I gotta be up front: I have a weird competitive streak with Beach House because I’ve been in a few bands that sound like them, and they always make their space rock/dream pop seem so freaking effortless. I’ve spent nearly four years of my life in-and-out of studios trying to weave gold while they just seem to crank it out whenever they want. So annoying. Not their music, of course. I tried to hate on it for a while, but I couldn’t: It’s nifty, dreamy stuff, always economical in arrangement and running time. Plus, blogs like them a bunch and yet they are fairly gimmick-free and actually, you know, good, which is a nice change of pace.
If Tuesday night was the epitome of all that is irritating and mediocre about CMJ, last night was somewhat redemptive, though I still think the organizers should just gather the best acts and put them in one place. But hey, the evening was so pleasant, in fact, that I don’t even have any bingo squares to mark off!
The Baltimore duo Beach House just put out its second album, Devotion, and it’s another collection of hazy, lovely tracks that are well-suited to drowsy afternoons, or just those times during the workday when daydreams are sorely needed. More »
Baltimore duo Beach House garnered a few post-CMJ raves, including a completely OMG-superlative rave from the showcase-hoppers at Stereogum. More »
