Laura Veirs - July Flame Album Review

Review of Laura Veirs album July Flame released through Bella Union.

Laura Veirs was born in Colorado Springs in 1973, and is now a resident of Portland, Oregon. Never heard of her, never been to either? Fear not, she will win you over and whistle you off there in a daydream. (Probably anywhere she sets her mind to actually, having studied Mandarin and Geology, Laura is not obviously short on capability). Laura possesses a lightness of touch and breezy disposition that can transport you effortlessly into her world of sun soaked, hazy day optimism. She is a staple of Lauren Laverne, Radcliffe & Maconie and Bob Harris, has previously accompanied, this years darlings of some, The Decemberists, on 2006's 'The Cranes Wife' and 'July Flame' is the 7th, of many, critically acclaimed albums. This is her follow up to 2007's 'Saltbreakers'.

July Flame is not an instant hit, it doesn't grab you by the balls and make you sit up and pay attention. It's a grower, a builder, a record requiring a little effort, and, for you to put some time in to unlock it's treasure. (Michelle Pfeiffer may spot it a mile away and give you a heads up on 'What Lies Beneath'). Generally composed on 'her crappy nylon-string guitar' in the 'barn' at the back of her Portland house Laura may be forgiven for including among her references; silos, prairies, buffalos, pollinators, dandelion clouds and even.......steer manure! This is not inner city life, this is 'Laura's (heavenly) Star', with guitars, banjos and subtle string arrangements. It's delicate, mesmerising and carries with it a naive vulnerability.

'I Can See Your Tracks' ushers in the folk platform that the majority of the album is built on. It's a Cat Steven's meets Bob Dylan on 'Buckets Of Rain' gentle meander through mid America with a voice that could have been recorded in the late 60's. (Ideal if you were wanting a backing track for a new Huck Finn movie!) The title track takes you on a hypnotic whirl, flowing and building towards a crescendo of over-layerd haunting harmonies. By the time your at Silo Song you're hooked, in for the long haul, and if you needed any more encouragement, you surely can't not love someone who can rhyme Venus de Milo with .......silver silo! When Laura lets herself get a little darker, a little more melancholy, a tad bleak, isolatory and troubled is when she can really floor you with her mournful aching. 'Little Deschuttes' is awash with both a bleak PJ Harvey atmosphere and the dream like quality of an Angelo Badalamenti/Julie Cruise composition. It is also contains many of Laura's lyrical highlights.................

'Sure is hard to dance across the room,
when you've got one foot on the floor,
and one foot outside the door.
I want nothing more than to dance with you.
The peace I've known floating along,
the deep green river with you and a song,
something like the peace I hope to make with you my whole life long.
I want nothing more than to float with you.'

'Summer Is Champion' continues Laura's purple patch on the album. She quickly and effectively picks you right up again and near drives you bare footed along the PCH in her beaten up Beetle, flowing floral hippy dress shimmering in the morning sunlight as you go south past Big Sur in search of some breaking waves. 'Honey wax melted down, make your heart molten somehow'. Finally, on 'Make Something Good',Laura enlists the help of Jim James, he of My Morning Jacket. They duet brilliantly, in a Yin and Yang style, her angelic light tones contrasting perfectly with his deep throaty delivery.

The String arrangements by long time collaborator, Stephen Barber, are wonderful, as generally is the production by Tucker Martine. (As long as you can get past 'Life is Good Blues' where they seem to have decided that a Flying Pickets/barber shop quartet backing vocal is the right way to go!) Elsewhere there are touches of Edie Brickell, Suzanne Vega and even a nod to the Beach Boys along the way. However, Jim James take on the album, and Laura, is so fittingly complimentary there is little need to say much more....'Laura's like the queen bee and my ear is the hive, she nests and makes honey in the hairs of my cochlea.'

'July Flame' the album is indeed, as the July Flame Peach, 'spiked with cloves and drenched in syrup'.

Andrew Lockwood.