Portland, OR singer-songwriter Laura Gibson is joined again by an impressive cast of backing musicians on her latest full length, La Grande. As with her 2009 album of sparse folk, Beasts of Seasons, cameos include Nate Query and Jenny Conlee (The Decemberists), Joey Burns (Calexico), and Meric Long an Logan Kroeber (The DoDos). Finding inspiration in the beauty of the landscape of La Grande, Oregon, Gibson’s compositions are much more cinematic, which is achieved in part by her use of a nylon string guitar – an instrument typically used in classic arrangements – and broader ranging vistas and soundscapes including vibraphone, pump organ, synths, marimba, and steel guitar. Tying this all together is Gibson’s distinctly lovely vocals, narrating the travels and travails of life and nature. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | The Decemberists, Lisa Germano, Julie Peel