Austin Sound

Dreams are nothing like albums. Between the time we put head to pillow and the time we wake up to start whatever monotony the day has in store, we completely submit our consciousness to the will of our imagination. Dreams are highly introspective, at least in my experience. Both people close to me and people that I thought I’d forgotten long ago run amuck in my subconscious; what little “plot” I can discern from them is usually related to the things that are stressful in my life. And what’s more, you don’t have a choice! You’re asleep, and whatever dreams you get are the ones you’re stuck with. Ever tried to coerce your subconscious into a sex-dream? Doesn’t work, does it?

But albums, on the other hand, albums are almost none of these things, especially from the listening perspective (which, unless you’re Bill Baird, means you and me). Listening to an album is looking in on the consciously created artistic work of another, and it’s by your choice alone. But then there’s Bright Blue Dream. When an album drags you in with haunted vocals and harsh rhythms, keeps you at its mercy through 14-minute guitar explorations, and then releases you after an hour or so like a mid-afternoon nap, then you can’t help but feeling like maybe, just maybe, you were dreaming.

I have memories from my childhood of being conscripted into lawn care for my mother. Watering plants, picking up dog poop, and especially pulling weeds, all the things that lead to back problems in middle age. “Don’t pull out all of my flowers!” she’d say (flowers being crucial to the Neighborhood-wide “Lawn of The Month” award). An hour later she’d come back to inspect the work, “What are all these sunflowers doing here?” she’d ask. “They’re flowers,” I’d come back in their defense. It just seemed odd to me, to rip such a delicate little yellow flower right out of the ground. But where I saw flowers, she saw squatters, and she paid the allowance. So if you guessed that this is an allegorical story about The Weird Weeds and traditional popular music, then you guessed right. One man’s weed is another man’s flower, and one man’s nonsensical noise music is another man’s record collection.

In his first release post-Sound Team, Bill Baird has joined up with the artist conglomerate label Autobus to produce Pink Clouds, a limited edition 100 copy run cassette tape. Baird is also working on a new CD, currently entitled Bright Blue Dream, which should see release on Autobus in March.

To celebrate Pink Clouds, Baird will be heading west on a short tour, kicking off tonight at Beerland. Baird will be taking to the road with a full six piece band, and the shows will purportedly feature accompanying video that he has orchestrated into a full sensorial experience. Gulf of Mexico will also be playing at Beerland, making their debut with former Sound Team drummer, Jordan Johns.

Is there anything more interesting to consider than what an artist’s potential is? After all, with so much music being made these days the easiest way to break it down is to seek out those who appear to have bright futures. This way, with each effort they release there is at least some hope for improvement and new ideas, and not just the same music with different lyrics. Of course, along with this approach comes the inevitable disappointment in finding out that you latched onto an act that peaked with whatever attracted you to them to begin with. Then there are bands like Brazos, who shine with so much potential on a single release that you can’t decide if future outputs will be disasters or pure brilliance. This is where A City Just As Tall comes into play.

Mark David Ashworth’s first album also marks the debut of Autobus Records, the new artist-run label by the Wheel Collective, which, in addition to Ashworth, includes Jared Van Fleet (Voxtrot, Sparrow House), Martin Crane (Brazos), and Nathan Stein (Tacks, the Boy Disaster, The Early Tapes). Viceroy was originally self-released earlier this year, but is now appearing under the Autobus umbrella, which will follow Ashworth’s disc with the release of the next two Sparrow House EP’s later this Spring.