It’s about time I got to some music from the 2000s. I’ve only listened to one other album from the 2000s and that was King Tuff’s album, Was Dead (2008), from yesterday. That being said, I hadn’t heard of Beachwood Sparks until recently, and was immediately enamored by the way their bio on Apple Music sounded: “Los Angeles-based cosmic country-pop combo”. I’m sold. I figured I might as well start with their first album to get to know where they started from.
“Desert Skies” has a really interesting intro to it. It sounds pretty country, but there’s a nice strangeness to it that makes it differ a bit from the norm. That slide guitar really gives it a nice dreaminess to it, while the twang of the electric guitar keeps things a bit grounded. Wow, this song has changed in sound a few times now, with a definite evolution in terms of the overall soundscape. I really dig the jangliness of the acoustic guitar behind the electricity of the band. The slide guitar really reminds me of something like The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968).
“Ballad of Never Rider” is a strange segue song, with some definite psychedelic undertones to the whole thing. The transition to “Silver Morning After” is pretty nice. I really dig that bass guitar to this one, bopping along to that country beat. There’s some really nice acoustic work in this tune. There’s almost a marching feeling to the whole thing.
“Singing Butterfly” is really interesting. I’m not sure what’s going on, it’s almost ethereal country. I can see where the cosmic plays into their sound. It’s almost a psychedelic country album feeling, really interesting. It’s worth mentioning that it’s relatively pop-y at the same time.
“Sister Rose” drops right into things and I really dig it. Wow, there’s an electric organ and some pretty fuzzy electric guitar. This song is fantastic. I can’t stress how much I’m digging this song. That bass line is infectious. The electric guitar is superb. The drums have such a great feel to them. Add in the slide guitar and some electric organ and you have a heck of jam. This one is probably the most rock and roll-like of the album thus far, but I’m really impressed right now.
“This Is What It Feels Like” has a great acoustic sound to the whole thing. I’m really reminded of Gram Parsons whenever that slide guitar comes in. It’s got like a 70s pop song feel to it. I’m really pleased to be listening to this song and album right now.
Wow, that transition to “Canyon Ride” is impeccable. It slows things down a bit with a ballad sort of feel. The piano and the slide guitar play excellently with one another in this tune. Wow, the breakdown of this tune is really sweet, and definitely has some strong cosmic vibes. Wow, the twang of that electric guitar is really beautiful. Oh wow, there’s a harmonica part. This really is a great tune – it almost sounds like its from a time machine out of the 1970s.
“The Reminder” is a nice, soft and slow song. There’s a really nice sweetness to it. Wow, I’m really easily getting lost in this one. It’s quite blissful, in my opinion. I really dig the piano especially. Very serene for sure.
“The Calming Seas” feels like it’s building up to something in the way it’s being played. Wow, I really dig the way the drums came in, and the way the electric guitar shortly followed, and then the harmonica came in right in between them. This is a great tune. Wow, the change in tempo is super juicy, especially with that harmonica.
“New County” feels immediately like a slow country ballad with a bit of blues thrown in. Really awesome sound, in my opinion. Wow, I really love the tone of the bass, especially on this one. Dang, that piano hits very well in combination with the rest of the instrumentation. That harmonica brings such a great weightiness to the song. There’s definitely a great bluesiness to the track. Wow, the outro to the song is such a subversion of the expectations – really awesome.
“Something I Don’t Recognize” has a really nice, almost psychedelic, self-reflection feel to it. That electric organ, or perhaps guitar, gets pretty dream-psychedelic-like sounding at times. Wow, it gets even more psychedelic as the song goes along. I’m very impressed by the songs in this album so far. There’s almost a psychedelic jangliness that the song has in order to complement the other, more cosmic elements to it.
“Old Sea Miner” almost sounds like if Pink Floyd were to write a country rock tune. I really dig that electric organ, and once again, the bass is absolutely infectious. The way the song feels like it’s sort of twirling around itself is really impressive. Wow, it does get pretty cosmic as well. Wow, when it gets back to Earth the tone of the electric guitar is super tasty. Wow, it goes back and forth between dreamy and smooth to fuzzy and swirling. This song has really wowed me, especially with the outro. Holy smokes, I love the way that guitar sounds. The switching back and forth between a dreamy cosmicness and a fuzzy swirling is super interesting to me.
“See, Oh Three” sounds like the band is concluding the album a bit with this sweet sounding ballad. It doesn’t necessarily sound country in particular at first, more like a cosmic rock until some more instrumentation comes in. The way the song brings in an almost psychedelic jangliness makes this tune super interesting to me, and most definitely enjoyable to listen to. The bass has such an optimistic sound to it. Wow, this outro sounds like it simultaneously gets closer and further away.
“Sleeping Butterfly” brings the album full circle in a sense, with the same psychedelic-like tune as “Singing Butterfly”, and with that brings the album to a close. I must say it was incredibly interesting hearing the progression of songs.
This album has impressed me in many ways, with each song being an absolute joy to listen to. I really recommend this to anyone who digs psychedelic music and/or country, because it really kept me interested the entire time with the interplay between the two genres.
-A