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Easter’s over. Oh no. In 2015, Beach House released Depression Cherry. The album opens with the nostalgic ‘Leviathon’. For me, the yearning was all about how much it reminded me of the ethereal Teen Dream five years earlier. Have a great week.
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“I had a good run playing horses in my mind/On a hillside I remember/I am loving losing life.” Victoria Garance Alixe Legrand and Alex Kristian Scally know how to create an atmosphere. Church organs, grinding guitars and cinematic synths feature large on this standout song from this year’s album release, 7. ‘Drunk in L.A.’ Have a great weekend.
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‘Space Song’ is a wonderful song on a good album. Beach House released their fifth studio album Depression Cherry in 2015. The album returned to the simple dream pop that had made their 2010 meisterwerk Teen Dream so definitive.
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Toronto-based indie pop band Alvvays released their sophomore album Antisocialites this year. The second track is ‘Dreams Tonite’ with its dreamy 1980s pop sound. Think Chromatics. Think Beach House. Think Cocteau Twins.
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I think I was still buying CDs in 2010. My sepia-toned memories of opening the understated and zebra-covered disc Teen Dream are all magical. I think it’s the third time that one of its tracks has featured on this blog and I save the best for last. Seek out the crescendos at the end of ‘Walk In The Park’, with their soft cymbals, Alex Scally’s treated guitar and Victoria Legrand dreamy vocals. The album contains their best work and, if it weren’t for a certain Kanye West release, would have been vying with Arcade Fire for the best release of 2010.
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I am drawn by tunes more than lyrics. For example, I have always thought that Grizzly Bear’s upbeat “Two Weeks” is a song about holiday: “Save up all the days/A routine malaise”. But, the first single from the band’s third album, Veckatimest, is in fact about the slow breakdown of a relationship. The song features Beach House’s Victoria Legrand on backing vocals; that should have been a clue. I’ll stick with my two weeks’ vacation. Have a great week.
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Grizzly Bear had come a long way since their debut album Yellow House was released in 2006. 2009’s Veckatimest was also a much more accessible affair. The single ‘Two Weeks’ may have taken all the plaudits, evidently helped by the backing vocals of Beach House’s Victoria Legrand, but ‘Cheerleader’ is the standout track for me. Its waltz-like groove is a great start to the week.
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‘Myth’ is the opening track off Beach House 2012’s LP Bloom and it was used as the siren call prior to its release. It was reassuringly familiar to those that loved the previous album Teen Dream, with the the romance of Victoria Legrand’s keyboards and vocals and the distinctive sound of Alex Scally’s Stratocaster.
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Before I leave the glorious world of alt, please enter left Julia Holter. Unquestionably, like me, she enjoys the drum machinery of Beach House. Julia Holter’s ‘In the Same Room’ features on her 2012 album Ekstasis… ambient, electronic, alternative. Have a great weekend.
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This week I will revel in some of my favourite acts from the last few years. ‘Lover Of Mine’ is off Beach House’s superlative 2010 album Teen Dream. Victoria Legrand’s vocals recall the haunting sound of Stevie Nicks, all languid and lovelorn. But with the recurring circus-like yamaha organ,’Lover Of Mine’ makes for the dream poppiest track on of the album. Have a great week.
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After the retrospect of last week, something of the hipster variety to kick off this week. ‘Lady’ is the third single taken off Chromatics’ album Kill For Love, which was released out of their Portland studio earlier this year. The sound they’ve created is very current. Think synthesised M83, the mournful melody of The XX and the dreampop of Beach House – the result is otherworldly and perfectly matched by Ruth Radelet’s detached vocals. Have a good week.
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Beach House’s third long player Teen Dream is full of consummate dream pop. Perfect for dinner parties, this type of romantic, languid sound is always at risk of being a little boring. But Beach House created an album with enough beautiful moments to compensate – the zenith of which is the mid-album pairing of ‘Walk In The Park’ and ‘Used To Be’. Enjoy.
