Beachwood Sparks: The Tarnished Gold
The four soft-rocking Californians of Sub Pop’s Beachwood Sparks have been credited with launching, if not quite creating, the early-aughts rise of easy-to-listen-to, easier-to-nap-to, alt-country West Coast crooner rock—the very same variety that artists like Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver proceeded to popularize and then polarize. And since the release of 2002’s Make the Cowboy Roots Cry EP, they’ve mostly left it alone. But they haven’t left it behind: A decade later, The Tarnished Gold presents a comforting, if occasionally too comfortable, return to form. Ever-present are the looping choruses, lazy melodies and gentle, diluted vocals of Beachwood Sparks’ early... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsIt Was All Yellow: A Pollen Playlist
If temperatures in the 80s and all the chirping birds and baseball talk wasn't enough... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayJangle Bell Rock: A Chronological (Non-Holiday) Anthology… from The Beatles and Byrds to R.E.M. and Beyond
It's hard to say exactly where it started, but The Beatles and The Byrds often get the most credit for starting the enduring subgenre that's come to be known as jangle pop. Of course, The Searchers and even The Everly Brothers were laying the foundations before them... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayGreen-Collar Rock: Great Nature Songs Vol. 2 (Land & Sky)
With last week's inauguration of new President Barack Obama, there's been a lot of talk about green-collar jobs and making long-term investments by implementing environmentally sound policies now. It got me thinking about what we're protecting by doing this—first and foremost, the health and well-being of ourselves and future generations. But it's also about preserving this beautiful natural world we inhabit. There is no shortage of amazing songs that celebrate or draw from this beauty. Classics like John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" and The Beatles' "Blackbird" come immediately to mind, but there are so many more. Here are a few... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayLive Review: Jenny Lewis and Benji Hughes @ Variety Playhouse 9/30/08
Two nights ago, I caught a great show at Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse—up-and-comer Benji Hughes opened for one of my favorite artists of the last few years, Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis.... read more
Found in: Blogs, Ctrl-V, Local:AtlantaBeachwood Sparks: Mystic Chords of Memory / Frausdots
Like some celestial meteor barreling through earth’s atmosphere, Beachwood Sparks has—under the pressure and intense heat of large-scale touring and swelling expectations—fragmented into several smaller but still noteworthy projects... read more
Found in: Music, Reviews
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