Beach House doesn't traffic in sunny pop gems or summer driving anthems. Instead, Alex Scally's droning organs and moody guitars — topped by Victoria Legrand's gorgeous, lilting voice — provide a perfect soundtrack to autumn bonfires and snowy landscapes.
A sleepy lullaby, "Saltwater" never feels weary or tiresome. Instead, it adds up to three minutes of an autumn daydream, floating along in a wispy haze of skittering drumbeats that rise and fall like heartbeats. As Legrand sings, "Love you all the time / even though you're not mine," her lovely voice sounds extraordinarily powerful and stripped bare.
Beach House's songs feel organic, shambling and unforced: No drum machines were used in the making of the group's self-titled album, and it's easy to tell. Instead, the band relies on the clatter of found sounds and oddities like xylophones. The result is a fuzzy and idiosyncratic blanket of sound, which ought to attract the notice of those who pine for the return of Mazzy Star or Slowdive.
Listen to yesterday's 'Song of the Day.'
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