Laura is a talented songwriter, and her lyrics are very poetic. Seems like she could be Suzanne Vega's littl...
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Really beautiful new album from Laura Veirs. Here's a little from my Dusted review, up today:“'Sorry I was cold, I was protecting myself,' Laura Veirs begins, the first line in the first song (“Pink Light”) of her sixth luminous album, in a voice that is clear and pure and vibrato-free with just the hint of a child’s blurry vulnerability at the edges. It sounds personal, confessional, una
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A dark winter's night swirls around you as you walk past an endless line of car headlights waiting to be shuffled into order at the busy junction ahead. It’s the end of the week and whilst a part of you wants to be home, the other part is willing to linger a while longer, as through your headphones the pure, fragile voice of Laura Veirs is singing a lullaby just for you.It was August of 2005 th.
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I have been starting my mornings off this week with a cup of coffee. When I was working for my previous company, that was part of the routine. But ever since I quit that job, the routine didn't include coffee. Well it's back, and I've missed it sooooo much.I've been particularly impressed with this blend that I got at Trader Joes. It's a dark french roast and I really enjoy my coffee strong...
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Really beautiful new album from Laura Veirs. Here's a little from my Dusted review, up today:“'Sorry I was cold, I was protecting myself,' Laura Veirs begins, the first line in the first song (“Pink Light”) of her sixth luminous album, in a voice that is clear and pure and vibrato-free with just the hint of a child’s blurry vulnerability at the edges. It sounds personal, confessional, una
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Laura Veirs has an excellent new album, Saltbreakers, and this song, "Don't Lose Yourself," is on it.
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this past saturday night i talked late into the evening, or early into the next morning, with my best friend. we have known each other for twenty-six years; longer than any relationship either of us have been in, and longer than our parents were ever married. because of the longevity of us we know each other in ways better than anyone knows us, often better than we even know our own self. anyti...
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don't you hate it when you get songs stuck in your head? it doesn't happen all that often for me, but in the past 24 hours i've had a few:Darren Hayes, "I Forgive You" - woke up with this on the brainJewel, "Daddy" - lyric just popped into my mind earlyTori Amos, "Drive All Night" - one of the worst songs from the new album, but somehow still rewardingi believe i have discovered a new project:...
More >
My new piece on Laura Veirs just went live on MSNBC. This was one of those cases where there was just too much interesting stuff to say about the band. I had a great interveiw with her producer, Tucker Martine, too, but was obliged to only include the material relevant to this project.Laura is a talented songwriter, and her lyrics are very poetic. Seems like she could be Suzanne Vega's littl...
More >
A dark winter's night swirls around you as you walk past an endless line of car headlights waiting to be shuffled into order at the busy junction ahead. It’s the end of the week and whilst a part of you wants to be home, the other part is willing to linger a while longer, as through your headphones the pure, fragile voice of Laura Veirs is singing a lullaby just for you.It was August of 2005 th.
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Laura Veirs just released a wonderful new album called "Saltbreakers". I think it's her best yet. There's one song in particular on there that I've been playing pretty much nonstop: "To The Country". It has a choir on it and it just blows my mind...Here's a videoclip of "Cast a hook in me", also on the same album.
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While looking for some new music online i happened across an Indie favorite artist of mine: Laura Veirs on an interview she had recorded. She revealed in her interview that she was living in Portland now, my local abode. I am getting to know the local artists here and had not heard she was amongst us. So, I checked out her MS page and saw that she had not disclosed her hometown. But, looking at...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Pink Light |
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| 2 Ocean Night Song |
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| 3 Don't Lose Yourself |
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| 4 Drink Deep |
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| 5 Wandering Kind |
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| 6 Nightingale |
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| 7 Saltbreakers |
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| 8 To the Country |
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| 9 Cast a Hook in Me |
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| 10 Phantom Mountain |
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| 11 Black Butterfly |
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| 12 Wrecking |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Saltbreakers")
