Entries tagged with “beach house”
They are never going to tear the roof off a place or whip anyone up into a frenzy – the secret to success with Beach House is to submit to them. Hand over your senses for an hour and let them do what they will with them. Once you do, it feels like that split-second between normality and oblivion when you have just been given a general anaesthetic. About number 7 when they ask you to count down from 10. The precise moment when the room turns swimmy like the beginning of a dream sequence in a film.
Tonight,Baltimore’s Beach House glide effortlessly through the stand out moments from their mesmerising Teen Dream album. Zebra, Walk In The Park, Norway and Used To Be all translate perfectly to the live setting, with Victoria Legrand’s newly sonorous vocals providing a fine counterpoint to the woozy looping organ, lazy drum rhythms and reverb drenched guitar. The only notable absence tonight is Wedding Bell, the opener to their 2008 album Devotion, though that record isn’t completely left behind as evidenced by an excellent sprawling version of Gila. 
Those who do submit to Beach House tonight find themselves in a dream like state, not unlike that which Galaxie 500 had the power to induce in their audience. The trouble is that not everybody makes that sensory leap and those who don’t find themselves discussing their favourite flavour of Monster Munch crisps – which is to miss the point rather and which is irritating in the extreme when it’s right down your lughole.
Beach House Myspace is here.
A fraction shy of two years since their last album, Beach House have taken a great leap forward on their third long player. Their love of Phil Spector has been placed at the forefront of their sound and the production effects dial has been cranked round from the ‘Dreamy/Woozy’ setting to ‘Wall-of-Sound’.
Teen Dream is a big sounding record with everything seemingly up in the mix. The sleepy wash of droning guitars and lullaby vocals has been replaced by twangy reverb heavy guitars, looping organs, scratchy hip hop beats and Victoria Legrand’s suddenly soaring voice. It’s the most startling vocal transformation since a young Barry White awoke one morning with his testicles an inch closer to the ground.
Legrand and co-Beach Houser Alex Scally suddenly find themselves subject to a fair amount of mainstream media attention, shifting them from cult band to being cited as essential listening for 2010. This may well be due to their close links with Grizzly Bear who frequently mention them in dispatches and who are again taking the Baltimore duo out on tour with them.
There’s certainly a dash of Grizzly Bear’s sound to Teen Dream – the album was produced by Chris Coady who lists the Grizzlies on his CV and the pounding organ on Walk In The Park more than echoes the intro to Two Weeks (on which Legrand contributed backing vocals). Never though does this record feel like Grizzly Bear-Lite. This is a bold ambitious album which will undoubtedly and deservedly muscle its way into many an end-of-year review.
Before touring with Grizzly Bear, Beach House play a handful of dates at small venues. With the British broadsheets salivating so profusely, it may be the last chance to catch them in such intimate settings. 
February
10 Glasgow King Tuts
11 Salford Islington Mill
12 Leeds Brudenell Social Club
14 Belfast Speakeasy
16 Cardiff Arts Centre
17 London Bush Hall
Beach House release their new single Norway, the first from their forthcoming Teen Dream album and it is available as a free download here.
The album is scheduled for early 2010 and Beach House will be supporting Grizzly Bear on a handful of British dates listed below.
8th March The Sage Gateshead
9th March The Queen’s Hall Edinburgh
11th March The Corn Exchange Brighton
12th March Warwick Arts Centre Coventry
13th March The Roundhouse London
Tickets are on sale now.
Fresh from their tour supporting Grizzly Bear, the gloriously hazy Beach House have announced that their third album Teen Dream will be released on January 25th across Europe (January 22nd for America). Teen Dream, which was recorded in a converted church, will be accompanied by a DVD which features a video for each track, each having a different director. The album, track listing below, will be supported by an extensive tour with dates to be announced soon.
Beach House – Teen Dream
- Zebra
- Silver Soul
- Norway
- Walk in the Park
- Used to Be
- Lover of Mine
- Better Times
- 10 Mile Stereo
- Real Love
- Take Care
Beach House Myspace is here.
