The “wonderful” album Beach House deemed worth the wait
The modern iteration of dream-pop has been spearheaded by Beach House. Between Victoria Legrand’s warm, rich tones and Alex Scally’s swirling soundscapes, the duo have forged a sound that entirely embodies the term, dreamy and melodic all at once. Tracks like ‘Space Song’ and ‘Myth’ have won over existing dream-poppers and new fans alike, soundtracking melancholic drives and coffee shops worldwide.
While Beach House have forged a truly distinctive and original sound, they were undoubtedly shaped and inspired by the shoegazers and sonic dreamers that preceded them. Over a decade before they even made their debut, the seeds of the genre were being sewn by guitar innovators and feedback aficionados setting out to build swirling worlds of sound.
First there was the Cocteau Twins, who disguised their already indecipherable lyrics under layers of echoing sound. Then, the 1990s brought with them a shoegaze explosion. Slowdive presented a soft take on the genre, creating a reflective ambience around Rachel Goswell’s vocals. The Jesus and Mary Chain filled their guitars with fuzz. But perhaps the most important band in the genre were Irish rockers My Bloody Valentine.
After making their debut with Isn’t Anything at the end of the 1980s, My Bloody Valentine released shoegaze’s seminal record in 1991 with Loveless. Kevin Shields’ innovative guitar use, characterised by a whammy bar and a whole load of pedals, would come to define the genre. Loveless is still near-synonymous with shoegaze and remains so even now. Though their sound was much heavier than Beach House’s, their influence can still be heard.
Despite the positive response to Loveless and the legacy that it would soon accrue, My Bloody Valentine were in no rush to deliver a follow-up. It was over a decade before they put out their third album, mbv, but for Beach House, it was completely worth the wait. During a conversation with Pitchfork, the dream-pop band selected the record as their favourite of the last 25 years, deeming it “wonderful”.
The band seemed to particularly admire how mbv built upon their established sound without relying on it. “There are some moments that connect back aesthetically to their earlier records,” they commented, “but there are also new, deeper forms and vibes that materalise throughout.” The album certainly maintains their distinctive fuzzy sound, but it pushes it further, particularly as the record progresses.
There are the shoegaze staples, sure, but there are also moments that take from dance music, the pulsing drums on album closer ‘Wonder 2’, for example. They push beyond droning walls of sound to experiment with anything and everything, seeing how many influences and textures they can fit into one album without verging on incoherence.
If you ask Beach House, they strike the balance perfectly. “It feels like a perfect blend of lovely melodic songs and wild harsh moments,” they concluded, “It also feels timeless.” Their own work definitely veers in favour of the latter, tending to prefer the softer, more melodic style of shoegaze to those heavier, more experimental moments, but the influence of My Bloody Valentine can still be felt in their sound. In fact, it can be felt across the shoegaze and dream-pop genres to this day.
Though it has often been overshadowed by its legendary predecessor, mbv is well worthy of Beach House’s pick for best album of the last 25 years.
