Artist: Beach House
Album: Teen Dream
Released: January 2010
Label: Sub Pop
Genre: Dream Pop
Purchase date: 02 November 2010
Format: mp3 files
Source: eMusic
This album had been out for almost a year before it caught my attention. One of the great things about other critics' annual "Best Of" lists is that you find out about so many artists and albums that you had missed the first time around. One critic (I think it was Robin Hilton of NPR) called November and December the absolute best months for music discovery for that reason.
Anyway, the previous album from this duo from Baltimore (2008's Devotion) just didn't do a lot for me at the time. I had bought it based solely on the good reviews from other critics I trust, but I didn't understand the hype. So, I passed on Teen Dream when it came out.
In early summer, Beach House played live for Sound Opinions, and then NPR streamed a live concert, and then a bunch of critics put Teen Dream on their "Best of 2010" lists, so I thought I would give them another shot. I bought it as my last album ever under eMusic's older (and better) download policy. (More on my opinion of eMusic.)
Much to my surprise, I really liked this album. It's moody dream pop with some catchy hooks and lovely vocals, and is much more upbeat than their previous release. Honestly, I tend to listen to this album as an album and individual tracks don't really stand out, but the whole thing is has a quiet dreamy beauty that's hard not to like
Rating: B+
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