Duke, William / Dark Beautiful Sun, The
| Album: | Dark Beautiful Sun, The | Collection: | General | |
| Artist: | Duke, William | Added: | Jan 2016 | |
| Label: | Self-Release | |||
A-File Activity
| Add Date: | 2016-01-10 | Pull Date: | 2016-03-15 |
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| Week Ending: | Mar 6 | Feb 28 | Feb 21 | Feb 14 | Feb 7 | Jan 31 | Jan 24 | Jan 17 |
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| Airplays: | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Recent Airplay
| 1. | May 27, 2022: | KZSU Time Traveler
The Summer Side Of Life |
4. | Jul 29, 2016: | Time Traveler
The Summer Side Of Life |
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| 2. | Jun 21, 2019: | KZSU Time Traveler
The Summer Side Of Life |
5. | Mar 04, 2016: | Time Traveler
The Golden Ring |
|
| 3. | Aug 12, 2016: | Time Traveler
Many Years Away |
6. | Feb 26, 2016: | Time Traveler
Sons And Daughters |
Album Review
Francis D
Reviewed 2016-01-06
Reviewed 2016-01-06
“The Dark Beautiful Sun” William Duke
William Duke is a San Francisco-based musician who has been part of a number of bands in Northern California for many years. He was a co-founder of The Bye Bye Blackbirds, a solid guitar rock band out of Oakland, and has released two previous solo albums. His latest, The Dark Beautiful Sun, is excellent, guitar-driven folk-rock — with polished production and thought-provoking lyrics. Influences and similarities include softer Wilco, Traveling Wilburys, and Tom Petty — and even Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield. Lots of great tracks to discover.
— Francis
Recommended: 1, 2, 6, 8, 5, 9, 4, 10 No FCCs detected.
1. (4:07) The Golden Ring – Starts as bright, upbeat pop-rock with a steady backbeat and a distinctive ringing guitar. Shift gears suddenly at 1:45, slowing and adding sustained Hammond organ chords as it turns melancholy. ****
2. (3:55) The Dark Beautiful Sun – Up-tempo, guitar-driven rock. Handclaps. Harmonized lead vocals and Beach Boys-like backing harmonies. Nice tempo changes. ****
3. (1:03) Kyoto Sunrise – Instrumental. Fingerpicked guitar, synth strings and a conga drum rhythm.
4. (3:45) Sons and Daughters – Warm, jangly folk-rock in the style of Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Byrds, or Buffalo Springfield. **
5. (4:26) Many Years Away – Country-tinged rock like out of the early 1970s. Great lead guitar solo in the middle. ***
6. (3:31) The Truth Comes Out at Night – Really reminiscent of Tom Petty. Strumming guitar and mysterious organ setting up a sense of foreboding. Filtered vocals. Transitions to bouncy folk-rock number. ***
7. (3:45) Just Lookin’ for Some Sleep – Jangly folk-pop with rich backing harmonies.
8. (3:19) The Great Escape – Fantastic folk-rock. Strummed guitars. Pedal steel-like guitar. A melody that instantly gets under your skin. ***
9. (3:57) Summer Side of Life – Appealing cover of the Gordon Lightfoot tune. Fuller sound than the original with harmonized lead vocals. Great bass line. ***
10. (5:00) Your Laughter Fills the Room – Wistful and poignant. “There’s a storm that’s coming soon/And your laughter fills the room/And our dear friends, they can’t seem to turn away.” Electric piano accompaniment. Harmonized choruses. **
11. (2:28) 1977 – Instrumental. Sprawling synthesizer and Mellotron, plus fingerpicked, acoustic guitar.
William Duke is a San Francisco-based musician who has been part of a number of bands in Northern California for many years. He was a co-founder of The Bye Bye Blackbirds, a solid guitar rock band out of Oakland, and has released two previous solo albums. His latest, The Dark Beautiful Sun, is excellent, guitar-driven folk-rock — with polished production and thought-provoking lyrics. Influences and similarities include softer Wilco, Traveling Wilburys, and Tom Petty — and even Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield. Lots of great tracks to discover.
— Francis
Recommended: 1, 2, 6, 8, 5, 9, 4, 10 No FCCs detected.
1. (4:07) The Golden Ring – Starts as bright, upbeat pop-rock with a steady backbeat and a distinctive ringing guitar. Shift gears suddenly at 1:45, slowing and adding sustained Hammond organ chords as it turns melancholy. ****
2. (3:55) The Dark Beautiful Sun – Up-tempo, guitar-driven rock. Handclaps. Harmonized lead vocals and Beach Boys-like backing harmonies. Nice tempo changes. ****
3. (1:03) Kyoto Sunrise – Instrumental. Fingerpicked guitar, synth strings and a conga drum rhythm.
4. (3:45) Sons and Daughters – Warm, jangly folk-rock in the style of Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Byrds, or Buffalo Springfield. **
5. (4:26) Many Years Away – Country-tinged rock like out of the early 1970s. Great lead guitar solo in the middle. ***
6. (3:31) The Truth Comes Out at Night – Really reminiscent of Tom Petty. Strumming guitar and mysterious organ setting up a sense of foreboding. Filtered vocals. Transitions to bouncy folk-rock number. ***
7. (3:45) Just Lookin’ for Some Sleep – Jangly folk-pop with rich backing harmonies.
8. (3:19) The Great Escape – Fantastic folk-rock. Strummed guitars. Pedal steel-like guitar. A melody that instantly gets under your skin. ***
9. (3:57) Summer Side of Life – Appealing cover of the Gordon Lightfoot tune. Fuller sound than the original with harmonized lead vocals. Great bass line. ***
10. (5:00) Your Laughter Fills the Room – Wistful and poignant. “There’s a storm that’s coming soon/And your laughter fills the room/And our dear friends, they can’t seem to turn away.” Electric piano accompaniment. Harmonized choruses. **
11. (2:28) 1977 – Instrumental. Sprawling synthesizer and Mellotron, plus fingerpicked, acoustic guitar.
Track Listing