Albums by this artist

Beachwood Sparks (2000)

Beachwood Sparks

Beachwood Sparks

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» PIERO SCARUFFI | STAFF WRITER

Beachwood Sparks Beachwood Sparks Sub Pop, 2000 RiYL: Gram Parsons, The Byrds, Big Star

Beachwood Sparks, a folk band from Los Angeles, are the unlikely mutation of one of noise-rock's most adventurous bands, Further. It was Further bassist Brent Rademaker and occasional guitarist Chris Gunst who started the band, the lineup of which was finalized with the additions of guitarist Dave Scher and drummer Aaron Sperske of the Lilys.

Their self-titled debut is a collection of mild, unassuming country songs, marked by slide guitars and mellow choruses. The main inspiration appears to be Gram Parsons (especially on the modest ballad "Desert Skies"), but the band shines on tracks that recall the psychedelia of The Byrds ("Sister Rose," "Something I Don't Recognize") and the catchy pop of Big Star and The Raspberries ("Old Sea Miner").

The tracks alternate with short, surreal sound experiments, which, on numbers like "This Is What It Feels Like" are worth more than the songs themselves.

PIERO SCARUFFI | Piero Scaruffi runs the exhaustive music database Scaruffi.com. A native of Italy, he has also been praised for his work on the General Theory of Relativity, formal theories of the mind, and artificial intelligence. And no, we aren't making that up.