Across the River of Stars (Digisleeve)

Beachwood Sparks emerge from a decade-long hiatus with 2024s moon-dipped Across the River of Stars. The album finds the California group embracing the psychedelic 70s country-rock of their early work with an added sonic shimmer that also speaks to their roots as members of the shambolic, 90s melodic rock outfit Further. Helping to capture this fizzy, analog aesthetic is Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson, who produced the album and brings his own passion for rootsy, kaleidoscope-eyed rock. The album, which follows 2012s The Tarnished Gold, once again reunites the groups core trio of singer/guitarist Chris Gunst, singer/bassist Brent Rademaker, and singer/lap steel guitarist/keyboardist Dave Scher. Also on board are longtime associates, guitarist Ben Knight, keyboardist/guitarist Jen Cohen Gunst, drummer Andres Renteria, and Clay Finch of Mapache, who sings backing vocals on two songs. From the opening roadhouse-in-space blast of "My Love, My Love" to the spiraling guitar arpeggios of the album-closing "Wild Swans," the record feels like a journey across the night sky as the band pay tribute to friends lost along the way -- most notably, co-founding member Josh Schwartz, who died in 2017 at age 45 following a battle with ALS. Its a vibe they conjure on the evocatively titled "Gentle Samurai," a rambling anthem in Byrdsian fashion in which they sing, "Wandering those many nights/Howling at the marquee moon/the song has reached its endless time, this albums over far too soon." With its reference to Televisions landmark 1977 album Marquee Moon, the song works as both an evocation of youthful days spent hanging out with friends now gone and as an homage to Television frontman Tom Verlaine, who died in 2023. This kind of poetic symmetry drives much of Across the River of Stars and speaks to how our personal memories get intertwined with the music and movies we love, bridging us to the past. Its a poignant, desert-campfire texture they return to on songs like "Falling Forever," "Faded Glory," and "High Noon." Just like those nights of wandering under that halcyon moon that Beachwood Sparks are reminiscing about, Across the River of Stars has a glow that beckons to you, pulling you closer. ~ Matt Collar