| Found Light | ||||
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| Released | July 8, 2022 [1] | |||
| Genre | Folk [2] | |||
| Length | 46:16 | |||
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| Laura Veirs chronology | ||||
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Found Light is a 2022 studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs. This is the first album without long-time producer Tucker Martine and also the first where Veirs recorded her guitar and vocals simultaneously. [3] It has received positive critical reception.
Found Light is Veirs' first album without producer and ex-husband Tucker Martine since 2001. Veirs co-produced the album with Shahzad Ismaily and attempted to change how she made it, such as recording her guitar part and vocals simultaneously [3] and also using different guitar tunings to have different voicings. [4] Usually, when preparing a new album, Veirs will write 200 or 300 songs, re-writing and drafting parts of song elements until she can finalize the album with her best compositions; for Found Light, she pared down the preparation process to 80 or so revisions, making around 30 complete songs and resulting in 14 on the final release. [4]
The album has received several positive reviews from critics, including Mark Deming of AllMusic, who sums up his review calling this release, "an engaging new chapter in the career of a gifted songwriter"; the site's editorial group gave it four out of five stars. [1] Steve Horowitz of PopMatters also considers this a departure from Veirs' previous work, calling this "more inquisitive and exploratory (and even experimental) than before" and scoring it a seven out of 10. [5] A similar score came from Pitchfork's Brian Howe; his 7.6 out of 10 praises the performer's voice and songwriting for "compact, allusive songs". [6] Writing in The Guardian , Rachel Aroesti gave Found Light four out of five stars for the singer's voice, the diversity of emotions in the music, and particularly Veirs' "hugely arresting" lyrics. [7] In Paste , Annie Parnell characterizes these emotions and lyrics as a "stirring song cycle that deals in the beauty and agony of transformation"; she scored the album an eight out of 10. [8] John Amen of No Depression also notes the lyrical depth, as well as the diversity of musical genre influences in a positive assessment. [2]
All songs written by Laura Veirs, except where noted
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Laura Pauline Veirs is an American singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She is known for her folk and alternative country records and live performances as well as her collaboration with Neko Case and k.d. lang on the case/lang/veirs project. Veirs has written a children's book and hosts a podcast about parenting and performing.
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The Ashtray Hearts are a U.S. band originally from Minneapolis. The band currently comprises five members, and their music is described as apartment music, a sound that references Americana, folk, and country while embracing the singer-songwriter aesthetic of early 1970s Asylum Records. The band has toured the U.K. and the U.S., sharing the stage with The New Pornographers, Richard Buckner, Okkervil River, Jesse Sykes, Laura Veirs, Kelly Willis and others. Music from the Ashtray Hearts was featured in the independent film, "The Be All and End All" (2011). "The Strangest Light," the band's third LP, was released in January 2013.
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Long Live the King is an EP by the American indie rock band The Decemberists, released on November 1, 2011, on Capitol. The release is composed of out-takes from their sixth studio album, The King Is Dead. The titles of both combine to create the traditional proclamation, "The king is dead, long live the king!"
Sugaring Season is the sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter Beth Orton. It was her first new work for six years. It was recorded in Portland, Oregon at the studio of producer Tucker Martine. It is her first release for the ANTI- record label with whom she signed in 2010. In 2014 it was awarded a silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, which indicated sales of at least 20,000 copies throughout Europe.
Warp & Weft is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs. Released on August 19, 2013 in the United States, and August 24, 2013 in Europe, the album was written by Veirs herself and produced by her husband Tucker Martine.
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