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July Flame

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July Flame
Studio album by
Laura Veirs
ReleasedJanuary 12, 2010
Genre
Length43:58
Label
ProducerTucker 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

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA–[4]
The Guardian[5]
Mojo[6]
musicOMH[7]
Paste8.5/10[8]
Pitchfork7.5/10[9]
PopMatters9/10[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

[edit]

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

[edit]
  • 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

[edit]
  • 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

[edit]
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

[edit]
  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.


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