*** 1/2 Beachwood Sparks, “Beachwood Sparks,” Sub Pop.

Without sounding stuck in the past, this Los Angeles quartet’s debut evokes the spacey rapture of such pioneering West Coast country-rock acts as the Byrds, Gram Parsons and Buffalo Springfield. Acoustic-electric arrangements and delicate vocal harmonies create palpable atmospheres, conjuring up deserts, canyons and the sea. It feels quite low-key, but the players pay careful attention to group dynamics even in more far-out moments.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.