Beachwood Sparks: Beachwood Sparks (CD on Sub Pop)

Band: Beachwood Sparks
Label: Sub Pop
Title: Beachwood Sparks

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Band:Beachwood Sparks
Title:Beachwood Sparks
Reviewed By:Darrell Angus
Date Published:17/12/2001

Label:Sub Pop
Format:CD
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Blazing trails in indie music can be hard these days. Everyone is either striving for originality or looking to the past for inspiration. Beachwood Sparks have managed to do both.

The Byrds, Gram Parsons, and the Grateful Dead are all good reference points for the uninitiated and the Beachwood lads have managed to produce an album of songs which clearly draw inspiration from the late 60's Southern California sound.

Acoustic guitar and pedal steel meld with B3 organ and harmonica to create a mesh of pop, psychedelia, and countrifried sounds. The Buffalo Springfield like opener "Desert Skies" fuses country pop and folk together to a glorious end. Guitarist/vocalist Chris Gunst's voice is high and plaintive and Dylanesque at times. "Sister Rose", with its noodling guitar lines, seems lifted right out of Jerry Garcias brain(C'mon Deadheads, thats in a jar somewhere, right?).

Beachwoods songwriting skills are evident on standouts like "Canyon Ride" with its lonesome piano, and "The Calming Seas" with its mournful harmonica wails.

With half of 2000 over already, Beachwood Sparks is the standout. Refreshing and shimmering, this record will be played for years to come.

Track Listing:

01) Desert Skies
02) Ballad Of Never Rider
03) Silver Morning After
04) Singing Butterfly
05) Sister Rose
06) This Is What I Feel Like
07) Canyon Ride
08) The Reminder
09) The Calming Seas
10) New County
11) Something I Don't Recognise
12) Old Sea Miner
13) See, Oh Three
14) Sleeping Butterfly

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Beachwood Sparks:Desert Skies
Malcolm Carter examines 60's-influenced country/psychedelic band Beachwood Sparks long lost album 'Desert Skies', which recorded in 1997, has only been released now

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Beachwood Sparks - CD

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