The Court and Spark

With few obvious alternative country comparisons, as they are neither drawn to the psychedelic sounds common to bands like <a href="spotify:artist:07tmbQsiTfXekPkbovBERR">Beachwood Sparks</a> nor the rootsy rock of <a href="spotify:artist:7AhDVqsNA5q46WKsRPXvoe">Son Volt</a> and their ilk, the Court & Spark create twangy mood music. Formed around the nucleus of <a href="spotify:artist:6u1qI4cUpJV3UCqZI8lHyT">Scott Hirsch</a>, Alex Stimmel, James Kim, and laconic lead vocalist M.C. Taylor, the San Francisco band moved past a noisier early incarnation to take cues from the classic sounds of the early country-rock era. Still, much as they apparently admire the troubadour aesthetic, the sound they capture is altogether more sonically progressive and multi-faceted than the work of simple roots rock revivalists. Their debut, 1999's Ventura Whites, garnered substantial praise on the strength of their hazy arrangements and expansive sun-bleached production. With pedal steel player <a href="spotify:artist:2aiV9sFJR5TESaPKWvT9qZ">Tom Heyman</a> and vocalist Wendy Allen, as well as former <a href="spotify:artist:1PCZpxHJz7WAMF8EEq8bfc">Byrd</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0rESpKEusFHxhW59MIf7eM">Flying Burrito Brother</a> <a href="spotify:artist:0rjpJb7rUMt806t6RCf8ch">Gene Parsons</a>, hopping on board for 2001's Bless You, the stage was set for one of the most fully realized Americana releases of the year. In 2004, the Court & Spark came out with the EP Dead Diamond River and the full-length Witch Season, followed two years later by Hearts. ~ Matt Fink, Rovi