July Flame

July Flame
Studio album by Laura Veirs
Released	January 12, 2010
Genre	Folk indie rock chamber folk
Length	43:58
Label	Raven Marching Band Bella Union
Producer	Tucker Martine
Laura Veirs chronology
Saltbreakers (2007) July Flame (2010) Tumble Bee (2011)

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

The title comes from a type of peach Veirs saw at a farmer's market. ^[1] 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. ^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	A– [4]
The Guardian	[5]
Mojo	[6]
musicOMH	[7]
Paste	8.5/10 [8]
Pitchfork	7.5/10 [9]
PopMatters	9/10 [10]
Q	[11]
Uncut	[12]

Reviews of July Flame were favorable. The Independent called it an "obliquely beautiful record, as they tend to be. Poetic and simple". ^[13] The New York Times said 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". ^[14] The Guardian praised the album as "so extravagantly beautiful that it will send you scurrying back to its predecessors". ^[15] Entertainment Weekly wrote 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." ^[4] Paste proclaimed that the album is Veirs' "finest work", and said "It's hard to imagine a better soundtrack to the chilly months than this collection of heady, steady, pensive songs". ^[8]

Track listing

All tracks written by Laura Veirs

1. "I Can See Your Tracks" – 2:58
2. "July Flame" – 3:45
3. "Sun Is King" – 3:20
4. "Where Are You Driving?" – 2:53
5. "Life Is Good Blues" – 2:35
6. "Silo Song" – 2:39
7. "Little Deschutes" – 4:06
8. "Summer Is the Champion" – 4:25
9. "When You Give Your Heart" – 3:05
10. "Sleeper in the Valley" – 4:02
11. "Wide-Eyed, Legless" – 2:35
12. "Carol Kaye" – 3:20
13. "Make Something Good" – 4:14

Personnel

• Laura Veirs – lead vocals, guitars, banjo, piano, bass guitar
• Tucker Martine – drums, percussion, piano and backing vocals (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 8, 10)
• Karl Blau – bass guitar, piano, strings, electric guitar, organ, saxophone and backing vocals (tracks 2–8, 12–13)
• Jon Neufeld – guitars and backing vocals (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 9, 10, 12)

Guest musicians

• Chris Funk – pedal steel guitar, twelve-string guitar, autoharp and mandolin (tracks 3, 8 and 9)
• Jim James – vocals (tracks 1, 3, 6 and 12)
• Eyvind Kang – viola (tracks 2, 4, 6, 9 and 11)
• Scott Magee – bass clarinet (track 11)
• Steve Moore – piano and electric piano, lowry organ, synths, loops and bells (tracks 4, 8, 10 and 11)
• Victor Nash – vibraphone, trumpet (tracks 3 and 8)
• Nate Query – upright bass (track 11)
• Annalisa Tornfelt – backing vocals (tracks 2 and 13)
• John McDonald – backing vocals (track 2)
• Mac Martine – backing vocals (track 2)
• Sarah Dougher – backing vocals (track 2)
• Shannon Sneed – backing vocals (track 2)

Charts

Chart performance of July Flame

Chart (2010)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [16]	124
US Folk Albums (Billboard) [17]	1
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [18]	14

References

1. Caraeff, Ezra Ace (January 7, 2010). "Real Peach". The Portland Mercury . Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
2. "Reviews for July Flame by Laura Veirs". Metacritic . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
3. Allen, J. "Review: July Flame". AllMusic . Retrieved January 19, 2010.
4. Pastorek, Whitney (January 7, 2010). "July Flame (2010)". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
5. Costa, Maddy (January 7, 2010). "Laura Veirs: July Flame". The Guardian . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
6. Unlike some other nu-folkies, this feels organic and unforced; one reason why her albums, and this in particular, have such resonance. [Jan 2010, p.92]
7. Burgess, Andrew (January 25, 2010). "Laura Veirs – July Flame". musicOMH . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
8. Maddux, Rachel (January 12, 2010). "Laura Veirs: July Flame". Paste Magazine . Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
9. Tangari, Joe. "Review: July Flame". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on January 20, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
10. Harsin, Jayson (April 1, 2010). "Laura Veirs: July Flame". PopMatters . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
11. Always an engaging songwriter with a strong mystical and elemental bent, the seamlessly flowing July Flame now adds an increased accessibility to her armoury. [Feb 2010, p. 112]
12. This is a vivid song cycle that's part ecstasy, part-sadness--but unfailingly lovely. [Jan 2010, p.119]
13. Coleman, Nick (January 10, 2010). "Album: Laura Veirs, July Flame (Bella Union)". The Independent . London. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
14. Ratliff, Ben (January 10, 2010). "New CDs". The New York Times . Retrieved January 12, 2010.
15. Costa, Maddy (January 7, 2010). "Laura Veirs: July Flame". The Guardian . London. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
16. "Laura Veirs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
17. "Laura Veirs Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
18. "Laura Veirs Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2020.