Beach House
Beach House
Score:65
Reviewer: Kieran O'Shea
Label: Carpark (USA & UK)
Reviewed: Mar 5th '07, Released:2006
Baltimore's boy/girl duo Singer/organist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally have produced an album full of seaside waltzes and ghostly rhyme, coated with a lo-fi fuzz. Connections will be made with Mazzy Star, Spiritualized and Slowdive, but Beach House have concocted a sound that effortlessly captures a season and setting, their simple instrumentation and arrangements wholly responsible for the album’s atmospheric draw. Drum machines saunter, Casios bounce, organs moan, and Scally's accompaniment of slide and picked guitar is used sparingly and with effective restraint. Mistakes are worn proudly by both, with notes fumbled and cues sometimes missed, the imperfections adding to its lo-fi aesthetic.
Often drawing comparisons with Nico, Legrand’s vocals are vital in creating this aesthetic. Her calm tone heavily reverberated, as she displays her vocal range; dipping and rising. Each line drifts effortlessly into the next and is never hampered by overbearing harmonies; her voice sounds almost nonchalant.
It isn't until you reach the waltzing harpsichord and woozy slide guitar of 'Auburn and Ivory' where Beach House really show what they are capable of. Legrand’s vocals traverse her upper range beautifully while the harpsichord is joined with sounds from the organ, ascending and descending together. The same praise can be offered to 'House on the Hill'. Junkyard clangs and a Spanish guitar open, before bellowing organs and Legrand’s strongest vocal performance come rushing through. Here the strength of their musicianship is finally shown, the change to more experimental compositions and unsettling vocal delivery a much appreciated movement. Beach House finally show more audacity without losing their ambience.
But herein lies the problem with the album. Beach House are more often than not too timid with their ideas about how this record should sound. While the album has its charms – I'm certainly impressed with what their simple instrumentation and four-track style arrangements – relying so heavily on space makes any album sound dangerously repetitious. The sound of the slide guitar never changes, the keyboard seems to only use harpsichord and electric piano tones, and reverb is overused. Beach House could have delved deeper into the landscape they spent so much time creating, essentially deviating from the beaten track and pursuing ideas to a fuller extent.
Thinking of similar artists closer to home, Pikelet is the perfect example of how creating a fragile, haunting atmosphere doesn't have to rely solely on reverb and how a handful of instruments can be used to produce a variety of sounds. Beach House proved that they could use limited instrumentation to provide an exciting and refreshing change, but unfortunately it isn't enough to engage a listener for more than a couple of listens.
