My Echo

My Echo is a studio album from American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs, released on October 23, 2020 by Raven Marching Band.[2] The album has received positive reception from critics.

My Echo
Studio album by
Laura Veirs
ReleasedOctober 23, 2020 (2020-10-23)
RecordedTucker Martine's home studio, Portland, Oregon, United States[1]
Length33:54
Label
ProducerTucker Martine
Laura Veirs chronology
The Lookout
(2018)		 My Echo
(2020)

Recording and release

On Valentine's Day 2020, Veirs released the song "I Was a Fool";[3] the song discusses her divorce as do the tracks on My Echo. Veirs calls My Echo "an album about disintegration".[4] The album was produced with longtime collaborator and Veirs' ex-husband Tucker Martine and was preceded by music videos for "Burn Too Bright" in July[5] and "Turquoise Walls" in August.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Exclaim!8 out of 10[7]
Financial Times[8]
musicOMH[9]
Paste7.7 out of 10[10]
Slant Magazine[11]

My Echo was met with positive reviews from critics noted at review aggregator Metacritic. This release received a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on eight reviews.[12] Album of the Year sums up critical consensus as an 80 out of 100 based on five reviews[13] and AnyDecentMusic? considers My Echo a 7.4 out of 10, also based on five reviewers.[14]

Sara Chodos of Exclaim! gave the release an eight out of 10, praising the diversity of musicianship and instrumentation.[7] In New Statesman, Ellen Perison-Hagger declared Veirs "one of the greatest living American songwriters" for her ability to use music as catharsis.[15] Maeri Ferguson of No Depression's review emphasized the solitude in the album's lyrics and the Veirs' "stunningly spare" vocals, especially paired with Jim James.[16] In a 7.7 out of 10 review for Paste, Ben Salmon points out Veirs' comforting confronting the unknown in her lyrics as her personal relationship was deteriorating during recording.[10] Steve Horowitz of PopMatters discusses this disintegration and the "claustrophobic themes of confinement" in his review, ending it: "Love can't conquer all. Some disasters are just too big, and we end up singing to ourselves. That's why there is music."[17] Eric Mason of Slant Magazine considers the recording "an act of self-preservation" in a "backdrop of hopelessness brought about by personal heartbreak and global disasters".[11] In Financial Times, David Chesal gave My Echo four out of five stars for "a break-up album [that is] remarkably easy to listen to".[8] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH gave My Echo the same rating, noting the highly skilled musicians and summing up that this album is "sometimes difficult but never less than involving".[9]

Samantha Small of Under the Radar reviewed "Burn Too Bright" upon its release, naming it one of the songs of the week.[18] Concluding the review for AllMusic, Mark Deming claimed that "My Echo creates beauty out of fear and uncertainty, and it's among Laura Veirs' most personal and satisfying works to date."[6]

Track listing
  1. "Freedom Feeling" – 3:19
  2. "Another Space and Time" – 4:40
  3. "Turquoise Walls" – 2:39
  4. "Memaloose Island" – 3:34
  5. "End Times" – 3:06
  6. "Burn Too Bright" – 2:59
  7. "Brick Layer" – 2:30
  8. "All the Things" – 3:27
  9. "I Sing to the Tall Man" – 3:09
  10. "Vapor Trails" – 4:31

Personnel
  • Laura Veirs – guitar, vocals, piano on "End Times"
  • Karl Blau – bass guitar
  • Justin Chase – engineering
  • Bill Frisell – guitar
  • Jim James – vocals on "All the Things"
  • Tucker Martine – engineering; mixing on "Freedom Feeling", "Another Space and Time", "Turquoise Walls", and "Memaloose Island"; production
  • Adrian Olsen – mixing on "End Times", "Burn Too Bright", "Brick Layer", "All the Things", "I Sing to the Tall Man", and "Vapor Trails
  • Noel Summerville – mastering
  • Matt Ward – drums

References
  1. Snapes, Laura (September 17, 2020). "Laura Veirs on Surviving Her Divorce: 'My Life Is Strangely Awesome'". The Guardian. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  2. "23 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. July 30, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  3. Vorel, Jim (February 13, 2020). "Laura Veirs Releases Heartbreaking Anti-Valentine's Tune, 'I Was a Fool'". Paste. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  4. Taylor, Katherine Yeske (October 22, 2020). "Laura Veirs Shares Her Anxiety About The Vulnerability On My Echo". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  5. Bloom, Madison (July 30, 2020). "Laura Veirs Announces New Album, Shares New Song 'Burn Too Bright'". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  6. Deming, Mark (October 23, 2020). "My Echo - Laura Veirs | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  7. Chodos, Sarah (October 21, 2020). "Laura Veirs' My Echo Is a Snapshot of a Divorce in Real-Time". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  8. Cheal, David (October 23, 2020). "Laura Veirs: My Echo—from High Drama to the Ephemeral". Financial Times. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  9. Hogwood, Ben (October 26, 2020). "Laura Veirs – My Echo". musicOMH. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  10. Salmon, Ben (October 22, 2020). "Laura Veirs Embraces the Unknown on My Echo". Paste. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  11. Mason, Eric (October 14, 2020). "Laura Veirs's My Echo Is a Divorce Album That Trades Misery for Escapism". Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  12. "My Echo by Laura Veirs". Metacritic. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  13. "Laura Veirs – My Echo". Album of the Year. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  14. "My Echo by Laura Veirs". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  15. Perison-Hagger, Ellen (October 21, 2020). "Laura Veirs' My Echo: Poignant, Cathartic Indie-Folk". New Statesman. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  16. Ferguson, Maeri (October 21, 2020). "Laura Veirs Taps into Solitude on My Echo". No Depression. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  17. Horowitz, Steve. "Laura Veirs Talks to Herself on My Echo". PopMatters. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  18. Small, Samantha (July 31, 2020). "10 Best Songs of the Week: Loma, Everything Everything, Angel Olsen, Madeline Kenney, and More". Under the Radar. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.