Beach House - Once Twice Melody
Reviewed by - suzi boneshaker
Dream pop, indie pop, neo-psychedelia, shoegaze

RIYL: My Bloody Valentine, Low, Grizzly Bear, Mazzy Star, Cocteau Twins, Cults Lower Dens, Grouper
Try: 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 ,12, 14, 16 No FCC’s detected.

This is the 8th studio album by Beach House. Released by Sub Pop, this double album, features 18 songs presented in 4 chapters. Many types of styles and song structures can be heard. In addition to new sounds, many of the drum machines, organs, keyboards, and tones that listeners may associate with previous Beach House records remain.

1-Once Twice Melody – dreamy, moody, builds into a fuller sound with prominent and layered keyboards
2- Superstar – the most rock-ish of all the tracks
3- Pink Funeral – foray into experimental sounds. The sounds conjure the image of the ballet Swan Lake. The sweeping instrumentals that evoke the classical music of ballet with electronic elements.
4- Through Me – more upbeat than other tracks
5- Runaway – layered harmony, dance-y. hopeful, glimmer of ABBA
6- ESP- pretty ballad with the use of strings to create the feeling of heartbreak
7- New Romance – one of the album’s biggest-sounding tracks, led by mesmerizing synths and drums, about rebuilding after losing your identity in a relationship
8- Over and Over – slower song that waxes and wanes into the chorus. Very pretty
9- Sunset – acoustic and mesmerizing
10 – Only You Know – upbeat, danceable and echo-y
11 - Another Go Around – slow, light, and atmospheric track
12- Masquerade – heavy bassline, drum-machine laden, breaks away from the pretty synth-pop
13 – Illusion of Forever– slower track
14- Finale – sweet and reminiscent, 80’s synth and drum track
15 – The Bells – intro with lovely, twangy slide guitar (also sprinkled thru the song), lighter sound, more guitar, and tambourine
16 – Hurts to Love – opens with repetitive Casio sounding organ continuing throughout with echo-y lyrics. Toe-tapping and sweet-sounding but sad lyrics in the chorus
17 – Many Nights – slower, light calliope sound, more dreamlike than other tracks
18 – Modern Love Stories - experimental notes (sounds warped during different moments during the song) with dream-pop. There is a powerful feeling in its finality