Beach House Depression Cherry
Beach House is a frustrating band. Musically, the Baltimore dream-pop duo is the modern equivalent of Cocteau Twins—the shimmering keyboards, gossamer ambient space and frontwoman Victoria Legrand’s gauzy but expressive vocals. But recent Beach House albums (in particular 2012’s monotonous Bloom) have lacked the resonance and staying power of their spiritual predecessors.
Things move in an incrementally positive direction with fifth record Depression Cherry, which harkens to the band’s earliest, most mysterious work. Frozen synth-pop standout “Wildflower” is a dead ringer for Cocteau Twins, while “Bluebird” has a gothic tint that adds welcome intrigue and uncertainty. Still, some of Depression Cherry’s best moments come off like a muted watercolor version of Stereolab—“Sparks” due to repetition (searing electric guitar arpeggios, a loop of wordless Legrand cooing and burnt organ), and “Space Song,” which sails along on a bed of burbling new-wave keyboards, gracefully dipping guitar lines and lyrics like “Who will dry your eyes, when it falls apart?”
Beach House still floats off into the ether too often during the album’s second half, which causes songs to fade into the background. Overall, however, Depression Cherry finds the band getting better at making subtle moments memorable.
