Artist- Beach House
Album- Teen Dream
Record Label- Sub-Pop Records
4.5 out of 5 Pitchforks
There are so many —probably too many, in fact — adjectives to describe the sound of Beach House. The duo comprising this little indie outfit makes hipsters stretching from Williamsburg to Portland salivate. Guitarist Alex Scally and singer Victoria Legrand, have probably heard it all by now: Indie rock. Dream-pop. Shoegaze. Ambient rock. Any far-fetched genre you can think of, they’ve been lumped into it.
The only problem with this unsystematic categorization is that it just can’t neatly fit the band and all they encompass. Beach House’s latest album, “Teen Dream,” proves this and while the sound may not be indefinable, what it evokes out of the listener is.
From the early moments of the first track, “Zebra,” to the final notes of the finale “Take Care,” Beach House takes the listener on a journey through their own mind — and no, LSD is not required.
“Zebra” opens with some piano play and some atmospheric “ahhh’s” before Legrand interjects with her thick, encompassing voice and the band never looks back. The low-key intro feeds right into the spooky “Silver Soul,” where Legrand laments, “It is happening again.”
As “Walk In The Park,” rolls around with its swelling chorus, it is no surprise to find yourself becoming somewhat introspective and lost in a thought or a daydream. Legrand’s voice is pacifying and Scally’s simple guitar riffs keep the music peaceful enough to lull listeners, but still finds a way to keep them listening on.
Tracks like “Lover of Mine” and “10 Mile Stereo” pick the pace up a little bit and break up the persistent theme of melancholy that punctuates “Teen Dream.”
Legrand shines on tracks like “Real Love,” and man, does she shine bright. There is a soulful trait to her voice that makes it so endearing while also making it so enrapturing. This album is surely her breakthrough moment.
Be sure to snap out of the musically induced haze and gather your thoughts to catch the final track, “Take Care,” a nearly six-minute victory lap that is the exclamation point on the end of the sentence that is “Teen Dream.”
At the heart of it all, “Teen Dream” is bleak and provides a steady stream of mourning and love lost but that is not all it can be. It can be the sound surrounding you as you and your friend’s drive around with the windows down feeling eternally young or it can be what is jumping through the headphones as you ride your bike as fast as you can through crowds of people, propelling you forward with a reckless abandon.
“Teen Dream” is whatever you choose to make out of it. Don’t let me tell you what to think about it, decide for yourself. Just make sure you don’t overlook it, you don’t know what you could be missing out on.
Reach the reporter at jdfourni@asu.edu
