Sub Pop
2002
Make The Cowboy Robots Cry
About This Album
Beachwood Sparks don't like being fenced into any one particular musical pasture. While their critics obviously have no trouble pointing out the band's love of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, they'll often neglect to mention how the band might also drop in a tottering "Interstellar Overdrive" organ riff or tear off on a psychedelic space rock tangent. Their spirited cover of "By Your Side" on last year's Once We Were Trees also revealed they were liable to make a whimsical pop culture statement without so much as tipping their hand why they would cover Sade's hit in the first place (talk about smooth operators). Make the Cowboy Robots Cry, however, is their most adventurous turn yet, a real reflection of where they are now and where they're possibly headed next. The focus on this wistful six-song EP -- which clocks in at just over 30 minutes -- is where it has been all along, placed front and center on Chris Gunst's tender but frail vocals and the band's lilting harmonies (think Smile-era Beach Boys). This release, however, also finds them straying from the Cosmic American path to add electronic and post-rock elements along the way.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,4 and 5)

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