Last night, Beach House held the record release party for their third album Teen Dream (now out on Sub Pop) at The Bell House in Brooklyn. I started to hear rumblings of this record back in November, and by rumblings, I mean bloggers claiming they had already discovered the best album of 2010. It seemed that was a bold statement. But now, I’m not so sure that the rumors weren’t exactly on the money.
I’ve been listening to Teen Dream for well over a month now, constantly. On repeat. It’s hard to describe how an album can be lulling and complicated all at once… but that’s exactly what Teen Dream IS. It makes you want to lay in a bed of downy pillows and sink right back into Legrand’s vocals. It makes you want to chase down intense love affairs and throw caution to the wind. It reminds you that life is this startling combination of everything that is sad and beautiful. (Um. Yah. I guess you could say I really like it.)
Last night was wonderful, not only because of this amazing album, but because I got to witness Beach House in all their nerdy glory. Cause make no mistake, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally are wonderful nerds and the show is all the better for it. From their adorable, awkward banter with the audience to Legrand making shadow puppets on the wall while Scally was tuning, it is obvious that their lyrics reflect a deep emotional purge and they’re aware that sharing these feelings is a bold move.
Legrand, as the lead singer, is the more dramatic one on stage. She pounded her chest while singing, “with the beating of your tiny heart” on single “Norway” and thrashed her hair about in a very animated rendition of “Zebra.” Scally appears almost introverted at times, turning his face and his guitar away from the audience while singing the back-up vocals to “Used To Be” and “Take Care.” The group didn’t forget to slip in a few former releases, including one of my favorites “Heart of Chambers” off album Devotion. They eventually ended the show with an encore of “10 Mile Stereo.”
When you purchase the physical copy of Teen Dream, it comes with an accompanying disc of videos. The one for “Silver Soul” below was directed by Legrand herself:
