Beach House – Teen Dream
Subpop
Words: Bryant Kitching
Since their debut album in 2006, Beach House have carved out a relatively strong niche in the “chill out” department of the indie rock world. Their self- titled debut as well as 2008’s Devotion, although beautiful in their dream-like serenity, were difficult to listen to and enjoy if the listener was not in a certain frame of mind. Though I loved both previous releases by the Baltimore duo, I rarely found myself searching for either on my iTunes. I can hardly say that about their latest effort Teen Dream. This record, their first recording for Subpop, is a perfect play for cars, headphones, parties, loudly or softly. Put simply, it’s the first great record of 2010.
If Teen Dream had been released last year, it would have been overshadowed by the likes of Veckatimest, Merriweather Post Pavilion, and Bitte Orca. But with the clean slate that 2010 brings, we can undistractedly take in every glorious noise Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have to offer. Teen Dream stays true to the band’s signature sound, which will leave old Beach House fans satisfied; yet the album’s 10 songs manage to instantly attract, and they sound even better on repeat listens. You’d be hard pressed to find words like “catchy” in reviews for any other Beach House material, yet I found myself incessantly humming tracks like album opener “Zebra” and single “Norway” throughout the course of my day.
Not all the tracks come from left field though; the slow, bouncy “Used To Be,” was released as a single in 2008, and its style shows more of a Devotion influence. The songs blend together nicely, making Teen Dream easily digestible in one sitting and prove easy on the ears from start to finish. But that’s not
to say that this is background music or something to drift off to. “Walk in the Park,” the album’s best track, grabs the listener with its catchy chorus and uncharacteristic rises and falls, but the song shows a more melancholy side as well. “The face that you see in the door isn’t standing there anymore,” sings Legrand about a lost lover. The common theme of heartache and love lost throughout Teen Dream fits wonderfully with Legrand’s trancelike voice, about which you can’t say enough. It soars on the vocal showcase “Real Love.” The standout track features a piano and Legrand’s melancholy voice – it’s easy to visualize her in an old, smoky jazz club some decades ago. Legrand sings with an added element of soul and sophistication on Teen Dream, making a strong case for a spot among the top female indie vocalists.
The album hits its low point after fifth song “Used To Be” with two mediocre tracks in a row, “Lover of Mine” and “Better Times,” but it makes a swift recovery with the surprisingly explosive, Veckatimest-like “10 Mile Stereo.” Much of the ambitious Teen Dream shows heavy Grizzly Bear influence, and we’d expect as much, considering the two bands have been crossing paths a lot lately. Legrand even lent her voice to a couple tracks on Veckatimest, as well as a track for the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack (on which Grizzly Bear also appeared).
Teen Dream is an apt development in Beach House’s career, and it will definitely send a flock of new fans their way. It could also very well catapult them into the stratum of indie stardom that bands like Animal Collective and Dirty Projectors now enjoy. It’s easy to draw comparisons to Veckatimest, and the album does owe quite a debt to The Inflatable Ferret’s top album of 2009, but it can hold its own. Beach House may not have shattered the earth with its third album, but they are exploring exciting new sounds and building off a template that’s packed with ear-pleasing potential.
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Comments ( 1 Comment )
The most direct comparison to Grizzly Bear is that they dropped Rob Girardi for Chris Coady, Grizzly Bear’s producer, and as a result put out their least lo-fi album yet.
This album is ridiculous, and they played it back perfectly live. Scally and Legrand are in perfect sync right now and it’s great to watch; I didn’t like their debut but Devotion was sick. This is the natural evolution from there.
Nodima added these pithy words on
Apr 09 10 at
11:50 pm
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