Review: Meg Baird – Don’t Weigh Down the Light

Meg Baird
Don’t Weigh Down the Light

Drag City
Street: 06.23
Meg Baird = Dolores O’Riordan + Mariee Sioux

Combining crisp Celtic vocals with precise, finger-picked guitars, Meg Baird takes us on a highly controlled yet surprisingly fluid journey through feelings of displacement and wandering. Moving from Philadelphia to San Francisco, it is clear that—although meditatively so—Baird has experienced a distinct sense of loss (see “Even the Walls Don’t Want You to Go” and “Past Houses”). Even though the subject matter isn’t particularly uplifting, Don’t Weigh Down the Light never drags or feels too repetitive—each song is perfectly crafted with a soft lightness that keeps it all from getting too humdrum. What’s interesting is that melodies and vocals are often recycled throughout the songs, but as each portion is reused, new elements can be detected. This is perfect for Sunday afternoons and late-night decompressing. –Allison Shephard