Laura Veirs has announced the release of her eleventh solo album, My Echo, and it will be out on October 23rd via Bella Union. The album features guest appearances from Jim James, Bill Frisell, Karl Blau, Matt Ward and others. Veirs has also shared a first track, “Burn Too Bright”, inspired by the late Richard Swift.
Of the track Veirs says: “I wrote about a million versions of this song before landing on this version at the end of the recording session for my new album last summer. Sometimes a song pours out fully finished and sometimes I need to wrack my brain and try many different approaches until it feels right. This one messed with me for a long time and I almost gave up on it – but I’m glad I persevered because this is one of my favorite tracks on the new album. The song was inspired by the passing of the great NW producer and musician Richard Swift. I didn’t know him personally but he was a close friend to many in my community and I admire his artistry a lot. His death got me thinking about people who seem to ‘burn too bright’ for this world. The song is dedicated to the many bright, artistic and heroic souls who have sadly left this plane too soon.”
Of the video Veirs adds: “In March I had been walking my dog around the neighborhood thinking about how to make a cool video with sidewalk chalk and this concept came to mind. It was shot by Lance Bangs right before lockdown. It was drawn be me, my two sons Oz (7) and Tennessee (10) and our babysitter Lori VanRavenhorst over the course of 8 hours in a church parking lot in NE Portland. Much of the video was shot from the ground; I love how the entire piece is revealed in the final drone shot. The next day rains came and washed the chalk away. Much of my new album is about disintegration, death and the ephemeral nature of things, so the making – and nature’s taking away – of this giant chalk drawing fits well into the album’s overall concept.”
Listen/watch “Burn Too Bright” below:
About the new album, Veirs comments: “My Echo is my 11th solo album. It’s my ‘my songs knew I was getting divorced before I did’ album. My conscious mind was trying as hard as I could to keep my family together but my subconscious mind was working on the difficult struggles in my marital life. I was part of a “Secret Poetry Group” that met and wrote poems monthly for a year during the writing of this record. Many of my poems turned into songs for this album. By the time the album was being mixed last fall, my ex-husband/producer Tucker Martine and I had decided to go our separate ways. We were a great musical team for many years but we struggled to be compatible in our marriage and family life and that struggle is reflected in this album…”
My Echo artwork & tracklist:
1. Freedom Feeling
2. Another Space and Time
3. Turquoise Walls
4. Memaloose Island
5. End Times
6. Burn Too Bright
7. Brick Layer
8. All the Things
9. I Sing to the Tall Man
10. Vapor Trails