As I write this, the outside thermometer reads a crisp 41 degrees. The fire in the living room is roaring while the dog maintains safe distance for optimal warming. The bourbon is marinating on the side table. The laptop hums with intention. Native Oregonian Laura Gibson’s latest long player, La Grande, coasts through the speakers. Marimba, pump organ, woodwinds and vibraphones create a pastoral menagerie of sound, as traces of folk music, soul, jazz and jangling, confident rock ‘n’ roll dip in and out of the foreground. Her voice has a vintage quality to it; a delicate lilt that makes each song sound like a lullaby, even when the tempos kick up a notch. The music is medicinal, and it’s going down smooth.
The trailer in the lead photo above is a 1962 Shasta, originally built to provide housing for members of the US Armed Forces when the company was founded back in 1941. This one belongs to Gibson. She’s transformed it into a makeshift writing space. While the majority of the record was recorded in a proper studio with temp control and soundproofing, the Shasta personifies the independent, roughshod romance that lies at the core of her songs. The follow-up to 2009’s Beasts Of Seasons, La Grande is the first great album of 2012—sample a smidge by downloading the title track here—and with indie darling label Barsuk behind it, it’s sure to get spins in high profile areas. We caught up with her for a pre-holiday chat. Gibson will also be touring across the country in January and February, so make sure to scroll to the bottom for dates.
