Beach House – Bloom

Rating: ★★★½☆

Let’s face it, there’s no one out there crafting music just like Beach House.  That is, except Beach House.  Seems redundant doesn’t it? Well, if you’re looking for a fault on the band’s fourth LP, then it might be that the group seems a bit cornered on Bloom.  While the music itself is beautifully emotional, it’s not too far from where they left off with Teen Dream; that’s going to appease hordes of folks, but it might also leave some detractors this go round.

Beach House has a knack of opening an album with brilliance, much like they do here with “Myth.” That twinkling keyboard line complimented by the lofty vocals of Victoria Legrand demonstrate that the duo will continue to find themselves atop year-lists, with few songs capturing the eloquent pop of this track.  When the group takes a slight turn near the 2 minute mark it’s clear to any listener that few songs can eclipse this one.  Bloom is filled with similar moments like this opener, but it’s hard to top your first impression of this listening experience.

“Lazuli” seems to have a bit more sparkle to its construction, which enables the track to stand out from many others on the record.  There’s an underlying quality of brightness to this track that’s not always present with regards to the wistful quality of Legrand.  You get the feeling that she pushed herself here in the studio, and it pays off huge dividends…these are the moments you long for from a group with such a distinctive sound.  Other moments such as this one exist on the record, and Bloom succeeds due to their presence.  “The Hours” is the shortest of the tracks on the record, and its brevity definitely is filled by the group pushing for a slightly different sound, be it the vocals or the guitar work.  And near the end, “On The Sea” gives us a completely different side of Beach House, using a less electronic side of the keyboard.  Really it’s Victoria who steals the show, and while there’s still that element of smoky fuzz in her voice, you’ll also notice a songstress giving the recording of a lifetime (in my opinion).

You see, Bloom has absolutely fantastic elements sprinkled here and there for the listener, so be sure to listen to the record through and through.  However, other tracks do find the group in some middling territory, seemingly unable to escape the remarkably distinct sounds they’ve created in the past few years.  Those moments were beautiful, but at times they do come across as a bit of audio overkill. Beach House is growing here, showing glimpses of new dynamics in their songwriting; they just haven’t completely distanced themselves from Teen Dream.  For some, that’s exactly what you’re looking for this go round; others, like myself, love it, but can’t wait to see where the group takes us on the next go round.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/01-Myth.mp3]

Download:Beach House – Myth [MP3]

FT5: Albums Of The Year (So Far)

Seems like this time of year everybody makes their own version of the best of (so far) albums list.  You think we’d sit back and let everyone else have all the fun?  Think again.  I’ll get this out of the way now and say that this is MY list.  This is in no way a comprehensive list created by all us ATH staffers.  This is ‘ol RayRay’s list full of what I’ve been spinning this year more than anything else.  Now obviously it’s difficult for a music writer to condense a list down to just five, so some very worthy albums will be left off this list.  Of course we’ll put our heads together and make a huge list at the end of the year… Follow the jump for full list.

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Contest: Beach House @ Emo’s (4/22)

Oh Schnaps!  As promised last week, we’ve got even more rad show contests coming your way this week!  So huge buzz band Beach House are coming to Emo’s next week. The show is SOLD OUT, and we’ve got a couple passes to give away to 2 lucky winners.  Deets are as follows:

– Since the new album from Beach House is called Teen Dream, leave us a comment or Tweet us with the best song you can think of with the words “teen” and/or “dream” in the lyrics and/or title.  Ex: “Teenage Wasteland” – The Who.  Bonus points awarded if both words are used.

– Make sure to leave a valid email when filling out the comments form so we can get in touch with you.

– Winner will be contacted by Wednesday afternoon!

That’s about it.  Simple right?  Don’t forget, we always appreciate some creativity!  We’ll leave a comment about who won on Thursday morning.  Ready, steady, go!

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Beach-House-Norway.mp3]

Download: Beach House – Norway [MP3]

Beach House – Teen Dream

beach-house_teen-dreamRating: ★★★½☆

I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t quite gotten on the Beach House bandwagon. In the past, their dreamy bedroom pop has just seemed far too dull for me to ever fully absorb; I’ll admit that’s a fault of my own and not the music.  Yet listening to Teen Dream, something else unfolds.  There isn’t some grand gesture that comes out of nowhere; it’s just that the logical progression of the group has finally caught up with my own personal tastes.

From the opening moments that the guitar comes into play on “Zebra” I found myself captivated immediately.  Gentle “ahhhs” in the background create a perfect introduction to the song, allowing for the vocals to carry the song the rest of the way.  Sure, it’s not the most moving song in the world, but it holds the listener with an emotional appeal, one that is only heightened by the percussion that comes in near the end of the song.

When you come upon “Norway,” it’s obvious why this would come out as the single for the record.  Electronic maneuvers bring life to the album, although it’s odd that those little flourishes seem somewhat out of tune (anyone else?).  The “ay ay aay” of the chorus is playful in the manner that it strings out the mono-syllabic moments into perfect resonant melodies.  This song is backed up by “Walk in the Park,” which seems a lot like a Papercuts track.  Programmed percussion atop those echo-y vocals builds the perfect cascading pop moment, which shows that the band, though often stuck in one place, can evoke quite a bit of emotion.

“Better Times” wears the influence, seemingly, of Chairlift, using electronic structures to build the backbone of the song wile waiting for the rest of the song’s sound to come together.  Vocals definitely carry this song, and you can tell that the focus on achieving the perfect tonality definitely aids the tune as a whole.  It’s at this point where you start to see the past and the present finally start gel, bringing the best moments out of the duo, especially when the quickened vocal delivery starts in with about two minutes remaining.

Coming into the last song, it honestly is hard to find a throwaway track.  All the songs on the album work cohesively, and finally the music seems to have shown some movement overall. “Take Care” captures all the little moments from the album, throwing them together in Teen Dream‘s final chapter.  Yet, there are some moments here that illustrate the one detractor I still have in listening to Beach House.  Near the three minute mark the percussion could easily pick up, or let loose, yet the band restrains itself.  In doing so, they lose the propensity for sending the listeners off on an ultimate high note of euphoric musical waves, instead leaving them to rest precisely where the album began.

In conclusion, Teen Dream is a really good record, one that all Beach House fans will surely fall in love with after purchase.  For  those like myself, who largely ignored the band(though I’ve seen them three times), this might be the record that forces you to go back and look a little closer at the group’s catalog.  Personally, I still find that they don’t take enough musical risks, choosing to hold back when I’d like to see them let go a little bit, but that’s just my preference.  For the rest of you, you’ll find that this record is more than just one to go to sleep with at night; it’s an album to be played at all times, which is really all you can ask for from Beach House. Move over folks, I’m ready to jump on the wagon now.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Beach-House-Norway.mp3]

Download: Beach House – Norway [MP3]