Half of Portland seasons local folkie’s
third album
Portlander Laura Gibson sings
slow-moving and softly muted folk songs about the trials of life—the
different burdens we all carry and the same end we all meet. On
Beasts of Seasons, her third album and second for local label
HUSH, the music shimmers and sparkles, fades and builds, thanks to
producer Tucker Martine and a Who’s Who of the local scene. Horns
and a singing saw weep tenderly on “Funeral Song” and Eyvind
Kang’s viola flies like a kite in a strong wind during “Where
Have All Your Good Words Gone?” Her backing band, however, work
only to spotlight Gibson’s studied lyrics, lovely finger-picked
guitar and curious vocals, which sound by turns brittle and bold.
There’s a slight crack in her voice that imbues these songs with
subtle resignation, but especially on openers “Shadows on Parade”
and “Come by Storm,” the tempos are so languid and the melodies
so subdued that the songs threaten to dissipate upon leaving the
speakers. “Spirited” picks things up, and ironically, the second
half, titled Funeral Songs, breathes needed life into the album, such
that by the time “Sweet Deception” comes around with its halting
acoustic guitar theme and 50s-style piano, this beast has become a
true beauty.