Tag: ethereal
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Beach House: Depression Cherry
Beach House is best described as a dream. Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand form this indie duo. Since their first self-titled album in 2006, Beach House has become an obscure gem among the indie-rock scene, often likened to the sounds of My Bloody Valentine and Grizzly Bear, among others.
Beach House’s newest release, Depression Cherry, stays true to their ethereal style. You begin the album, and the notion of time seems to fade; before you know it, you’re sitting in a dark room, and the afternoon has turned into night. How appropriate that the album should embody the nighttime, but not at all depressing like the title implies. The tracks are dreamy and sensual. 80’s synthetic overlays give the album a dark-techno sound, but the album is not eerie. In fact, it is very sublime and relaxing with its languid melodies.
The album opens with “Levitation,” a dramatic first track with 80’s synthesizer tones and Legrand’s lofty vocals. A soft tambourine transitions to a rhythmic beat and subtle rock guitar riffs. “Sparks” follows with a raw guitar opening accompanied with a techno backdrop, giving the track an industrial style, softened by airy vocals. “Space Song” takes on a different sound with a surfer vibe, while “PPP,” one of the more popular tracks, takes on the style of a love song, reflecting a 50’s melody.
The album seems to be a combination of love songs and lullabies, all of which are enrapturing and comforting in their gentle vocals. Although the band name might imply a sound best suited for the west coast, Beach House captivates their listeners by taking the indie genre, which is normally associated to sounds similar to punk and rock, and combines it with a sound less harsh than the industrial genre and an 80’s techno style to create complex and beautiful melodies.
4/5
Listen: Wieuca “Pressure Head”
Its been a while since Vinyl Mag has talked to Wieuca. We interviewed them about their band dynamic and future plans and reviewed their self-titled EP, “Wieuca.” Needless to say, Vinyl Mag is excited to see where this band is going, and we’re very happy they came to Athens from Atlanta. Hopefully they’re here to stay. Wieuca has recently graced us with yet another single, “Pressure Head,” from their upcoming album Master, produced through Land of the Freak Recordings.
The track opens with eerie noise and distorted instruments. The broken sounds come together to create an upbeat melody, and the noise slowly transitions to a somewhat surfer guitar riff and vocals. The sound remains ethereal, and perhaps a little psychedelic until the instrumental end. In our interview with Wieuca, Will points out that “the band is more collaborative and fun than it ever has been,” but “open to adding more members to expand the potential of our live show,” which is reason enough to attend their release show for their upcoming album on September 4th at the 40 Watt, along with The Hernies and Big Morgan.