AMG Review of Beachwood Sparks

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

The Beachwood Sparks are space cowboys -- although their self-titled Sub Pop debut most closely recalls the sound of vintage Laurel Canyon country-rock, its shimmering twang-pop melodies and gorgeous harmonies bask in a kind of interstellar psychedelia which lends the album an otherworldly glow. The hypnotically dreamlike instrumental passages which wind their way through luminous country-pop moments like "Sister Rose," "Something I Don't Recognize," and "Old Sea Miner" completely transform the album's chemical makeup. Rooted in the earth but reaching for the stars, the group realizes Gram Parsons' "Cosmic American music" aesthetic in its truest sense.