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Beachwood Sparks have set their time machine for sunny Southern California circa 1969 and landed with an homage to the country rock that led music fans out of the Beatles era. Although it contains echoes of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Buffalo Springfield, their self-titled album ultimately charts its own course with crisp songwriting, distinctive four-part harmonies, and tiptop instrumentation that features lap-steel and 12-string guitars, piano, and harmonica. At a time when many bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control treat pastiche as if it were a novelty, Beachwood Sparks retain the sparkle of late-'60s mellow rock yet are anchored by a clear-headed originality. The slow-waltzing "New County" and transcendent "Silver Morning After" are far more than a nostalgic look back at the Laurel Canyon crowd with their white jeans, stringy-haired girlfriends, and Humboldt weed. They are the classic rock songs of the future. --Lois Maffeo