Beach House: “Teen Dream”

On Occasion, the aural palette of a serious music lover is confronted with the revelation that it may, in fact, be digesting a particularly gratifying work by an artist whom they had previously underestimated, ignored or avoided. In the face of such an occurrence, the listener has a myriad of options in consideration of a proper response. Many may decide to ignore their past relationship with the artist in question and steadfastly insist that they have always loved this particular musician even before they released a masterpiece. Others will decide to openly ignore the musician’s past and act as if they are a brand new entity that never existed before they unexpectedly achieved a definitive artistic statement. I, on the other hand, do not choose either of these approaches: I admit freely and openly that I was unimpressed with the past releases of Beach House but am absolutely enthralled by their newest album Teen Dream.

I first discovered Beach House shortly after the release of their first LP. Like the work of Joanna Newsom, it had been recommended to me by the self-proclaimed spokesman for the ‘Freak Folk’ movement: Devendra Banhart. Unlike my introduction to the work of Joanna Newsom, I was unable to see anything special in Beach House’s recordings. I found them to be meandering, staid and redundant. The slight rise in popularity which accompanied the release of their second LP Devotion did little to sway my judgment. While the songs were slightly more diverse I still found that the album’s plodding pace offered little to hold my attention throughout an entire listen.

Teen Dream is an achievement which pairs the standard structure of the pop song with a meticulously-maintained, wistful atmosphere. Many artists have experimented with this blending before but few have written songs as beautiful as these. Each track is a fully realized portrait of life and love. All examine the high-stakes that surround the formation of a relationship, addressing the pains and pleasures held within as if they were equal representatives of the human experience.

Due to the consistency of the album’s tone, the subtle addition of supplementary sounds and rhythms (which inevitably weave their way into each song) are powerfully effective. Nearly every track on this album could be released as a single and each may hold a coveted place on the second side of innumerable future mix-tapes. The ubiquitous humanity in these tracks allows the listener the freedom to project his or her own life-experiences into the portrait created by each song; as a result, the songs can sound either happy or sad dependent upon the listener.

This record points the way for artists working under the loosely constructed ‘dream pop’ banner and it is quite possible that Teen Dream is the movements’ quintessential testimony. I am sure that this album will be near the top of my ‘best of the year list’ and I am now, in my official capacity as a critic for Folkways Magazine strongly suggesting that you grant a deserving listen to what will surely come to be respected as a classic recording.