Beach House is the musical duo of instrumentalist Alex Scally and vocalist/keyboardist Victoria Legrand. And as their namesake suggests, their music resonates with the kind of languid radiance of a spiritual retreat from the modern world. Building their signature sound from a few spare elements, lo-fi organs, harpsichords, and vintage drum machines, the pair crafts an exquisitely detailed atmosphere from minimal instrumentation. Legrand's hypnotic croon sits pleasingly against Scally's twanging pedal steel lines, suggesting a country-tinged Nico. On "Turtle Island," the dirge-like drone of a harmonium offers a hauntingly baroque accompaniment to Legrand's tale of heartbreak. But somber and downcast is not the only mood on offer: "Some Things Last (A Long Time)" is their version of a Daniel Johnston chestnut, while "D.A.R.L.I.N.G." offers their otherworldly take on `60s girl-group pop.
Recording information: Lord Baltimore Recording (08/2007-09/2007).
Photographer: Natasha Tyler.
Personnel: Victoria Legrand (vocals, organ, keyboards); Alex Scally (guitar, organ, drums).
Audio Mixer: Adam Cook.
Rolling Stone (p.59) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "This is music as secret hideaway, all come-hither vocals, fuzzy organ riffs, liquid slide guitar and muffled drum beats riding swells of reverb onto soft white sands." Spin (p.97) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "On DEVOTION, slow-motion organ washes over precisely twanged guitar while Legrand slides sensuously accented phonemes through the hazy mix." Entertainment Weekly (p.59) - "The lo-fi arrangements on their second full-length -- a faint organ riff here, a distant chime there, a mournful chant floating above it all -- smartly tease the border between 'pretty' and 'eerie'..." -- Grade: B Uncut (p.83) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "If you like Galaxie 500, Mazzy Star, Low -- that's to say, starcrossed boy-girl balladry refracted through a narcotic haze and reverb -- you'll adore them." CMJ - "Beach House offers enough warmly reverberating organs, feline, female vocals and drowsy melodies to provide an ample score to any chill-out tent." Q (Magazine) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Everything is dreamily understated: Legrand quietly intones as her organ conjures up a ghostly calm..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] shape-shifting backgrounds -- classic '60s pop arrangements filtered through the fuzzy prism of a dream." Clash (magazine) (p.110) - "Beach House excel, effortlessly drawing you into their world. Legrand creates a multi-tracked choir around the clarity of her lead vocal while Scally skillfully populates the songs with supporting instruments." The Word (magazine) (p.100) - "This duo have been placed in a US lineage that's at once intimate and of fathomless, reverberant depth -- Low, Mazzy Star, Galaxie 500. Backed by Alex Scally's guitar, Paris-born singer Victoria Legrand can live up to this..." URB (Magazine) (p.108) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's as rewarding as it is tantalizing....They've managed to wholeheartedly blossom their sound while remaining right where they left off."
Moving This entire album is tied together and organized to make you want to fall in love. It is a bit too chilled out and slightly repetitive in song work, but its is just the Beach House sound. But this album always puts me in a good mood. Submitted by leroyporras (El Paso, TX, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Murky beauty Those who believe in minimal micro machines have reasons to celebrate that living in a beach house can stop waves from above without fading the night away.
J. Deer Submitted by leligre (Barcelona, Spain) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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