Laura Viers ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

I wanted to make something strong, an organ pipe in a cathedral, that stays in tune, through a thousand booms, make something good - “Make Something Good” - Laura Viers from July Flame

Wednesday had Neumos in a Portland state of mind, as a three week long Blind Pilot-led tour with Mimicking Birds and Laura Veirs wound down to a close in the freezing over Northwest. In the wake of the strong support of major players like NPR and the Decemberists, Blind Pilot’s been touring on the songs from 3 Rounds and a Sound for more than a year now, to a place where they’re now able to solidly fill Neumos. I irrationally like this band, and their headlining set lived up to expectations with a spot on Gillian Welch cover of “Miss Ohio” they’ve been working on over the course of the tour, but I think we all know it’s time to give them a break to work on some new songs.

Laura Veirs and her band on the other hand are almost singularly debuting songs from her new album July Flame. Even as a huge fan of her other recent album Saltbreakers, it ended up not mattering to me one bit that just one of those songs made an appearance; her new songs are just that good. Supported by a violin, a keyboard and guitarist/percussionist Eric Anderson of Cataldo, both “I Can See Your Tracks” and “Carol Kaye,” the story of one of the most recorded female studio bassists in history (including on the Beach Boys Pet Sounds), were marked early highlights on the night. My favorite song of all though might have been “Life is Good Blues,” which features a bit of the quirky Laura we’ve come to know, while signaling just how good at her craft she’s become now. It’s an example of a song that has a timeless quality, that it could have come from any decade of the last six, in a way achieving the goal she sings just as nimbly about in the final song of July Flame, “Make Something Good.” “When You Give Your Heart” positively stinks of Randy Newman.

Further examination of just what’s so compelling about Laura Viers doesn’t yield simple answers, given there is so much songcraft going on. Veirs’ voice almost always carries the heart of the melody, and the strength of it’s high register personality generally dominates at the center of the song, even at its quietest. She’s developed her own meter and signature embellishments to her singing distinguish her from the pack; words that aren’t musical, somehow become so coming from the mouth of Laura Veirs. What may be most intriguing to me though, the X factor that really sets her material apart, is that her music is coming from a place of living outside herself, of storytelling, and of building songs and stories to stand the test of time. Songs that aren’t excuses to wallow in ones own self-pity, but instead excuses to celebrate nature, life and love.

Veirs has a baby due in April, which will no doubt provide a fount of new experience, reasons to celebrate and material to ply her writing skills with. Before then though, she said she’ll be back to the Tractor in March.