★★★★☆

They say that from darkness comes beauty. Emerging from what may have been the darkest time of M.E. Baird’s life comes his latest releaseFall, recorded before, during and after the deaths of his mother, father, sister and nephew.

The heartbreak is evident, clearly and painfully, on every note and chord of the album. From the opener ‘Always Tuesday’ to the closer ‘Sertraline Dream’, the violin cries, the guitar weeps, the drums echo, and through it all, Baird’s vocals struggle on, desperately defeated. And yet this isn’t an album drowning in depression. Baird’s writing has transformed it into something more, transcending the pain and instead casting tear-stained eyes up to the horizon in search of better days.

With the pacing of a funeral march, Baird ever so slowly takes us through emotions that would come off as forgeries by songwriters of lesser skill. This is an album of twilight folk, to be played at the sun’s departure, when you’re left alone with your thoughts in the dark, to brood on in sorrow.

Baird speaks of lost loves and scarred hearts, and while he paints life in a harsh light, he still finds something to hold onto, be it a memory or a dream not yet faded. This is folk; sad, bitter and beautiful.

M.E. Baird’sFallis released independently and available here.

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