Simplistic and soothing, Beach House’s debut channels lush keys, mellow slide guitar work and enchanting vocals to establish a relaxing collection of seaside reveries. Lead singer Victoria Legrand’s Nico-esque vocals and sterling organ playing creates a gripping vintage sound that is only enhanced by Alex Scally’s complementing keyboards. The result is a charming, contemplative and anachronistic theme that takes root throughout the warm collection of songs.
The low fidelity production and meandering melodies envelop the listener from the very start of the album, beginning with the sparse drumbeats on opener “Saltwater” to the final mellow cadences of Legrand’s reverb drenched vocals on closer “Heart and Lungs.” “Master of None” and “Childhood” encapsulate nostalgic memories over cascading keyboard chimes and humming harpsichords that blur together. The short collection of nine songs seems transient, as one song’s minor key segues into the next, but overall these humble waltzes prove to be incredibly refreshing.