Beach House - Teen Dream Album Review

Review of Beach House's album Teen Dream

Prolific duo Beach House release their third album Teen Dream to much anticipation following the acclaim of their previous releases. That they only formed in 2004 and yet are about to release their third album says a lot about the direction their short musical career has gone in.

From the minute you turn this album on, you find yourself struck by how intimate it feels. Production sure helps but its more than that. The vocals on Silver Soul are dreamlike while musically, its twangy sound creates an almost immediate sense of euphoria. That same feeling is carried on to Norway, a generously melodic song, that features some neat galloping guitars that only help an already motivating track to race along.

Single Used To Be, finds Beach House in an acoustic setting. A piano driven masterpiece from beginning to end, its soft without being bland and provides a crucial change in pace at the albums halfway point.

Keyboards and organs are a regular fix on Teen Dream, layered amongst other instruments, they gift the album its most attractive aspect. Lover of Mine uses the this formula to its max, with its oriental sounding organs providing an unorthodox back drop for a delicate ballad. Its certainly got an 80s tinge to it, but unlike many of Beach House's contemporise, they haven't introduced the sound of this era in a brash and obvious way.

What follows is the albums best track by a mile. Better Times gains momentum with every 10 second that passes while heartbreaking lyrics adorn its every verse.

This is an album of technical quality, its rare you find albums so consistent throughout, especially ones that's as musically complex as this effort. It's never easy to use a formula throughout an album which involves the same instruments being used and have it not get tiresome. But Beach House somehow manage to keep polishing the albums charm throughout, keeping it from sounding stale at any point and in doing so creating an album with strong identity.

One things for sure though, Beach House and their album Teen Dream are in for a big 2010.

Sam Marland