Beach House, aka Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, are responsible for some of the smoothest bedroom pop in recent memory. On their new album, Teen Dream, the duo follows 2008’s Devotion with another stirring collection of tunes that carve out new concepts of lullabies.
From the opening note, Teen Dream is a wonderfully soothing effort. “Zebra” is a gentle sleighride on Scally’s lilting guitar riff, while the next track, “Silver Soul” features a more passionate delivery from Legrand while her keyboard and a drumkit drive the restrained pace. “Norway” is a swirling combination of Legrand’s keyboard, thumping heartbeat, and a hollow wind chime effect that evokes an Alpine mountain cave with a fire deep inside.
Legrand’s mysterious vocals and the duo’s lilting instruments create a sophisticated, yet calm atmosphere throughout the Teen Dream. With just the right amount of reverb, Legrand’s voice seems to come from behind a curtain with a hint of onmnipresence as her lyrics express careful thoughts on heart-tugging topics. Scally’s flickering guitar yet again blends beautifully with Legrand’s gentle keyboard melodies in their uniquely unassuming and soulful mix.
Surely able to calm even the most hyperactive listener, Teen Dream is pillow-soft enough to evoke deep pause while gentle enough to erase stress.
