Beach House

Related Content

• Beach House at Fillmore Miami Beach May 8
  May 3, 2012
• Beach House Made the Fillmore Miami Beach Feel All Tingly, May 8
  May 9, 2012
• Beach House's Victoria Legrand Talks "Myth," Music on Vinyl, and Rituals
  April 30, 2012
• Beach House's Victoria Legrand on Bloom, New Songs, and Practicing Musical Magic
  April 27, 2012
• Sundance Channel's Rectify Takes a Mighty Swing at Greatness
  April 18, 2013

More About

• Alex Scally
• Mazzy Star
• Beach House (Musical Group)
• Quaalude
• Victoria Legrand

Downer duo Beach House first made waves with its 2006 single "Apple Orchard," which copped the breathy vocals and slide guitar of Mazzy Star and buried them under layers of cavernous reverb and buzzing organ. Two years later, the band's bewitching formula hasn't really changed. Upon first listen, Devotion floats by like a half-forgotten dream with nary a varied tempo and with several songs sounding eerily "Orchard"-like thanks to the same sluggish, clicking drum machine the band used on its debut.

Only with repeat listens does the album finally reveal its substantial charms: The subtle nuances of each song worm their way into the recesses of your brain, whether it's Alex Scally's magical, echo-heavy guitar line on "Gila" or the girl-group-on-Quaaludes "la la las" of "You Came to Me." Even the drum machine gets a little help — "Holy Dances" throws some sprightly handclaps and tambourines into the mix, while "All the Years" and "D.A.R.L.I.N.G." add sleigh bells and finger snaps for good measure. But if any song here is destined for sure-fire "last skate, couples only" immortality, it's "Heart of Chambers," on which singer/keyboardist Victoria Legrand belts it out like a stoned Ronnie Spector, pleading "Would you be my longtime baaaaayybeeeee?!" No wonder the band suggests you buy the double-LP vinyl version; your ears alone aren't enough — they want your devotion, dammit.