Beach House - Devotion

Beach House is a duo from Baltimore, formed by Alex Scally (guitar, keyboards, percussion) and Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) . Devotion is their second album. In the age of many bigger lineups striving for complexity and multi-layered sound, the duo's psychedelic and folk inspired indie pop sound comes off rather simple. Melodies and progressions sound mostly straightforwards, the rhythm is slow and minimalist, production is well done but modest. On the other hand the duo's sound possesses an alluring atmosphere: the main remarkable aspect is the presence of prominent electric organ, that often is even more on the fore than guitar. It is often propelled along by the pulsating primitive rhythm machine. And of course there is Legrand's enchanting velvety voice that radiates melancholy and sadness. This might sound like a cliché, but Devotion proves that sometimes there indeed is beauty and charm to the simplicity.

*This review was published in Estonian in a journal called Postimees. This is the English translation