Some people can’t sleep because they are thinking about their dreams. Some people dream when they are awake. Some bands are like dreams. When you dream about dream pop, you are probably dreaming about Beach House. They released two albums this year. Dream pop can not get more perfect than this. Their fifth record Depression Cherry got its brother two months later. Thank You Lucky Stars has nothing to do with is predecessor. It does not even refer to it.
Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have met at the University of Baltimore. After experiencing local indie rock scene, they have decided to start a bend in 2006 and release an eponymous album. The rest is history of great music. The fact that there is only two of them in the band made it easier to deal with challenges and experiment with the sound. Primarily, Beach House is a dream pop band with elements of lo-fi and they are nurturing that sound texture. They have recognized that their sound make them attractive in the same way Youth Lagoon and Wild Nothing are attractive. These bands share melancholic and dreamy melodies.
Beach House are adding a little bit of freak folk elements that serve like a spice to their original sound. I feel that Cocteau Twins are their idols, especially on this dark and mysterious album. Victoria has taken a step back with her vocal so the dark side of the album sounds more soft. Lyrically, it is all about love from perspective of someone who is observing the world. Everything is very subtle and unobtrusive, but you easily get sucked in.
The woman is a main theme with all her charms and flaws. Majorette and She’s So Lovely are the perfect example. The darkness is best to be heard on brilliant Elegy To The Void, the most melancholic track on the album. Common Girl and The Traveler keep up the soft strength in the middle of the album. I must admit the end of the album bored me with Rough Song and Somewhere Tonight because the sound has lost its charm.
Thank You Lucky Stars is a bit of an ambivalent album – it is like it incroporates best of what Beach House has to offer but its dark side is a bit overwhelming. Overall, it is not a bad thing. I like how they are pulling of that eclectic mysterious sound. And kudos to releasing two solid albums in one year.
