(Sub Pop)
In a music industry flooded with pop songs, Beachwood Sparks provides some much-needed relief. With a sound reminiscent of The Band and Buffalo Springfield, no song is written with radio in mind.
Beachwood Sparks' classic country rock sound is complete with banjos, harmonicas and slide guitar. Chris Gunst is a singer who can't sing following in the footsteps of Neil Young. Gunst's vocals have a whiny pitch and are a breath of fresh air from radio friendly boy bands.
is the band's sophomore album and the tree motif is prominent throughout. The album opens with an instrumental called \Germination,"" and the guitar riff repeats in the last song.
Each song flows into the next without one sounding more prevalent than the next. Dave Scher's slide guitar creates a soothing atmospheric backdrop while Aaron Sperske's drums keep time. The song structures change constantly from slow to fast and back to slow again.
The lyrics on are thought-provoking and anything but catchy. In the song ""Close Your Eyes,"" Gunst sings ""Close your eyes to see/ a better place for you and me/ imagination set free/ where/ we can be better versions/ of ourselves."" These kinds of choppy lyrics are common in many of the songs, but they fit perfectly with the music.
One of the outstanding songs on the album'even though all the songs eventually grow on the listener'is the cover of Sade's ballad ""By Your Side."" Gunst's vocals are heartfelt and his harmonica is just as powerful.
The album is a nice display of classic rock and, as it showed on its recent tour with the Black Crowes, Beachwood Sparks is as impressive live as it is in the studio. Anyone interested in listening to a classic rock sound from a modern band should pick up this album. At least it will be better than listening to the radio.
(Dreamworks)
When the Long Beach Dub Allstars released their first album two years ago, devoted fans weren't sure what to think or expect from this intrepid venture. None the less, they were ecstatic to see a new record from the former Sublime tandem, Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh. is ineffectively reminiscent of Sublime. However, The Long Beach Dub Allstars begin to shine out from the shadow cast over them on their second LP, . is a much more mature and careful endeavor, giving way to and fresh new sound.
Stepping away from the idealized image of Sublime while trying to maintain a solid sound is tough, the LBDA changed it up a bit on , finally assembling a new vibe for the band but not stepping too much in the wrong direction. includes heaps of solid bass and drums and is smothered with reggae, punk and hip-hop influences imparting Sublime/LBDA's unequivocal easygoing and laid-back sound. This time around, however, they fuse their core with some atmospheric electronic beeps and whirrs.
""Grasscloud"" and ""Wonders Dub II"" lead the new breed of jams on that use electronic hooks and trippy ambient backdrops to aimlessly float, with mellow basslines, entrancing gargles, big electronic hums and psychedelic guitar riffs. Now it's easy to think that this spacey turn is odd, but these two tracks are juxtaposed with fifteen other tracks, ranging from classic Sublime-esque alt-rock songs to light hip-hop to tropical funk to anthemic punk to ambient SoCal reggae, maintaining the original blueprint. Most of the tracks simply have a unique and familiar resonance to them, as many include tight basslines and drums to create a classic, rich backdrop for the album.
is an awesome (but not mandatory) album for loyal fans; however, the usual or unusual montage of influences may make fans of music also want to check out the album.
