July Flame is American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs' seventh studio album, released on January 12, 2010.

The title comes from a type of peach Veirs saw at a farmer's market. Jim James of American rock band My Morning Jacket contributes falsetto harmonies on several tracks, including "Carol Kaye" which is a tribute to the so named bass guitarist.

Reception

Reviews of July Flame have been favorable. The Independent calls it an "obliquely beautiful record, as they tend to be. Poetic and simple". The New York Times says it is " full of layered folk and indie-rock bucolia and plain-spoken but stretchy-thinking language" and "there are some great, seemingly unforced, séancelike moments here". The Guardian praises the album as "so extravagantly beautiful that it will send you scurrying back to its predecessors". Entertainment Weekly writes that the album "sends us on hikes through dreamy landscapes evoked by her uniquely tangy voice, casting minimal instrumentation in glistening arrangements to captivate the melancholy imagination." Paste Magazine proclaims that the album is Veirs' "finest work", and says "It's hard to imagine a better soundtrack to the chilly months than this collection of heady, steady, pensive songs".

References

Category:2010 albums

Category:Laura Veirs albums

Artist/Band Information

Laura Veirs is an American singer-songwriter.

Veirs was raised in Colorado. While she heard folk-country, classical, and pop music at home, she didn't "listen seriously," she says, until her 20s. While she was a college student at Carleton College, she joined an all-girl punk band called "Rair Kx!". She now lives in Portland, Oregon. After graduation, her taste moved to older country and folk. At Carleton she studied geology and Mandarin Chinese. After graduation, she worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China; during the trip she began writing lyrics.

In 1999, Veirs released a self-titled album, which was recorded live and featuring just her and guitar. 2003 saw the release of Troubled by the Fire, accompanied by veteran musicians such as Bill Frisell, Amy Denio and Fred Chalenor. She then signed to Nonesuch and released Carbon Glacier. Year of Meteors followed in August 2005.

Year of Meteors was selected by the New York Times as a "critics choice".

Veirs released Saltbreakers in 2007 and July Flame in January 2010 on her Raven Marching band label. The Washington Post said it "may well be one of the best releases of 2010."

Portland based producer Tucker Martine has produced her last six albums, and plays many instruments on the records as well. On April 22, 2010, Veirs and Martine had a baby boy named Tennessee Veirs Martine.

Discography

Studio albums

* Laura Veirs, Raven Marching Band Records, 1999

* The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae, Raven Marching Band Records, 2001, Bella Union, 2005

* Troubled by the Fire, Bella Union, 2003

* Carbon Glacier, Bella Union (UK), February 2004, Nonesuch Records (US), August 2004

* Year of Meteors, Nonesuch Records, August 2005

* Saltbreakers, Nonesuch Records, April 2007

* July Flame, Raven Marching Band Records/Bella Union, January 2010

E.P.s

* Two Beers Veirs, Raven Marching Band Records, 2008

Live albums

* Lore of Ears, Kelp Monthly, 2004

Compilation appearances

* "Black-Eyed Susan (demo)" on Remote Wing, Knw-Yr-Own, 2001

* "The Water's Gone (But Life Is Long)" (with Danny Barnes) on Shipwreck Day, Knw-Yr-Own, 2002

* "17" on Flotsam and Jetsam: 2005 What The Heck Fest Sampler", Kelp Monthly, 2005

* "Cast a Hook in Me" on The Sound the Hare Heard", Kill Rock Stars, 2006

* An exclusive version of "Nightingale" on "Paste Magazine Sampler 39", 2007

Also featured on

* The Young Rapture Choir, RMB, 2006

* "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)," The Decemberists The Crane Wife, Capitol, 2006

* Sailor System CD by Your Heart Breaks, Don't Stop Believin Records, 2006

* "Dear Avery," The Decemberists The King Is Dead, Capitol, 2011

References