A Music Album Review of ‘Bloom’ by ‘Beach House’

On the 14^th of May the album ‘Bloom‘ by ‘Beach House’ was released under the Sub Pop record label. It was produced by Chris Coady. Therefore this review is one of the earliest since the fans have not yet listened to it in detail. One of the interesting facts about this album is that it was recorded at the Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo (Texas). The critics have been awed by the transition from Indie pop to serious music. That is not to say that the latter genre is not valuable.

Their first two albums have been dismissively referred to as ‘music box murk’. Perhaps that cutting review has influenced their latest efforts. We are fairly confident that the release of the album ‘Bloom‘ by ‘Beach House’ is going to be greeted with joy by their fans. These Baltimore dream-poppers are taking their talent seriously and it shows. We need to pay tribute to Alex Scully on the guitar. He is particularly effective on the opening piece which is titled ‘Myth’. The ‘hi-def’ sparkle that we saw in the last record remains strong and that is going to be a real winner.

The vocal line is ably handled by Victoria Legrand. She handles the instruments with great aplomb, slicing through the sound to deliver the core message of the album. Her authority is evident in “You can’t keep hanging on/To all that’s dead and gone”. We then move to a very sentimental piece called ‘Wild’ which conjures up images of lazy nights. ‘Lazuli’ is a celebration of harmony and legato. Some people might consider it to be a poor replica of ‘Norway’ but in this review we were impressed by the efforts of the band. The coda is particularly effective. The use of melodies is very sophisticated in this album.

Some of the weaker numbers indicate that the band is unwilling to challenge their rules. For example ‘the Hours’ and ‘On the Sea’ are just too obvious with their use of drums. The piano sounds contrived in the ballad format. This review must point out the fact that there are still plenty of gems such as the chorus in ‘Troublemaker’.

Rather than delivering ear candy ‘Bloom‘ by ‘Beach House’ is a mature album with plenty of interesting dynamics. Although they have pushed the envelope a bit, there is a tendency to go back to their comfort zone. The band is capable of great things.