My Echo

My Echo
A pink and magenta monochromatic photo of Veirs seated
Studio album by
Laura Veirs
ReleasedOctober 23, 2020 (2020-10-23)
RecordedTucker Martine's home studio, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Length33:54
Labels
ProducerTucker Martine
Laura Veirs chronology
The Lookout
(2018)		 My Echo
(2020)		 Found Light
(2022)

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

Recording and release

On Valentine's Day 2020, Veirs released the song "I Was a Fool"; the song discusses her divorce as do the tracks on My Echo. Veirs calls My Echo "an album about disintegration". 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 and "Turquoise Walls" in August.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year80 out of 100
AnyDecentMusic?7.4 out of 10
Metacritic84 out of 100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar
Exclaim!8 out of 10
Financial TimesStarStarStarStar
MusicOMHStarStarStarStar
Paste7.7 out of 10
Slant MagazineStarStarStarHalf star

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, My Echo received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from eight critic scores. Album of the Year sums up critical consensus as an 80 out of 100 based on five reviews and AnyDecentMusic? considers My Echo a 7.4 out of 10, also based on five reviewers.

Sara Chodos of Exclaim! gave the release an eight out of 10, praising the diversity of musicianship and instrumentation. In New Statesman, Ellen Perison-Hagger declared Veirs "one of the greatest living American songwriters" for her ability to use music as catharsis. 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. 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. 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." 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". 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". 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".

Samantha Small of Under the Radar reviewed "Burn Too Bright" upon its release, naming it one of the songs of the week. 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."

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

Credits are adapted from the My Echo liner notes.

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. 1 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. 1 2 "Laura Veirs – My Echo". Album of the Year. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "My Echo by Laura Veirs". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "My Echo by Laura Veirs". Metacritic. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Deming, Mark (October 23, 2020). "My Echo - Laura Veirs | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Chodos, Sarah (October 21, 2020). "Laura Veirs' My Echo Is a Snapshot of a Divorce in Real-Time". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Cheal, David (October 23, 2020). "Laura Veirs: My Echo—from High Drama to the Ephemeral". Financial Times. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Hogwood, Ben (October 26, 2020). "Laura Veirs – My Echo". MusicOMH. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  13. 1 2 Salmon, Ben (October 22, 2020). "Laura Veirs Embraces the Unknown on My Echo". Paste. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  14. 1 2 Mason, Eric (October 14, 2020). "Laura Veirs's My Echo Is a Divorce Album That Trades Misery for Escapism". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 23, 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.
  19. ↑ My Echo (CD booklet). Laura Veirs. Raven Marching Band. 2020.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)