Blending elements of alternative country and psych-rock, Los Angeles-based group Beachwood Sparks found an ideal home in Sub Pop. The label had been flirting with country acts throughout the mid-to-late 90s and Beachwood Sparks’ twangy take on pop-rock seems to be a natural fit for Sub Pop. The band’s 7-inch for the Singles Club would be the start of a lengthy relationship between the two parties as Sub Pop would go on to release the group’s first three albums. “Midsummer Daydream” maintains the classic drawl of county but with expansive, mind-bending effects that take it from the country side to the far reaches of the milky way. The blending of styles would become a calling card for Beachwood Sparks and would be further built upon with their self-titled debut a year later.

-Dusty Henry, courtesy of KEXP