Monday, March 3, 2008

Review: Beach House - Devotion





Beach House is a relatively new band from Baltimore, Maryland. Their self-titled debut was released in 2006 to much critical acclaim. They recently released their sophomore effort called Devotion.

Beach House is a two-piece band, but I do not feel like this limits them in any way, especially on record. The music sounds lush and complete like there are more musicians playing. Their sound is restrained and pretty. There is no harshness, and for the most part, the songs are of a slower tempo.

The singer Victoria has a nice voice that sits easy in the mix. It is neither buried nor distracting. Back up singer Alex harmonizes really well to add subtle nuances to the songs. This record is great for a variety of moods. It is breezy enough to be a compliment to the spring weather, but thoughtful in a way that would warrant nice/winter listening. In other words, Devotion is a versatile record.

My biggest problem with the record is that I cannot see it becoming a staple of my listening repertoire in the distant future. I am really into it now, and I have spun it about eight times since I got it last week. On the other hand, I can see it becoming a once-a-month-or-two record as 2008 goes on.

I highly recommend Devotion. For fans of: Asobi Seksu, other assorted dream pop, electronic music, and female vocalists. My favorite tracks are Wedding Bell and Heart of Chambers. You can hear the latter on their myspace page.

2 comments:

happyasaclem said...

although this is the "single" of sorts, i really like gila. yay for small bands getting good buzz.

Pat said...

Perfect band for both your radio shows as far as I'm concerned.