LAURA GIBSON

goners CITY SLANg 7/10 Shape-shifting fifth from Oregon-reared folkstress

Gibson’s follow-up to 2016’s Empire Builder finds her tinkering with the complexion of her sound, bringing piano and strings to the surface, mostly at the expense of guitar. It turns out to be a clever fit for the songs, which examine themes of grief and transformation in a way that’s both dreamlike and allusive. kelly Pratt’s vintage brass and the string arrangements of kyleen king provide “Performers” with its woozy appeal, while Gibson’s up-close voice, not dissimilar to samantha Crain or Joanna Newsom, brings a slanted intimacy, at its most affecting on the chamber-folk of “Marjory”.