Beach House - Devotion
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Free Music Notes for Devotion
Free Music Review: I want my money back
Hit: 1 Stars
My experiance with lists is for the most part they can really un-earth some gems.
This was not the case here; sappy and sonicly flat, a real disapointment.
They got me for 14.00 and I hope they save it for some decent recording gear.
Free Music Review: Is your heart still mine for sale?
Hit: 5 Stars
The name of Beach House might imply a certain kind of pop -- sunny, frothy, sort of a Beach Boys vibe.
If so, that name is very deceptive, because their music is none of the above. Hailing from Baltimore, Beach House's second album "Devotion" is more like sleeping in a haunted, jewelled music box -- all ghostly singing, lushly sparkling pop instrumentation and sensually dreamy melodies.
"Wedding Bell" spins itself a stately, rippling organ'n'grimy riffs framework, with Victoria Legrand's pretty, eerie voice singing distantly, "You're ringing the only wedding bell/and we're swimming the seas we know so well... I tried to stay in line in our bed/in our heads/Oh, but your wish is my command..." It's very catchy in a neo-Victorian shoegazer way, although much catchier than anything that follows.
But things get far eerier in "You Came to Me," a shimmering ghostly pop ballad punctuated by sweeps of satiny keyboard and timpani. That style carries over into the lilting, swirling sound of "Gila," ruled by a truly exquisite organ melody. And not many singers could sing the name of a lizard and actually sound serious.
And those songs set the tone for much of the album -- ethereal organ laments, shimmering little pop tunes strung with tambourine and swirling guitar, sparkling melodies with spacey carnival synth, tinkly soaring ballads, and so forth. But it ends as catchily -- if more alluringly -- as it started, with the warm, wobbling "Home Again." It sounds exactly as the title would imply.
If I had to describe the particular sound of Beach House, I'd have to say it sounds like an American Nico... fronting the musical lovechild of Mazzy Star and Goldfrapp's latest. Yeah, that sounds weird, but "Devotion" has qualities of those bands -- the haunting vocals, the swirling shoegazer-like pop balladry, and the sparkling framework of lush, warm electronica. Well, the carnival music doesn't entirely fit in.
The first song is a bit of a sore thumb, being rockier and peppier than all the rest -- it's lovely, but seems like a hook to draw you in. But after that, the album is enfolded in a swirling mass of swirling ringing guitars and Legrand's majestic, shimmering organ. Alex Scally wraps every melody in a elusive, hazy shell of keyboard. And there's a Nicoesque tambourine that gets shaken through some of the songs, as well as that great timpani.
Legrand's voice is really a lovely one, but filtered to sound powerfully ethereal. She can infuse a feeling of poignant longing into the songs -- they tend to be about loving someone in the moment, or from afar ("we still have the summers/to be good to one another"), and have moments of truly striking imagery ("... spending money/on a desert rose/holy dances and acronyms/for bones").
Haunting, beautiful and melodious, their second album "Devotion" is a step up for Beach House. Definitely one of this year's must-hears.
Free Music Review: Excellent second album
Hit: 4 Stars
Beach House is a duo hailing from Baltimore, consisting of singer-songwriter Victoria Legrand and multi-instrumentalist Alex Scally. In 2006 they released their self-titled sebut album, and now comes the eagerly awaited follow-up.
On "Devotion" (11 tracks, 44 min.) the band continues the dreamy sound they brought on the debut album, and ever so slightly are a bit more open and optimistic in their songs. Opener "Wedding Bell" sets the stage for the album, with a fuller sound than ever before. "Gila" and "Turtle Island" even have some gentle melodies to them, which is more than you can say for any tracks on the debut album. Other highlights on the album for me include "Heart of Chambers", a pensive ballad, Beach House-style; "Some Things Last (A Long Time)", and the closer "Home Again", which ends the album on a hopeful and optimistic note.
In the end, "Devotion" is, like the debut album, a mood piece, pure and simple. This is not for anyone in a hurry, but if you give yourself (and the band) the chance, you'll be surprised how hypnotizing it all sounds. "Devotion" is warmly recommended!
Free Music Review: another great album from this dynamic duo
Hit: 5 Stars
This record is very similar to their first album, which was highly influenced by Mazzy Star, Galaxie 500, etc. Overall, I cannot yet chose between the two records. The first one has more classic songs but I think this one is more consistent.
The sound has improved somewhat. It's certainly not overproduced or shiny sounding. It's still very haunting and it sounds like they are using a different drum machine? There are a couple songs that sound like the Cocteau Twins with a different singer. That's definitely a compliment!
Overall, this is a great album. If you liked the first one, you will like this one! Do not hesitate to pick this up before they get even bigger tours and start playing bigger venues.
Free Music Review: Beach OK
Hit: 3 Stars
Ok Dudes...Beach House is back at it agian for the second time. Doing it...Beach House Style. Like only Beach House can bring it.
Nice.
This album sounds like Beach House...but a Ray Charles Band Beach House.
The Ray Charles Band is that super refined sound that is like when you pick something up and think it's gonna be sweet becasue it's Ray Charles, but the backing band sounds too polished. And you're like...man...what up with that. That's the Ray Charles Band showing up again. (You may think I'm an idiot, but I'm not...trust me on this one. I hate over produced music so much. This isn't over produced like Nickleback or that last Nirvana single that was on the greatest hits album, but...it's still got the Ray Charles Band sound.)
The first album is a gem from the heavens.
It sounds authentic. It's texture is beauty and bliss and down to earth.
I feel there when listening to it. I can hear the echos of reality.
This album sounds like it is plastic as compared to the first one.
Man, I love that first album.
This album has songs like the first one, but it sounds like they have the Ray Charles Band backing them.
Hey, Beach House? What up?
Keep it dirty.
That's what made you special.
If I had heard this album without hearing the first one, I would hate it.
When I listen to this album, I picture the songs as they would have appeared on their first album. Recorded without the Ray Charles Band.
Ladies and Gentlemen...live from Mohegan Sun, we present you Beach House!!!
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