I haven’t seen any mp3s from this album elsewhere, so I suppose this is what they call an “exclusive”. Portland singer-songwriter Laura Gibson may not be a household name yet, but Beasts Of Season was one of my most anticipated releases of the new year. The album will be released by Hush Records on February 24th. Gibson’s previous album If You Come To Greet Me was one of my favorites of 2006. What I enjoy most about Laura’s music is that she combines the delicate acoustics of folk with the intentional vocal phrasing of jazz. This technique makes her songs stand out in the sea of bland indie-folk. The album features guests Shelly Short, Laura Veirs, and Danny Seim of Menomena.
I have carried beasts of many seasons,
their bullied bodies burdening my spine.
But when your eyes come rushing up to greet them,
I cast them off to keep them in my sight.
Beasts Of Seasons is divided into two parts:”Communion Songs” and “Funeral Songs”. The first group of songs were inspired by the search for things greater than self, such as family, lovers, or spirituality. The second set turns inward to examine individuality, loneliness, and mortality.
The surprising blast of dissonant guitar that opens “Shadows On Parade” gives way to Laura’s fragile lilt as the song steps back onto softer, familiar soil. The song is very pretty, but drags on a little too long – I’m not a fan of seven minute songs. “Come By Storm” follows in a similarly delicate vein, with a beautiful orchestral burst toward the end.
The jaunty and beguiling “Spirited” has the fasted tempo I’ve heard from Gibson so far. As with If You Come To Greet Me, the first portion of Beasts of Seasons conjures up the image of an isolated cabin in a snow-covered forest, hearth fire blazing in deep winter.
The second half of the album has a decidedly different tone. Though one may expect “Funeral Song” to be the song that pushes the album into a dark place, it’s the eerie quiet of “Where Have All Your Good Words Gone?” that sends a different kind of chill through the air. “Sleeper” settles back into that gentle cool, while “Sweet Deception” gradually warms with breezy harmonies and pedal steel.
Though Laura’s voice and melodies often raise quiet integrity and mood far above any kind of flashiness, her lyrical prose is impressive, intelligent, and moving. None more than the emotional familial vignette held within the words of the album’s finale “Glory”. See for yourself…
Faith she carried like a terrible, terrible ache.
I have never seen such glory since.
I remember my father’s voice, dressed in anger, swollen with grace.
My surrender, his forgiveness, I have never seen such glory since…
Laura Gibson – Where have all your good words gone? (mp3 expired)
Laura Gibson – Spirited (mp3)
*mp3s provided by & posted w/ permission of Hush Records
One Response to “Laura Gibson: Beasts Of Seasons”
Nice, I liked that. If I had to do a comparison, she kind of reminds me of Nina Nastasia. I love finding new artists to appreciate.