When Baltimore, Maryland duo Beach House released their self titled debut in 2006 they already had their sound down and found their niche in the indie community. Their dreamy pop sound continued on their second album, Devotion, in 2008. So now in 2010 they have evolved and refined their dreamy pop sound to capture raw emotion with their best offering yet, “Teen Dream”, and their first with legendary indie label Sub Pop.

With a title like that you would expect lyrics describing all the joys of youth and a glimpse into the past of what is the most awkward period in an individual’s life, the teenage experience. That assumption couldn’t be further from the truth, this album reeks with emotion with many highs and lows. The vocals of Victoria Legrand are so powerful that you can’t help but feel the sorrow in her voice. Her vocals surround you and not only do you hear the emotion, you feel it. Despite the power and emotion in the vocals, the music that keyboardist and guitarist Alex Scally delivers really set the mood. After listening to this album you can see why they are being classified as “dream pop”. The music on this album can play like a soundtrack to your sleep. The dreamy keyboards and emotionally charged vocals seem to toe the line of the shoegaze genre. But this is an album with a very distinct sound that is often replicated but never duplicated.

As far as some of the high points on the album, the singles “Norway” and “Used to be” are strong but far from the best. A personal highlight would be the latter part of the album, the deeper into the album the better it gets.  “Lover of Mine”, “10 Mile Stereo”, and “Real Love” are strong statements and play to the strengths of the album, and are possible benchmarks in the growth of the duo. The album seems to have a nice balance with ballads intertwined with more upbeat songs, or at least as upbeat as the album gets. If the album has a flaw it would be that the sound can get repetitive, but I didn’t see that was the case being a fan of the genre. Everyone can take away something from this album because the lyrical content is something everybody can relate to.  It will be in heavy rotation for me for the time being.

Unfortunately for us here in Indy, Beach House will not be gracing us with their presence. They will be touring the states this Spring and will be in the area on April 2 playing the Metro in Chicago. A touring stint overseas with the mighty Grizzly Bear may provide the duo with a boost in popularity. Whether or not this album translates to mainstream success, I boldly predict that we will be hearing a lot of Beach House in 2010.

Final Grade: 8.5 out of 10

Artist: Beach House

Album: Teen Dream

Label: Sub Pop

Track Listing:

1. Zebra
2. Silver Soul
3. Norway
4. Walk in the Park
5. Used to be
6. Lover of Mine
7. Better Times
8. 10 Mile Stereo
9. Real Love
10. Take Care