Saltbreakers
Seattle singer-songwriter Laura Veirs continues to expand her means of expression with her third Nonesuch release (after several indy releases introduced her introspective soul). With her well-seasoned touring group backing her, Veirs enjoys the playful chemistry that comes through the intuitive channels. This isn’t your standard acoustic guitar and cello set-up. She uses her full band. There’s an optimistic bounce coursing through “Don’t Lose Yourself,” an unapologetic perkiness to “Wandering Kind” and the title track, and a garage rock passion to “Phantom Mountain.” Yet, this northwestern Suzanne Vega — polite, literate and most comfortable in a coffeehouse setting — never sacrifices intimacy. Her gorgeously double-tracked vocals create a swirling effect that adds an excited edge to these demure folk songs so obsessed with the earthly textures of sand and sea. “Nightingale,” “Ocean Night Song” (highlighted by Eyvind Kang’s viola), “Drink Deep,” and “To the Country” (recorded in Johnny Cash’s Nashville cabin), with its eight-piece choir supporting, make for a satisfying three-dimensional approach.
“This remains at its essence an album of beguiling, rain-splashed intimacy.” – Mojo With organic imagery and a sense of open-eyed, open-hearted wonder, Veirs’ songs on Saltbreakers (2007) seem to hover between the sea and the stars taking inspiration from each. Though “To the Country” is the undisputed highlight here, featuring a luminous call-and-response with the Cedar Hill Choir and guest guitar from Bill Frisell, Veirs extends her range from the soul groove of the title track to the propulsive rock of “Phantom Mountain.” Produced by Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Built To Spill), Saltbreakers is by turns haunting, playful, tender, and fierce, embracing everything from machine-driven beats to angelic gospel choirs to fuzzed-out guitars. The continuing collaboration with producer Tucker Martine allows for experimentation and inventiveness, which, according to Pitchfork, showcases Veirs’ “indulgence in flights of verbal fancy.” An example of this is the track “To The Country,” which was recorded in the Nashville cabin of Johnny Cash and June Carter and which features an eight-person Baptist choir. Veirs describes the experience as “transcendent.” On Saltbreakers, Veirs is accompanied by her longtime studio and touring band, originally called the Tortured Souls, who now bear the same name as the album. Over the last three years, the band has traveled the world touring in support of Veirs’ previous Nonesuch albums Carbon Glacier and Year of Meteors. “The band has gotten really close,” says Veirs. “We’ve become a family.” The group includes Veirs on vocals and guitar, Karl Blau on bass, Steve Moore on piano, and Tucker Martine on drums.
Singer-songwriter borrows signifiers from her more famous, rewarding pals at the expense of carving an identity of her own.
Laura Veirs has always been a stronger lyricist than she is a singer, guitar player, and bandleader: Her albums are loaded with more wordplay than you can shake a Roget's at. Though her folk-pop songs sometimes tread dangerously close to sad-girl-with-a-guitar territory, they're inevitably buoyed by shimmering…
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Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers review: Veirs hits her groove, with predictably solid results.