Sunset - Gold Dissolves to Gray

BEST OF 2009 ARTIST
Someone You Should Know


BILL BAIRD RETURNS - Austin Wunderkid returns under the nom de guerre, Sunset. Country-western sonic rumblings, indie rock misbehavior, triumphant exhibition of the human spirit ensue... The bassist for the now-defunct Sound Team, Bill Baird has been rocking as a solo artist and now under the stage name Sunset for a couple of years now. I first met Baird back in 2006 - when this website was in its infancy. Baird generously agreed to sit down with me when Sound Team arrived in Boston for a tour with Sparta.


New Times, the Rebirth of Cool - Those were very different days, and Sound Team is sadly, no more. (Baird's former bandmates are performing now as TV Torso - named for one of Sound Team's songs.) Times change, but Baird is still ends of being one of the best creative minds in music. The new effort from Baird (again, credited here as Sunset,) is Gold Dissolves to Gray - a beautiful piece of tumbleweed rolling in the creative space of Baird's mind. The album triumphs in its exploration of spacing. Praised as modern psychedelia at its finest by Canada's Exclaim!, somewhere at the crossroads of “melodic pop bliss and twisted backwoods folk.”



A Songwriter's Triumphant Return - Behind the traditional lyrics (even Baird's instrumental songs tell a story), RSL hears sauntering, reliable tempos developing like a waltz. Speckled between these numbers are Baird's jam-minded epiphanies. Expect the unexpected as unconventional instruments combine to drive the songs home. Most of Baird's creations lift off the page, serving to showcase his skill for lo-fi recording and penchant for writing songs that effortlessly convey emotional language.

Gold Dissolves to Gray is one of the best of 2009. Seriously, kids. Austin, TX and the world of contemporary music is a better place with folks like Baird setting the stage. I am happy to have his back.

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