Beachwood Sparks: The Tarnished Gold

Beachwood Sparks: The Tarnished Gold

2012

Sub Pop Records

Track Listing: 1. Forget the Song  2. Sparks Fly Again  3. Mollusk  4. Tarnished Gold  5. Water from the Well  6. Talk About Lonesome  7. Leave That Light On  8. Nature's Light  9. No Queremos Oro  10. Earl Jean  11. Alone Together  12. The Orange Grass Special  13. Goodbye


After the release of 2002's "Make the Cowboy Robot Cry" E.p. (which I've never heard, but man, is that cover cool)...



 ...the Beachwood Sparks surprisingly broke up. The band-member's pursued other musical projects for 10 years (Mystic Chords of Memory, the Tyde, All Night Radio, Frausdots) before they announced a reunion and a new album in 2012. The new albuim turned out to be "The Tarnished Gold."

And what does the 2012 version of  Beachwood Sparks sound like? Well...pretty much exactly like the 2001 version...Actually it's almost scary how much this sounds exactly like their previous albums. I was expecting to hear some sort of difference...Perhaps updated production tricks or a guest verse from Lil' Wayne...but really the only thing that could be described as any sort of new twist on their sound would be the mariachi-inspired "No Queremos Oro," which actually doesn't sound as out of place as it should...

But what they sacrifice in surprises they make up for in a warm, comforting consistency. I guess the closest thing I can compare this to is when you haven't talked to an old friend in a looong time and then when you get back together   you find they haven't  changed at all. and the conversation flows right away...

"Sparks Fly Again" captures this feeling perfectly...I know I was just busting on the Beach Boys a few days ago for doing a "We're Back!" song,.. but this one really does work against all odds...A sweet, familiar, kaleidoscopic-country melody that sounds just like you remember...It' so 2001 that you'll swear you're missing an episode of Lizzie McGuire...

No, just kidding...I never miss an episode of Lizzie McGuire...

And really the whole album plays like this...Song after song that  feels like you've heard it before but don't mind hearing one more time...They really add a few cool new tracks to their canon, like the breezy old time country of 'Talk About Lonesome,"  and "Forget the Song" which  sounds like it should be track 16 on "Once We Were Trees."

So yea...I like this one quite a bit and it's good to hear them again...Let's hope they have another one in 'em...The world of cutesy-indie country was an empty place without them....Let's check out "Sparks Fly Again."

Beachwood Sparks: Once We Were Trees

Beachwood Sparks: Once We Were Trees

2001

Sub Pop Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Germination  2. Confusion Is Nothing New  3. The Sun Surrounds Me  4. You Take the Gold  5. Hearts Mend  6. Let It Run  7. Old Manatee  8. The Hustler  9. Yer Selfish Ways  10. By Your Side  11. Close Your Eyes  12. Banjo Press Conference  13. Jugglers' Revenge  14. The Good Night Whistle  15. Once We Were Trees


The second full-length album by Beachwood Sparks, released in 2001. Even though it was released a scant one year after their debut, this album sounds more blissful and serene than its predecessor...

This is a really unpopular opinion, but I actually think I like this one a little more than the first album...I'll agree it's definitely not as immediately striking  but a  listen or two reveals a lot of nice stuff here...It's all hazy, psychedelic country rock, full of slow motion harmonica and sleepy steel guitar... The tempo doesn't really exceed languorous (except on maybe "You Take the Gold" which sounds like speed metal compared to other songs), which on the surface may sound like a knock but it really gives the record an incredibly even feel...Although a couple of highlights do stick out...

I actually think "Banjo Press Conference" stands tall among the album's other tracks...It's one of the dreamiest things ever put to tape...That steel guitar sounds like the audio approximation of a sweet dream..."Sun Surrounds Me" succeeds in beating the Byrds at their own cosmic cowboy game, and I'm not a Sade fan but their cover of "By Your Side" almost makes me reconsider my stance...

I used to play this album religiously back in the day...and it's managed to remain one of my go-to records whenever I'm in the mood to listen to country music but have too much self-respect to listen to Hank Williams Jr.

 (♫ Hank, whyyyyyy caint you reeaaad? ♫ )

I wouldn't recommend this  for long car rides or anything...unless you enjoy falling asleep and plowing into oncoming traffic...but it's an excellent listen for when you're kicking back on a nice quiet night with a beer...Oh yea...what kind of beer should you drink when you're playing this?

 This has ironic PBR written all over it...

So crack open your ironic PBR, sit back, relax and listen to "Banjo Press Conference" by Beachwood Sparks...Enjoy...

Beachwood Sparks: Beachwood Sparks

Beachwood Sparks: Beachwood Sparks

2000

Sub Pop Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Desert Skies  2. Ballad of Never Rider  3. Silver Morning After  4. Singing Butterfly  5. Sister Rose  6. This Is What It Feels Like  7. Canyon Ride  8. The Reminder  9. The Calming Seas  10. New Country  11. Something I Don't Recognize  12. Old Sea Miner  13. See Oh Three  14. Sleeping Butterfly

This is Beachwood Sparks' 2000 debut album. It's a psychedelic country rock album that's reminds me of "Smile"-era Brian Wilson joining the "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"-era Byrds..



Basically a twee version of indie-country...But really, this transcends those comparisons...It's  fun, catchy cosmic-roots music...Take a moment to soak in that cover...That's exactly how it sounds...

I first got into these guys around 2001 after reading a review of their second album "Once We Were Trees..." I loved that disc and quickly picked up the debut and loved it even more...At the time I delivered newspapers in the middle of the night/early morning.in Tucson, Arizona...I had some pretty far out places on my route and I'll never forget the sensation of driving down the mountain at about 4 a.m.and looking down on the distant, twinkling city below while listening to "Canyon Ride." For some reason it's a moment that really sticks in my mind...Huh.

Most of the album adheres to the following pattern: Killer track,  brief bizarre interlude, killer track, bizarre brief interlude, etc.... Things start strong with the ridiculously classic "Desert Skies." Which gently bops along a  dusty highway with a hooky melody, wide-eyed, without a care in the world...Dreamy steel guitar drifting like lazy clouds in the sky...

I think this album, more than anything bridged the gap between what I was listening to and the big world of "alt-country." I was a huge fan of Elephant 6 and their retro Beatles/Beach Boys vibe and this fits right into that, except it's done in an Americana style...So a song like, "Old Sea Miner," that bridges Laurel Canyon country with  Beatlesesque undersea psychedelia, was exactly what I needed to hear to truly appreciate the simple pleasures of a pedal steel and a twangity banjo...

The band I'm in (TA-80) even eventually got around to using a pedal steel too! You can check out our video for the song "Gleaming the Cubicle" right here...

 Back to Beachwood Sparks...I'd recommend this to folks who are squarely into indie rock but are slightly interested in country...It seems to maneuver through both genres deftly, one never overpowering the other...Man, I loved hearing this again! I might just have to spin it once more, for old times sake...