Warp and Weft

I have followed Laura as a local artist for many years and enjoyed many of her live shows, either as a headliner or as a contributor, and have enjoyed her previous recorded works, but this simply is something different and frankly brilliant. Whether it the depth of the songwriting, the appreciated production or the addition of a wealth of talented supporting artists and voices like Neko Case of course, it all adds up to something very special and in my opinion one of the year's best. Thank you Laura, for the most pleasant surprise of listening to this gem today and maybe just maybe being pregnant when you created much of this CD helped a little or a lot, but I have to think it had something to do with you channeling MJ here in Portland back in February at the amazing Wes event. Your talent and humbled stage presence was something to behold and we are all the better for your musical talents/gifts with a kind of welcomed humor and humility to boot. Buy this CD and enjoy a better day ahead.

Her first proper studio recording (or so I read), this album sounds almost overproduced for a Veirs effort. It's certainly a darker, less quirky, more mature Veirs than we're used to. And there's a LOT of electric guitar. Turned me off at first, but it's growing on me with more listening. I've also found I enjoy it more with headphones than in the car. There's one thing that really annoys me and I can't get past. "Dorothy of the Island", an otherwise solid song about suicide, has a chorus line that goes "Motherless children have a hard time when the mother's dead". Each time I hear it, I just get Rosanne Cash's cover of the traditional "Motherless Children" in my head (the frequently repeated lyric "Motherless children have a hard time when the mother is gone"). Still, that's about as much as I can complain about. "Shape Shifter" and "Sadako Folding Cranes" (based on the story of Sadako Sasaki) are standouts. "That Alice" is a rocking tribute to Alice Coltrane. "White Cherry" is an even more fitting tribute with it's breezy swinging jazz layers. "Warp & Weft" will likely rotate in the car CD changer through the fall, but I'm not ready to put it on the level of "July Flame" (which has been in said rotation since the day I purchased it) or "Tumble Bee", which despite its being pigeonholed as a children's album, I consider to be a masterpiece. But who knows...perhaps by the end of the year, I'll consider this the album of the year.

My first thoughts on this album were that it was a little less assessable than either July Flame or Saltbreakers and slightly uneven, not that I didn't like it. Perhaps the song "That Alice" is the key to this album--Ms. Veirs tastes are beyond solely the world of pop, the song is about Alice Coltrane and contains a brilliant, "ragged" guitar solo (by Ms. Veirs) that is Jazz inspired. I have come to love this CD as much as the aforementioned albums not just for the beauty and creativity of the songs but also that it hints at what might be to come on future albums. Ms. Veirs is definitely not resting on her laurels and hopefully will continue to evolve into deeper territory. In my humble estimation she is one of the top songwriters working today, she deserves more recognition. Laura Veirs, Laura Marling, Courtney Barnette, Angel Olsen, Valerie June, Cold Specks, Marissa Nadler, etc.--the women are tearing it up!

Let's start with the sonics. The mastering left me wanting. Excessive sibilance, too much bass info. Common' guys. Just let it flow without trying to perfect it! (You'all didn't let God (Jim James) run the board, did you?) For this, I give the sonics a 4, the music a 5. In this regard, not up to the standards of "July Flame". With Tucker Martine as your husband, band member, producer, it's really hard to go wrong. Not taking anything away from Laura, (an angel. I truely wish I could score a Mint copy of "Year of Meteors" on vinyl? Here we find Laura in her element. She knows exactly what her purpose is. (That may be what's missing from Neko's latest). Even though she has heavy 'star-power' helping out, Laura shines. She knows exactly who she is and it shows! This is the record Neko only wished she should have made!!! I love her!

Learned about Laura when browsing at the local Barnes & Noble. They where Playing "July Flame" (it was just released)...I went home and downloaded it...been hooked ever since. Since then I Purchased all. This one though is really special. Just got it and been listening to it all morning..It is probably going to be my Fav...Love it Laura!!!!!!!

I feel this album is a wonderful addition to my music library. Ms. Viers has a style and voice the really compliment each other. It's my 1st album of hers and I'll go listen to her previous work, as some have, in their review here, just love her. I know the feeling, as I love Eva Cassidy and all her work before she died.

Probably her best - but it's so hard to choose. If you have liked any of her previous work you'll like this if you haven't heard any of Laura's work start here.

Solid album that flows well with July Flame. Sun Song is immediately satisfying. Soothing yet catchy music plays well in the background and the lyrics are strong enough when given one's full concentration.

All of Laura Veirs albums are classy, elegant affairs. This, her ninth, might be the very best yet. There's plenty of familiar stuff here for those who've followed her previous work but it's immediately striking how the arrangements on "Warp and Weft", in contrast to the politeness of her previous release, "July Flame", have become edgier and more expansive. The sombre and reflective mood Veir's creates throughout is heightened by the prescence of guest guitarist, My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel. His noisy, tremolo-heavy Neil Young-style solos and understated pedal steel work blend incredibly well with regular viola player Eyvind Kang's exotic, eastern-flavoured string arrangements. Even when Veirs moves into completely new, bold territory with the Alice Coltrane-esque, harp/horn driven jazz of the last song, "White Cherry" she manages to pull it off with style and grace. A truly stunning record.

Wie immer, ähem, bis auf die Kinderplatte, ist Laura Veirs genial. Ich liebe die einfachen und eingängigen Melodien, die Aufnahmequalität bei dieser CD ist allerdings verbesserungswürdig, die vorherigen CD's, Year of Meteors und gerade Carbon Glacier gefallen mir hier erheblich besser. Trotzdem, 5 Sterne, Danke Laura.

Beautiful introspective songwriting. Laura seems to turn out one great record after another. Killer band and amazing yet subtle production from Tucker Martine. Listened to this CD many many times.

Warp and Weft is a strong album with some beautiful tracks on it. Stand out numbers for me are 'America', 'That Alice' and 'Ten Bridges' those are lovely. Unfortunately I don't think it's up there with earlier albums such as 'Year of Meteors' or perhaps 'Saltbreakers' but still an enjoyable album to listen to.

Having first discovered her through the 'Case/Lang/Veirs' album two years ago, I've come to the conclusion that Laura Veirs is an artist we should treasure, for her honesty as a writer, for her very moving and expressive singing voice and for her unique songwriting talent! Luckily, all those gifts are on display on this brilliant album, in the form of some wonderful songs that are beautifully performed and produced.. So, if you want to discover a new and exciting artist, just buy 'Warp and Weft' - you won't regret it ,and you'll most probably love it!