BEACH HOUSE – “BEACH HOUSE” (S/T)

(carpark records)

ponderous female-vocals over lush, echo-y organs and slow, moody guitars. i’m tempted to call this “[haunted] beach house [from ‘endless sunshine of the spotless mind’]” for its strains of creepy funhouse refrains. it’s intimate, and perhaps appropriate for a rainy day/heartbreak/melancholy love vibe in your set. beware/prepare to embrace the slow pace of these tracks, and their quiet development. this album leaves a sweet, nostalgic impression, like the music you might imagine when looking at a yellowed, found photograph (of your friends’ parents at a drugged-out party, taken in the late 60s). this does have a modern appeal, though, and the band members, victoria legrand and alex scally of baltimore, seem proud 0of their vintage instruments and their completely drum-machine free tracks. as they say on their myspace site, “Beats are either hand made from found sounds, xylophones, clanking bells, etc or taken from the heart of the organ when played live. There are no drum machines in Beach House, just simply recorded-onto-four track live drums or the pulse of the organs's heart.” aww. http://www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic

recommended tracks starred = 1, 2, 4(!), 8, 9 -- joanna s.

FCC clean.

* 1. (2:55) fade in, a simple dreamy manifesto of love, for vox. and organ. good for valentine’s day?

* 2. (3:42) interesting vocal variations for fans of nico, shaky tambourines, warm layers of sound.

3. (4:31) slooow, a slide away from a luau lullaby. soprano vox that toe the border between charming and jarring.

* 4. (3:19) catchy slide guitars, mid-tempo, neato lyrics – a great combination of beach house’s talents. will be stuck in your head for days, in a good way!

5. (4:30) demented circus lilting pace, more soulful vox that reach sad/possessed(?) peaks, with powerful vocal layering. pretty combo of organs and a thread of sad guitar.

6. (3:35) very simple tambourine beat and organ combo with spare vocal line. the chorus is kind of an unexpected progression – the parts of the song seem a bit disconnected from each other. abrupt ending.

7. (3:02) wandering, sweet pop. i like the long fade out at the end most.

* 8. (3:14) darker organ progressions and vox that build to a crescendo. a bit more incessant and gloomy than the other tracks. thunderstorm at the beach house.

* 9. (7:50 / main track = 4:22, hidden track starts at -2:25) plaintive track that showcases what’s best about this band, i think. a slow-to-develop haunting melody, simple organs and warm background haze. hidden track is pretty and sounds a bit like what beach house would sound like as a warped record playing through an old radio. try it!)