If the name Meg Baird is familiar to you then chances are it’s as one of the founding members of cultish psychedelic group Espers, who released a trio of great albums of dreamy and doomy folk over the last decade. In-between which Baird released one solo album in 2007, Dear Companion, which combined unique takes on traditional folk songs and cover versions for the most part. Here though Baird delivers us (almost) a full album of her own original material.

Her songs are all minimal traditional folk in the mould of Vashti Bunyan or Marissa Nadler, only more pastoral, the tracks here are intricate acoustic numbers full of delicate sigh and sway. Lacking in the droney ritualistic moments which coloured Espers best work, Seasons On Earth does occasionally lapse in to beige background noise; consistently pleasant but sometimes too much like country pastiche to evoke full investment in the songs. This being said there are also plenty of moments where the sparse neutrality of the songs are soothing, they feel light of the pressure of days, offering a form of blissful escape.

‘Stars Climb Up The Vine’ is a perfect example, with its slow laconic intro sounding a bit more like you might get from Espers; vocals drift over steel guitar, forming clouds in their beautifully indistinguishable shapes and it develops a lulling smoky atmosphere. ‘Friends’ has soaring falsetto vocals, which initially belie its thoroughly relaxing tone, the softly picked guitar like the gentle blowing of leaves over your feet as you stroll through an autumn morning. It’s a song that doesn’t really go anywhere, but in this instance it doesn’t really matter so much.

Baird’s vocals are at the centre of the album really, everything else an adornment to those, and they are alternately enchanting and unsettling. The latter evident in her cover of House of Love’s ‘Beatles and the Stones’, where her voice is stretched a little too high and sound like a cawing gull. Her double tracked vocals on ‘Share’ are a delight though, crafting a soft and sultry mood only undercut by a rousing country riff. It’s a lovely song though, kind of like a mellow Ryan Adams as it eases itself from solipsism into more optimistic territory.

Seasons of Earth is an enjoyable record and one that demonstrates Baird definitely has some songwriting chops to compliment her voice. So whilst it may not break any new ground, or offer a great deal in the way of stand out moments, its warming understated campfire melodies do offer an ideal companionion for chilly autumnal weather.