The New Music

Beach House Teen Dream [Sub Pop]

The progress most artists make from their first to their third albums is usually one way or the other. Either they stick with a good thing if it’s working (read: selling records) or they attempt some sort of reinvention to satisfy someone’s creative itch (be it their audience’s or their own). Baltimore duo Beach House are in the former category but not exclusively.

On their first album for Sub Pop, Teen Dream, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, continue to enchant us with the gleaming, lackadaisical dream pop they we first heard on 2006’s self-titled debut. But as “Zebra” arises there’s an almost instantaneous click in the way Legrand bends the hook in the chorus that signals this album as a cultivation. Considering the shimmering brilliance of their first two albums, this revelation signifies just how exceptional an album like Teen Dream is.

“Silver Soul” reminds us of those lazy Mazzy Star comparisons, but where David Toback and Hope Sandoval rarely broke from the formula of groggy slide guitar and velvety vocals, Beach House let the droning organ take over or slip in some fluctuating rhythms.

Single “Norway” is easily their biggest step forward as far as sonics and accessibility. The twinkling guitars have a Cocteau Twin-like radiance, bending and ringing with woozy effect, while Legrand gets some welcome assistance from some breathy backing sighs, which add another heavenly layer to Beach House’s rather simplistic sound. It’s also the most memorable song they’ve written yet.

Last year’s “Used To Be,” as well, shows the music is not all about knocking back some valium and fading out of consciousness. The toe-tapping tambourine-assisted beat and swirling organ breathe new life into their canon.

But the biggest surprise comes in “10 Mile Stereo.” The crest of shoegazing noise allows us to peek at where Beach House can turn to in the future. While Slowdive/My Bloody Valentine rip-offs are a dime a dozen, the swelling waves of guitars really correspond with what Legrand and Scally have been doing till now.

Beach House’s growth may not be as measurable as some bands, but it’s obvious by hearing Teen Dream even once how their songwriting has been sharpened and refined without sacrificing the elegiac beauty that won over fans in the first place.

Rating: A

- Cam Lindsay