Laura Veirs Year Of Meteors CD

The Portland-based singer/songwriter once again pays homage to her geology background with Years of Meteors, a diverse collection of meandering pop songs that parallel her most recent European/American tour.

Transience is the common theme here, and Veirs sets her enviable verbal skills to task on standout tracks like "Magnetize," "Parisian Dream," and "Secret Someone" -- the latter boasts a divine bit of travel-weary imagery: "A smile would melt me to an asphalt strip/where all would travel/where all would tread and trip." As with Glacier, Veirs employs her trusted backup band, the Tortured Souls, to flesh out the material.

Led by drummer/producer Tucker Martine, they sound like a tightly knit group now, trading tasteful licks and never overplaying. Flashes of viola, upright bass, and ultra-compressed percussion float in and out.