BEACHWOOD SPARKS

Beachwood Sparks: Chris Gunst (vocals, guitar); Dave Scher (slide guitar, keyboards); Brent Rademaker (bass); Aaron Sperske (drums).
Producers: Beachwood Sparks, Michael Deming.
No American Gothic frowns here; Beachwood Sparks are a godsend to those music fans who revere the Cosmic Country sound of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, but are put off by the dour indie dirges made by insurgent country acts in Gram Parsons' name. This LA quartet are all about sunny late '60s Cali harmonies, Bakersfield-influenced psychedelic country-pop jams, and a hippie disposition full of cinnamon pedal-steel and cowgirls-under-blue-sky daydreams. By infusing these retro images with a healthy dose of studio-generated post-rock sonics, Beachwood Sparks update Cosmic Americana for the modern age.
The keys to their sound lie in Dave Scher's facility with lap-steel guitar and organ, and in the band's full-bodied harmonies. These elements are constant, whether on a Tex-Mex cowboy jaunt like "Silver Morning After," on which the steel cascades in jamming waves, or on an arena-style power ballad like "The Reminder," where it softly underpins the harmonies. But the band's finest moments are when guitar and organ play off each other in a psychedelic country-pop vortex reminiscent of a more succinct Grateful Dead, as on "This is What It Feels Like," a ready-made soundtrack for a Topeka Canyon day trip.

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