Weekly Release Spotlight: Beach House
Posted on 2/24/2008
Beach House
Devotion
[Carpark]
Out of all the amazing things the human body and brain are capable of, dreaming is probably the most mysterious of them all. Not only this, but unlike walking or talking - which we all do relatively similarly, every single human being dreams in a very different and distinct way. Some dream of frightening and fast-paced chases through dark forests or some dream of wild bourgeois parties with their favorite celebrities in attendance; the list could go on. Indeed, while we're not all conjuring visions of impressionistic fields of flowers and swirling skies, the musical sub-genre "dream-pop" almost always recalls this type of blended ethereal pleasure that paints a very innocent version of dreams. The Baltimore duo Beach House have been pinned to this term, and it's both a reasonably fair assessment on the surface and yet also feels strangely shortsighted if you let their sound get deep under your skin.
And you definitely should, because their trademark mixture of Alex Scally's sad ghost of a slide guitar and Victoria Legrand's dusty and forlorn voice is more than just a dream. Sure, heavily reverbed organ also soaks the eleven songs to the point of melting away all semblance of a cut-and-dry reality, but as Beach House's notable grit indicates, that is not a reality that exists anymore anyway (as if it ever did). No, the more apt metaphor for their sound, which they've continued and now perfect on their sophomore LP Devotion, would be that feeling of the radio alarm clock's AM din slowly becoming the soundtrack for the dream that will inevitably end as the dreamer is lifted so slowly and graciously from the unconscious. It is the precise synthesis of the beautiful unknown and the impending opening of heavy eyelids on a Monday morning. The residue of a hazy dream left in the corners of your eyes, Beach House are looking at a new day with hesitance and longing for the darkness and escapism of dreaming without actually attempting to recreate that which they wish for.
When Legrand sings, she comes off as both dejected and joyful, specifically on album highlight "Astronaut," where her layered vocals both swoon and cry out, or "Turtle Island," where background ambience takes a backseat to her unique presence. She perfectly alternates between the bleakness of a long walk to the car on a wintry morning and the billowy pillows and soft blankets that await her as she returns home every night to a dream-filled sleep. Scally's sorrowful guitar playing steals hearts like the most memorable supporting actor in your favorite movie, accentuating K hit "Gila" and the understated "All the Years" in all the right parts with cautious and restrained melodies that you won't be able to shake for days. These sounds emanating from Devotion surely are the manifestation of the transition between horizontal and vertical, between asleep and awake...there's just enough to feel real without ever relinquishing the importance of dreaming and letting go.
Stream: Beach House - Gila
Beach House will be playing March 25 at the 7th Street Entry, 8pm Doors 21+.
Written by Chris Polley, Radio K volunteer and host of Now Like Photographs.