Laura Veirs: Manchester University

"WE HOPE YOU LIKE our embroidered outfits," begins Laura Veirs. "We went that extra mile." She is referring to her floral dress and the suits worn by her band, the Saltbreakers. They're all unfeasibly decorated with natural scenes: the bassist wears a particularly lively number depicting scenes of meadows and butterflies. Nature, of course, is Veirs's forte, and dominates her music, including the new album, also called Saltbreakers. Born in the Pacific Northwest's great wide open, her predominant obsession with water provides some of her best metaphors: "There's a shadow beneath the sea/ A shadow between you and me."