Beach House's 'Teen Dream' from Matt Rothstein

Hey everyone. So good news! We have our first review from someone who isn't me- good friend and one of the chief inspirations for this blog, Matt Rothstein. He's weighing in on the fantastic new album from Beach House- if you haven't yet gotten the chance to listen to this ridiculously well constructed record, go out now and see what you've been missing.


Having already read a couple of reviews for Teen Dream after a long time spent digesting the album, I have a strong feeling that a lot of people are missing the mark when they try to pinpoint what separates the album from Beach House’s earlier work. It seems like people are trying to say that they saw this coming without apologizing for not hyping the band before.

Victoria Legrand’s lead vocals are still sultry and evocative, but she’s more daring with her voice, using more range in each song, which combines with more urgency from the percussion section (which is real this time, for the most part, as opposed to the clicking drum machines of before) to give a huge dramatic boost to what had already been dreamy and beautiful music.

In fact, opening track “Zebra” is a nice little microcosm of the progress Beach House has made. It starts with a simple guitar figure and Legrand’s voice, like the old days. But the guitar moves faster, taking the music from dream-pop to just pop that easily. We hear some of the old drum clicks in a bit, but something is building. There are background vocal harmonies, sighing like the anonymous complementary parts in old girl-pop groups like the Supremes and the Ronettes. Then, the epiphany – a cymbal roll and live percussion! The music immediately has more momentum and more emotional immediacy.

For me, this is a key jump that a lot of bands make to accessibility and stardom – a jump you’ll see Beach House make in short order (hey, they already played Fallon!). A steady rhythm section catapulted TV On The Radio to a classic album for Return to Cookie Mountain, and a quicker and more reliable pace did wonders for Grizzly Bear’s accessibility.

Grizzly Bear’s mention here isn’t an accident either. The dreamy female backing vocals on “Two Weeks” was courtesy of Legrand, who resumed said role for the band on their late night appearances. With the two bands being buddies and all, you don’t need to look far for Grizzly Bear’s influence. Where there was haze and dreaminess on previous Beach House albums, now there is unfiltered beauty, melancholy and probably still some dreaminess.

Though the album is almost miraculously consistent, if there is a highlight, it comes smack dab in the middle with “Used to Be”. It was previously released as a single, but with a different arrangement, it was nothing special. Here, more on any other song except perhaps the (also amazing) “10 Mile Stereo”, Beach House actually has a big sound. Victoria Legrand’s multi-tracked harmonies pack the strongest emotional punch on the album when she asks, “Are you not the same as you used to be?” Were one to ask the same question of her and her band, the answer would happily be, “No, we’re way better.” I would even venture to say that with Teen Dream, Beach House is as close to perfect as they may ever be.
10/10

Amen. Beach House is going to be playing with Grizzly Bear here in London (where I'm currently living) and I will definitely be reporting on that no-doubt incredible upcoming event.

Stayed tuned in the coming weeks for new tips on Surfer Blood, Yeasayer, Delphic and more....