Neil Young has made a name for himself over thirty years by tackling any musical genre in his own way. While he has stumbled occasionally along the way, Young can never be faulted for making records or tackling projects simply because a record company wanted him to. However, Silver and Gold might be his most pointless project in the past twenty years (and that includes the bizarre five records released on Geffen Records between 1981 and 1987). Promoted as a companion piece to 1972’s Harvest (Funny since 1992’s Harvest Moon shared the title and feel of the early seventies masterpiece) and supposedly catching Neil in one of the happiest points in his life, Silver and Gold’s songs pale in comparison to either Harvest titles. Even with a backing band that includes the like of Jim Keltner, Duck Dunn, Ben Keith, and Spooner Oldham, most numbers sound like castoffs from previous acoustic projects. Granted, these songs from anyone beside Young would make Silver and Gold a total clunker, but compared with Young’s output starting with 1989’s Freedom and moving through records like Ragged Glory, Sleeps With Angels, Mirror Ball and live records like Weld and Year of the Horse, Silver and Gold plays like a tremendous letdown. (Reprise Records, repriserec.com)

Good music, like fine wine, gets better with age. Well, that metaphor has truly been beaten to death, but it still rings true. The best CDs get better over time because of the nuances that peek through with each listen. But what about those shooting stars; releases that initially jump out of the speakers, but go steadily downhill with each listen? The truth is there is still good music in those CDs, but they just don’t have staying power. Unfortunately, the debut release by Los Angeles-based Beachwood Sparks falls into the shooting star category. At first listen, Beachwood Sparks’ Pink Floyd-meets-Flying Burrito Brothers hippy country tomes dance effortlessly across this Sub Pop release. The influences are obvious and impressive-from The Byrds to Camper Van Beethoven, from Captain Beefheart to Guide By Voices-but at the end of the day, Beachwood Sparks falls closer and closer to Guided By Voices than their true idol Gram Parsons. Beachwood Sparks offer tons of great musical ideas, but as soon as a song gets interesting the band loses interest and jumps onto a new song (or delivers incidental music that gets downright annoying by the end of this CD). While this debut release ends up a little low on the memorable scale, Beachwood Sparks is a band to watch. The writing is tight (in places), the playing is interesting, their musical heart is in the right place and they deserve to be heard. To get the most enjoyment here, place Beachwood Sparks on a multi-CD player and hit the random button, as these songs pop up, mixed with a bunch of other music, the best songs really stand out. (Sub Pop Records, subpop.com)

moodroom’s sophomore release, EP2, opens with the song "Morning Alarm," a breathy but driving tribute to waking up too early and too hung over on a Sunday. The rest of the five song EP follows in a similar vein, gathering various two part descriptions such as "lounge-jazz and edgy alt-rock," or "pop and trip-hop". However, those comparisons can be misleading. Fans of Letters to Cleo or Savage Garden will find themselves on comfortably familiar territory, but those who prefer more oblique acts like portishead or Moorcheeba will probably be bored or disappointed with this disc.

Most evidently lacking on this CD is a sense of focus; there is no real unifying element to catch the ear or provoke the senses. Stef Magro, the singer and lyricist, seems to have decent instincts in both capacities, but fails to set herself apart from untold numbers of Shirly Manson poseurs. Similar charges could be brought against the rest of the band as well: Good … but unremarkable. The care and craft that they put into this recording is ultimately compromised by their failure to achieve any significantly noticeable heights of excellence.

The EP drew to a close a scant twenty minutes after it began. If there had been more, I would have listened to more — but I wasn’t all that broken up to hear it end so soon.