July Flame: Laura Veirs (****) <Raven Marching Band/Bella Union> Genre: Indie Folk A vastly underrated songstress writes her most pensive, most mature work yet Ever feel like you just want to chill out?  Like all of the stress in your daily life is too much and all you want to do is sit down and relax?  I’m sure we all do, and if you’re anything like me, the winter only makes it worse.  The sky is a dreary grey.  The weather is unforgivably biting.  You just don’t want to do anything.  Well, July Flame is the perfect winter record.  Pop this CD in, get a fire going, wrap up in a blanket and let it all sink in.  This is the first truly soothing record of the year, and in all honesty, I’d be surprised if anything else matches the emotion this year. In my opinion, Laura Veirs has been ignored for far too long.  Her songs have that intimate feeling evoked by the likes of Death Cab For Cutie and Nada Surf.  Her detailed lyrics provide vivid imagery.  Her voice is incredibly vulnerable but immensely captivating.  I’d say overall her records are consistent, with the only true misstep being her overproduced Saltbreakers released just a couple years back.  I think, though, with July Flame’s release, we’ll be seeing a lot more of Veirs’ name.  There’s just something here that her other records haven’t yet been able to capture.  I’m not quite sure what it is.  It could be the noticeable increase in lyrical depth, or the maturation of her arrangements.  It could be the breathtaking warmth of the production courtesy of My Morning Jacket’s Jim James.  I don’t know.  What I do know, though, is that July Flame is great and any fan of Fleet Foxes/early Death Cab For Cutie/Neko Case should give this a listen. From track one (“I Can See Your Tracks”) you can already tell how the record overall is going to sound.  Nothing big really starts out the song, just a couple of finger picked acoustic guitars.  The only thing added on for the rest of the songs is Veirs’ soft voice accompanied by some amazingly beautiful harmonies (think the opening “aahs” in Fleet Foxes’ “Ragged Wood”).  The lyrics here (and the rest of the album for that matter) are staggeringly complex and deep.  But they’re never overcomplicated or difficult to understand.  Each word is carefully placed and perfectly executed. After the charming acoustic lullaby of a song, the album delves into varying genres.  The mood never changes, but the songs are all different flavors.  Some tracks have a nostalgic feel to it in the sort of way Death Cab For Cutie would write songs (see the beautiful “July Flame” and “Life Is Good Blues”).  Others evoke the likes of Neko Case (“Sun Is King” and “Silo Song”), and when a record starts to remind me of last year’s Middle Cyclone, I know that I’m in for a good listen. Some people may accuse July Flame of being a mostly one note piece.  And true, the only upbeat song here is “Summer Is The Champion,” which I recall is the only song to use a drum kit, and even then it still has a melancholy feel to it.  However, if you look past the fact that every song here is pensive and quiet, July Flame’s subtleties start to make their appearances.  Even though the overall feel of the record is the same, every single song “feels” different.  They each have their own color, their own flavor, their own voice.  And to me, that’s a pretty difficult feat to pull off: make a cohesive record where not one track feels the same.  It’s mature, it’s honest, it’s heartfelt, it’s by and far Laura Veirs’ best work. Key Tracks: “I Can See Your Tracks,” “July Flame,” “Sun Is King,” “Summer Is Champion” For Fans Of: Fleet Foxes, Death Cab For Cutie, Neko Case, Nada Surf

July Flame: Laura Veirs (****) <Raven Marching Band/Bella Union>

Genre: Indie Folk

A vastly underrated songstress writes her most pensive, most mature work yet

Ever feel like you just want to chill out?  Like all of the stress in your daily life is too much and all you want to do is sit down and relax?  I’m sure we all do, and if you’re anything like me, the winter only makes it worse.  The sky is a dreary grey.  The weather is unforgivably biting.  You just don’t want to do anything.  Well, July Flame is the perfect winter record.  Pop this CD in, get a fire going, wrap up in a blanket and let it all sink in.  This is the first truly soothing record of the year, and in all honesty, I’d be surprised if anything else matches the emotion this year.

In my opinion, Laura Veirs has been ignored for far too long.  Her songs have that intimate feeling evoked by the likes of Death Cab For Cutie and Nada Surf.  Her detailed lyrics provide vivid imagery.  Her voice is incredibly vulnerable but immensely captivating.  I’d say overall her records are consistent, with the only true misstep being her overproduced Saltbreakers released just a couple years back.  I think, though, with July Flame’s release, we’ll be seeing a lot more of Veirs’ name.  There’s just something here that her other records haven’t yet been able to capture.  I’m not quite sure what it is.  It could be the noticeable increase in lyrical depth, or the maturation of her arrangements.  It could be the breathtaking warmth of the production courtesy of My Morning Jacket’s Jim James.  I don’t know.  What I do know, though, is that July Flame is great and any fan of Fleet Foxes/early Death Cab For Cutie/Neko Case should give this a listen.

From track one (“I Can See Your Tracks”) you can already tell how the record overall is going to sound.  Nothing big really starts out the song, just a couple of finger picked acoustic guitars.  The only thing added on for the rest of the songs is Veirs’ soft voice accompanied by some amazingly beautiful harmonies (think the opening “aahs” in Fleet Foxes’ “Ragged Wood”).  The lyrics here (and the rest of the album for that matter) are staggeringly complex and deep.  But they’re never overcomplicated or difficult to understand.  Each word is carefully placed and perfectly executed.

After the charming acoustic lullaby of a song, the album delves into varying genres.  The mood never changes, but the songs are all different flavors.  Some tracks have a nostalgic feel to it in the sort of way Death Cab For Cutie would write songs (see the beautiful “July Flame” and “Life Is Good Blues”).  Others evoke the likes of Neko Case (“Sun Is King” and “Silo Song”), and when a record starts to remind me of last year’s Middle Cyclone, I know that I’m in for a good listen.

Some people may accuse July Flame of being a mostly one note piece.  And true, the only upbeat song here is “Summer Is The Champion,” which I recall is the only song to use a drum kit, and even then it still has a melancholy feel to it.  However, if you look past the fact that every song here is pensive and quiet, July Flame’s subtleties start to make their appearances.  Even though the overall feel of the record is the same, every single song “feels” different.  They each have their own color, their own flavor, their own voice.  And to me, that’s a pretty difficult feat to pull off: make a cohesive record where not one track feels the same.  It’s mature, it’s honest, it’s heartfelt, it’s by and far Laura Veirs’ best work.

Key Tracks: “I Can See Your Tracks,” “July Flame,” “Sun Is King,” “Summer Is Champion”

For Fans Of: Fleet Foxes, Death Cab For Cutie, Neko Case, Nada Surf