Beach House - Devotion

I think at one point or another we've all dreamed of starting a band. But if you're anything like me, you know a couple of the key pitfalls: 1) You haven't the skill to play all (or in some cases any) of the instruments yourself, and 2) Bands mean artistic conflicts of interest, scheduling problems, band meetings (Bret - present), and everything dramatic that comes with a band. So, although going solo or perhaps bringing a wingman into the mix would be ideal, it almost never works. You think to yourself, "Man, if I could just play the piano - then I'd throw a drum machine behind me and have someone else play guitar. That'd be great!"

So, you start tooling around on Garage Band, and you realize, "Man, this music shit is HARD!" And it is. Ask just about any artist in the business. They'll probably also be quick to inform you that they don't get paid squat for what they do. Then you start saying things like, "Man, this music shit is CRAZY." Tell me about it.

So needless to say, it takes a lot of guts to make music. In the case of Beach House, they've been making music for a few years now, and have some experience doing the "band thing". But I imagine that Victoria Legrand started much in the same way as every upstart adolescent crooner - with a dream and a drum machine. After she picked up a guitarist for a wingman and started cranking out the tunes, she got herself a couple records made and is currently signed to Sub Pop records with another album on deck. So, what's the key to her success? Isn't this genre of music reserved for up-start wanna-bes?

What Victoria dares to do, that so few of us dare to do, is take such a simple idea and turn it into something much more than that. She takes so eloquently a bare-all approach to music that it almost feels like she's undressing and saying, "This is me, take it or leave it." Now that's gutsy. It's not always the brightest move, but for Beach House, it works. The attitude that their music sets us up with leaves us wanting a bare-souled contralto hovering over it. Legrand's vocal subtleties lend themselves to the band's simple instrumentation and drum machine style, and the music lends right back.

With Devotion, and with their self-titled debut, Beach House proves that simple instrumentation doesn't necessarily mean simple music. Devotion reaches a level that their debut couldn't quite grasp, but experience does great things for any band. Their sound has evolved dramatically, and I suspect will continue to evolve in the albums to follow. More and more, Devotion sounds like Beach House's sound, not just any other dream-pop/synth-pop/chamber-pop group. It's unique in style, yet humble enough to expose its simplicity. It's a warm and inviting sound, almost as if they're trying to bring you into their mystical, dreamy world. Legrand's vocals swirl in a tone of darkness and subtle agony. It's actually almost like being in a dream. It's almost like seeing your dreams of one day having a band becoming a reality.

I suppose it shouldn't be considered ironic, then, that their next album is titled Teen Dream. It's due to drop in the next couple of weeks. It's bound to be more of the same, and it's bound to be an improvement on Devotion. Perhaps more complexities will weave into Beach House's psyche as they become more comfortable with their craft. But maybe complexity isn't always better. Just keep telling yourself that.