Who we've worked with
Laura Veirs
Born at the edge of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Laura Veirs grew up exploring the water, snow, stars, and craggy peaks of the American West. Now living in Seattle, her sense of adventure and interest in the natural world can be seen to inform the musical masterpiece that is “Carbon Glacier.”
The thirteen songs of Carbon Glacier were all written in the winter months of 2003. “I had been consciously writing in my journal everyday – free-flowing, stream-of-consciousness writing, and wintry songs began pouring out,” Veirs says. She focused on writing songs with relatively little formula – “songs that would be free and unpredictable, yet structured enough to remain grounded.” Veirs continues, “I always want the songs to stand on their own, since I write them alone in my room... but adding in the other players is like weaving this colourful blanket. I try to keep my guitar and singing centerpiece, but add in just enough other elements to lift the songs to a higher plane. [Producer] Tucker [Martine] is great at understanding this balance.”
Musically, the songs on Carbon Glacier are astonishingly well-crafted, demonstrating both her musicianship and incredible song-writing skills. Veirs composed them on guitar, envisioning loose ideas of supporting instruments and parts that were later improvised live in the studio. Carbon Glacier is full of energy, as Veirs and her compatriots wrenched every possible bit of life out of each note. The resulting songs hover between crystal clarity and haunting, dreamlike soundscapes. A testament to great songs, skilled players, and the subtle hand of producer Tucker Martine, her Carbon Glacier is truly a work of art.
Lyrically, the album dances the line between separation and oneness (with other humans and the natural world), and between hope and despair. Topics range from shipwrecks and snow storms, to pirate ladies and chimney sweeps, to mortality and modern technology. “My obsession with Moby Dick probably had a lot to do with this new record,” says Veirs. “As well as living by the sea… the ocean is everywhere in this recording.” In general, Veirs’ lyrics tend towards the narrative, but some songs are more impressionistic - spanning centuries and continents, and referencing the ancient Japanese poet Basho, Monet, Virginia Woolf and Kurt Cobain.
The album features members of Veirs’ working band, the Tortured Souls: Tucker Martine (production, drums), Karl Blau (bass, guitar, vocals), and Steve Moore (trombone, keyboards), as well as Eyvind Kang (viola), Lori Goldston (cello), and Keith Lowe (upright bass). The crew are accomplished musicians in their own right. Tucker Martine is increasingly in demand as a producer, and has recorded work by Bill Frisell, Modest Mouse, Jim White, Howe Gelb, and Jesse Sykes. Eyvind Kang has toured and recorded with Beck, John Zorn, and Blonde Redhead. Lori Goldston was Nirvana’s cellist during the In Utero tour. Veirs and crew recorded the album in a mere 12 days.
The album is a clear, icy, strange and stunning masterpiece. “Odd mixtures of old and new – that’s the aesthetic I’m interested in,” Veirs says. “Tucker and I have complimentary ideas so it’s really easy to work together. One minute we’re adding drum loops and feedback, and the next our jaws are dropping as Eyvind improvises gorgeous viola arrangements.”
Carbon Glacier is Veirs’ best album yet. Soulful, unpretentious and clear-of-heart, it will stand the test of time as a deeply emotionally honest piece of work. And the title? “Carbon Glacier is a beautiful, dirty, black and white glacier on the northern slopes of Mount Rainier,” says Veirs. “You can walk right up to it and stand in awe.”
