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AFFECTS
Beachwood Sparks buck own trend on 'By Your Side' ROSS RAIHALA Originally published Oct. 12, 2001
Cover versions are as old as rock 'n' roll itself, from the days of Pat Boone's sanitized takes on R&B hits to the dreadful trend of new metal bands who use '80s hits as a career launcher (Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," Limp Bizkit's "Faith").
Independent-minded artists also have been known to employ the random cover version. The catalogs of Nirvana and Yo La Tengo, for example, are littered with songs written by other artists -- although both bands typically chose obscure and revealing numbers to cover.
One of the oddest cover versions of recent memory pops up midway through "Once We Were Trees," the newly released second album from the Beachwood Sparks. The Los Angeles-based band tackles "By Your Side," last year's comeback hit from adult contemporary deity Sade.
It may sound like an odd and gimmicky choice, especially given the Beachwood Sparks' decidedly retro sound that heavily recalls the Beach Boys, Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers of old.
The thing is, it works -- magnificently so. The lush, polished romanticism of Sade's original gains a weirdly affecting new poignancy when filtered through the Beachwood Sparks' harmonica and slide guitar treatment.
"Once We Were Trees" follows a similar path to the band's terrific, self-titled 2000 debut (both are available on Seattle's Sub Pop). It's the perfect soundtrack to an afternoon spent driving down dusty country roads, picking wildflowers and chewing Skoal. (OK, maybe not the last one.)
Of course, some naysayers claim the Beachwood Sparks' entire career is just one long, extended remake of the sort of music Gram Parsons perfected before most of the Beachwood Sparks' band members were even born.
But, hey, Gram Parsons was one of this country's finest songwriters. A band could do a lot worse in choosing someone to emulate. And "Once We Were Trees" proves the Beachwood Sparks have great taste and an equally appealing way of demonstrating it.
(Mark your calendars, as the Beachwood Sparks return to Seattle's Graceland for a show on Nov. 21.)
Dinosaur collection
The Beachwood Sparks recorded "Once We Were Trees" at the Massachusetts studio owned by none other than Dinosaur Jr. majordomo J. Mascis. And Mascis has a new record, of sorts, as well.
"Ear-Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr." compiles highlights of Mascis' 16-year career thus far.
After releasing albums on indie labels SST and Homestead, Mascis signed to Warner Bros. and spent the '90s as a corporate-funded slacker who occasionally threatened to break through to the masses. (The single "Feel the Pain" was as close as he got.)
Those years alienated some Dinosaur Jr. fans who missed the louder-than-loud early days of the band as well as the creative influence of long-departed bass player Lou Barlow (who went on to form the far superior Sebadoh).
But "Ear-Bleeding Country" does an admirable job of representing the best of the Warner Bros. era and also includes a half-dozen pre-major label Dinosaur Jr. tracks -- including the essential "Freak Scene" and the Cure cover "Just Like Heaven," but sadly not "Raisans."
So it's not perfect, but as either a taster for newcomers or a quick fix for those who don't want to be burdened by the band's voluminous '90s output, "Ear-Bleeding Country" works just fine.
Friday night
It's another big Friday night in Olympia and beyond.
Those not attending the blow-out opening gala of the Olympia Film Festival tonight have three other rock 'n' roll options:
- The Strokes -- one of the year's biggest buzz bands -- play the Temple Theater in Tacoma with the Moldy Peaches (featuring onetime Olympia resident Kimya Dawson). The all-ages show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $16 through www.ticketmaster.com. (Hunt down a copy of Thursday's Olympian for a feature story on the Moldy Peaches.)
- Touch & Go superstars Blonde Redhead play an I.D. show with Olympia's Unwound at the Showbox in Seattle. Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are $12 from Fastixx.com.
- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club -- perhaps second only to the Strokes in the amount of recent hot-new-band hype -- play Seattle's Crocodile Cafe. The Warlocks and Hypatia Lake open; tickets are $10 at the door.
The Top 10
This week's Top 10 list comes from acclaimed Sub Pop singer/songwriter Damien Jurado. Fresh from supporting Sigur Ros in Los Angeles, Jurado returns home to Seattle for a Saturday night concert.
Jurado joins former Throwing Muses leader Kristen Hersh for the 7:30 p.m. show, which will take place at the Shoreline Campus Theater in Seattle. Tickets are $18 and are available by calling 206-546-4606.
Jurado e-mailed the following list with the says-it-all title of: "Damien Jurado's Top 10."
10. Richard Allen novels; 9. Skinhead Reggae; 8. Trojan Records; 7. Stax; 6. Motown; 5. Northern Soul; 4. "Taking Tiger Mountain (by Strategy)," Brian Eno; 3. "Here Come the Warm Jets," Brian Eno; 2. The Clash; 1. The Who.
Ross Raihala covers music for The Olympian. Send news and Top 10 lists to OlyRoss@aol.com. The Olympian Copyright 2001 |
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