Warp & Weft
Warp and Weft is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs. Released on 19 August 2013 in the United States, and 24 August 2013 in Europe, the album was written by Laura Veirs herself and produced by her husband Tucker Martine.
| Warp and Weft | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 20, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012-2013 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 42:31 | |||
| Label | Raven Marching Band | |||
| Producer | Tucker Martine | |||
| Laura Veirs chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Warp and Weft | ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Consequence of Sound | |
| The Independent | |
| The Line of Best Fit | |
| musicOMH | |
| PopMatters | |
| Slant Magazine | |
Recorded under Raven Marching Band Records in the US, and under Bella Union in Europe, ‘’Warp and Weft’’ is one of Veirs’ greatest commercial successes. Debuting at number 10 on the US Folk Albums charts, the album first entered the UK Charts, peaking at number 59.
Background and composition
On February 2, Laura Veirs announced on her official Facebook page that she was working her next full-length record in her husband Tucker Martine's studio, and also specified she would work with ‘new and old friends’. Several hours before, she had announced her pregnancy, saying the child would be born in April. Teaming up with American singer-songwriter Neko Case for the first time, and with some members of The Decemberists Laura Veirs recorded the album in a basement studio, as she was still pregnant with her second child. Her pregnancy is a very important theme in the album. Even though she does not directly deal with pregnancy in her songs, Laura Veirs explained “I'm haunted by the idea that something terrible could happen to my kids, but that fear pushes me to embrace the moment. This record is an exploration of extremes - deep, dark suffering and intense, compassionate love." [8]
Singles
Two weeks before the album release, ‘’Sun Song’, the opening track,’ was released on 8 August 2013. The song features Neko Case on the backing vocals. Directed by Alexandra Spalding, the ‘’Sun Song’’ video is an Instagram-type tribute to the sun, with a diorama of sunny scenes in the countryside, and some pictures of Veirs playing guitar. The same week, ‘’America’’ was also announced as a single.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sun Song" | 4:12 |
| 2. | "America" | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Finster Saw the Angels" | 3:00 |
| 4. | "Dorothy of the Island" | 5:31 |
| 5. | "Shape Shifter" | 3:06 |
| 6. | "Ghosts of Louisville" | 0:29 |
| 7. | "Say Darlin' Say" | 3:48 |
| 8. | "That Alice" | 3:26 |
| 9. | "Ikaria" | 1:29 |
| 10. | "Sadako Folding Cranes" | 3:54 |
| 11. | "Ten Bridges" | 3:53 |
| 12. | "White Cherry" | 5:30 |
Chart performance
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Download Chart | 59 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Folk Albums [10] | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums [10] | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums [10] | 22 |
References
- "Sun Song - Single". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
- "America - Single". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
- "Warp & Weft Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
- Jurek, Thom. "Warp & Weft - Laura Veirs". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
- Hardy, Tony (Aug 27, 2013). "Album Review: Laura Veirs - Warp & Weft". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved Aug 27, 2013.
- Hardy, Tony (Aug 16, 2013). "Album Review: Laura Veirs - Warp & Weft". The Independent. Retrieved Aug 27, 2013.
- Hardy, Tony (Aug 16, 2013). "Album Review: Laura Veirs - Warp & Weft". Metacritic. Retrieved Aug 27, 2013.
- http://lauraveirs.com/wp/?page_id=111
- "The Official Charts". Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- billboard.com