July Flame, out Jan. 19, 2010, will be Veirs' first release through her new label, Raven Marching Band. The follow-up to 2007's Saltbreakers will also be her sixth album produced by Tucker Martine. The end result is a stripped-down release that mainly features her finger-picking over an acoustic guitar. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James also sings on a few of the tracks.




1. I Can See Your Tracks
2. July Flame
3. Sun Is King
4. Where Are You Driving
5. Life Is Good Blues
6. Silo Song
7. Little Deschutes
8. Summer Is The Champion
9. When You Give Your Heart
10. Sleeper In The Valley
11. Wide-Eyed, Legless
12. Carol Kaye
13. Make Something Good

I have mixed feelings about that album cover.

yeah, not the best choice but this album's really good so far


definitely exceeding expectations for and I'm only halfway through it

I saw her last New Year's Eve at a small bar along with Scott McCaughey and James Mercer (and a non-singing Collin Melloy). Place was adequately rocking for such an occasion, with McCaughey in particular bringing the good times with some old Young Fresh Fellows stuff among his Minus 5 selections. All kindsa fun.

At least until Laura Veirs stepped up to the mike. Apparently she's from some country that views New Years with the same kind of hushed gravity you'd expect at a funeral. She destroyed every molecule of fun in that place with her weak-ass whisper-singing and capital S Seriousness. And then she kept going for the rest of the night, not satisfied until even the recollection of recent revelry had been thoroughly sucked into the black hole of depression she might call a mouth. Might have been slightly more tolerable if she was any good, but she's a sub-busker talent at best.

On the enemy list.