Album Review: Teen Dream by Beach House

January 21st, 2010 • Album Review, Rock

To many, Baltimore, the city on the bay, may seem like a decidedly unlikely source for some of the most innovative music being produced currently in the United States. Quietly tucked between New York and Washington, the home of the Orioles has managed to produce numerous bands that represent a myriad of genres.

I think perhaps most surprising is that the still-fledgling genre of dream pop has managed to flourish on the mean streets of Baltimore of all places. Animal Collective is no doubt the biggest name to grow out of this tradition, but before you empty your crab bucket, take notice of the increasingly popular duo, Beach House, which also lives and works out of Maryland.

Their third album, Teen Dream, is slated to be released by SUB POP on January 26, 2010, but has been floating on the internet for several weeks. The band’s first major label release, Teen Dream is less ambient when compared to their two previous LPs, Devotion (2008) and their Self-Titled debut album (2006).

The elements that band members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally draw upon in the production of Teen Dream are not all specific to the dream pop mantra. I am particularly fond of the use of percussion, which is a fairly significant shift in their music. This album is by no means dance music, but there is a decidedly potent rhythm that would lead me to believe that if I were to see a live show of theirs I would be raving about it for weeks and weeks after the fact.

It is also important to point out the intricate guitar lines that set a more upbeat mood to the music. When I first listened to Teen Dream, I was expecting something more melancholy given the name often denotes angst and depression. This is however, not the case. It would be a stretch however to say that the album’s title (Which actually does not correspond to any tracks on the album) is irony or inappropriate in the sense that I can certainly see shades of my now-past teenage years and the aspirations that went along with them in this album.

I do kind of have a problem with the fact that many of the songs sound fairly similar with very few exceptions. I cannot, however, say that I am particularly surprised considering exactly what we normally see in this genre when recorded.

The bottom line is, based on the quality of Teen Dream, Beach House may be the band to see live as soon as possible. They will pass through New England in March with dates in Boston at the Paradise Rock Club on the 28th and at Wesleyan University in Connecticut on the 27th. Following that, they will put on several shows in the South featuring Washed Out (He will be here at Bates on March 5).

-Doug Ray

Doug Ray is the Co-Host of Saltimbocca and Escargot on WRBC (8-10 PM Sunday)

Tags: Baltimore, beach house, Dream Pop, Teen Dream

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