Carbon Glacier

Laura Veirs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B0002JP4J6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,063 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ether Sings

2. Icebound Stream

3. Rapture

4. Lonely Angel Dust

5. The Cloud Roam

6. Wind Is Blowing Stars

7. Shadow Blues

8. Anne Bonny Rag

9. Snow Camping

10. Chimney Sweeping Man

11. Salvage a Smile

Editorial Reviews

On her Nonesuch debut Carbon Glacier, Laura Veirs re-imagines folk music in a bravely boundary-crossing way, employing the genre as a jumping-off point to create an intimate, affecting sound entirely her own. The Independent described it as "a benchmark by which future Americana releases will be judged." Uncut simply declared Carbon Glacier Veirs' "first masterpiece".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Audible elegance, May 26, 2005

By 

L. Fleisher (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carbon Glacier (Audio CD)

Carbon Glacier is one of those rare, perfect albums that drew me in at first listen - clean, intricate guitar work augmented by layers of gorgeous, emotionally evocative melody and visually potent lyrics.
Although I'm admittedly indifferent to most lyrics, unless they are flat-out brilliant or just plain embarrassing, Veirs' render me spellbound, conjuring tangible, poetic images that convey the intimacy of shared, deeply personal thoughts, but somehow manage to avoid being even remotely confessional or self-referential. Her unusual vocal phrasing makes her gently gothic Americana-tinged narratives all the more engaging.
With complex, surprising and fresh arrangements and intelligent instrumentation provided by a group of top-notch collaborators, Veirs easily transcends the trappings of the usually ho-hum "singer-songwriter" genre and emerges as an important and distinctive voice in an ever-swelling sea of musical mediocrity.
It's not every day you discover music that defies easy comparison. Thank god for artists like Laura Veirs who make us hear the world differently.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and sublime, August 9, 2004

By 

Nick Name "call me Mr. Name" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carbon Glacier (Audio CD)

Having tracked this down on the basis of the rave review in "Uncut" proved to be worthwhile indeed. It's a stark and strange album, but (in my opinion) even more beautiful and truthful for that. Visually and verbally, Veirs mixes imagery of arctic cold, dark, even death with light, grace, and life, almost unwaveringly connecting concrete experience of the here- and-now with suggestings of significance which rarely weigh heavily. (There are a few clunker lines, like "the rose is not afraid to blossom..." -- afraid? -- but they are very few, and the overall level of lyricism is so astonishingly evocative and apt that the lapses both grate and confirm the beauty of the rest.) Arrangements, instrumentation, production, and engineering are deceptively simple and gorgeous in a spare way, in which the parts all integrate into a full whole. The sound and effect of this album is unique, and it's hard to imagine it being done differently. Veirs and producer Tucker Martine have great ears. Veirs' voice is both beautiful and haunting, even strange. Obviously, I can't speak for her intentions, but as a listener I hear an occasional quavering and freedom with pitch that I suspect may grate for some but which, to me, make for a wonderful fit with the sound and sense of the words and phrases, and the instrumental context of the songs. The overall effect is transcendent; to this listener, at least, there is a feeling that you really "get it" -- that the visual images, the intellectual content, the emotional impact, and the aural experience are all fully conveyed. The results range from almost scarily wonder-full to earthy; the scale of the songs ranges from cosmic to concrete. And, finally, I've got to say that in my view at least, Veirs comes across as modest, empathetic, generous, affirming, and humane -- never preachy or self-consciously "artistic." She just gives you this stuff (at the price of the album, of course). As with all music that's good and true, this album is likely to be well-received by many for good reason, and perhaps experienced as odd and tangential by others... for good reason. I give it 5 stars on my own scale and for its quality and intentions, but that's not to say that everyone will love it.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mind adrift, March 10, 2005

By 

Jeff Cox "Jeff Cox" (Kenwood, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carbon Glacier (Audio CD)

Laura Veirs is a remarkable poet and songwriter, and on this CD she's working with Tucker Martine, a brilliant arranger and producer. I cannot stop listening to this CD, and the more I listen, the more I want to listen some more. Don't be fooled by previous comments. "Rapture" is one of the most beautiful pop songs I've ever heard. Her mood is shoe-gazing, yes, but way past the shoes down to the depths below. This work is not for the dance floor. It's for the dream space.