Our Song of the Day is from FRUK long-term favourite Laura Gibson. Our first introduction was via her 2010 release ‘Bridge Carols‘ with Ethan Rose. Her music spans from minimalist folk to the wide-open anthemic offerings of La Grande. Her new album ‘Empire Builder’ promises to be a huge leap forward as a songwriter, composer and producer. Watch her new lyric video for the title track below, also our Song of the Day:
Talking about the song and video Laura explains:
“I captured this video footage while traveling from Oregon to New York on the Empire Builder; so the music video and the song have existed together since their beginnings. At the time, I was moving to New York to attend graduate school. I had known for a while that I needed some sort of change, a new challenge in my life and work.”
“This song captured a moment of utter unknowing, of self-doubt and confliction. The song itself became my means of finding an answer, my way of saying something I couldn’t otherwise express” she continues. “The first few times I performed “Empire Builder”, I felt almost embarrassed. It seemed too simple, too direct and personal. But it seemed to resonate with people, and more importantly, I felt I had been able to communicate something I had been trying and failing to communicate up until that point. It was the charge, and the anchor that allowed me to make the whole record, which shares its name.”
The footage was filmed by Laura and edited by Kelly Lyon.
Laura Gibson live dates:
Apr 22 BE Brussels – Huis 23@AB
Apr 23 NL Utrecht – Tivoli Vredenburg Cloud
Apr 25 UK Manchester – Soup Kitchen
Apr 26 UK London – Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
Apr 27 FR Paris – Point Ephemere* w/Grant-Lee Phillips
Apr 28 NL Amsterdam – Tuinzaal, Paradiso Noord
Apr 29 NL Nijmegen – Marienburg Church
Apr 30 BE Gent – Trefpunt
May 01 BE Lessines – Roots and Roses Festival
May 02 DE Berlin – Kantine am Berghain
May 03 DE Leipzig – Werk 2
May 05. AT Graz – Postgarage
May 06 AT Vienna – Haus Der Musik
May 07 CH Dornbirn – Conrad Sohm
Sept 02 – 04 UK End of the Road Festival – Dorset
Empire Builder is released April 1st. Pre-Order it via Amazon