“Sorry I was cruel, I was protecting myself,” sings Laura Veirs at the opening of her third album, Saltbreakers. The song, “Pink Light,” is a bouncy study of the healing power found in the constellations, setting the tone for much of Saltbreakers, an album inspired by the sites and sounds found in nature. In Veirs’ star-and-sea-obsessed songs, pirates find solace in the gentleness of the high seas (“Ocean Night Song”), restless butterflies fly off into outer space (“Black Butterfly”) and young women are seduced by the magnetism of mermen (“Cast a Hook”). The music often evokes the arty folk of the equally quirky Suzanne Vega, though Veirs’ less moody compositions are frequently imbued with a strong sense of whimsy. Up-tempo tracks like the soulful title track and the spirited “Don’t Lose Yourself” display Veirs’ knack for toe-tapping melodies, while gentler tunes such as “Nightingale” and album closer “Wrecking” belie an eloquent mastery of melody. Produced by bandmate Tucker Martine (The Decemberists), Saltbreakers rarely breaks free from its artier leanings (though the chaotic “Phantom Mountain” is step in the right direction), but Veirs’ sincerity and her earnest delivery of her songs are hard to ignore.
~ Ken Knox
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