Beachwood Sparks: The Tarnished Gold.

    

      Sub-Pop records has a long history of producing great acclaimed, albeit finicky, artists.  The production of greatness is often met with heavy frustration, which is probably why so many of the label's artists release albums so sporadically.  Beachwood Sparks, an L.A. based alt-country outfit, is a prime example of this.  After disbanding a decade ago, quietly reuniting, then fading away, they have finally released another LP, The Tarnished Gold.
     It is hard to pigeonhole Beachwood Sparks' genre.  It is definitely country, but filtered through psychedelia.  The Tarnished Gold follows this formula, combining folksy and psychedelic twangs into beautiful little songs.  The breezy acoustic based tunes make for an accessible listen for all levels of listeners.  The songs are thin and delicate, and those looking for instrumental depth and texture may need to look elsewhere.  The Tarnished Gold aims, and hits, their mark of keeping their sounds as organic an unpastuerized as possible.    From time to time, however, the album deviates from its norm, most notably on the tongue-in-cheek "No Queremos Oros," which would fit in at the most authentic Mexican Cantinas. 
    In seemingly typical Sub-pop fashion, Beachwood Sparks have no deifnitive plans subsequent to the release of this album.  Whether or not they will pursue this project or not is still up in the air.  For now, fans of this band, and their space-cowboy melodies, can take comfort in The Tarnished Gold, even if is nothing more than a pretty epilogue to the band.