"It's a strange paradise"
BY EMRE BERBEROĞLU (IR/III)
Baltimore dream poppers Beach House released their highly anticipated fourth album, "Bloom," on May 14. The first single to be released from "Bloom" was "Myth," which was enough to get people excited about the rest of the album. This single gave us the signal that the duo was planning to play it safe this time and not try any stuff that was different from their earlier albums. "Bloom" reached number 7 in the first week of its release, selling 41,000 copies.
I had the chance to watch Beach House live in 2011 at Rock'n Coke İstanbul. In that one-hour performance, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scully amazed me with their perfect harmony. In this album, Victoria and Alex prove that they still have that harmony. While Legrand continues mesmerizing her listeners with her dreamy voice, Scully uses his melodic and psychedelic guitar riffs to do the same. Some songs, like "Lazuli," contain passages of electronic build ups; however, these don't change the sound of the group but only add new flavors to their existing music. Legrand continues to write deep and touching lyrics. As a dream pop group, Beach House accomplishes their task. In "Bloom," they drift you away from reality on a soft, cushion-like cloud and show you their world for 61 minutes.
The album opens with the beautiful "Myth." It gets your attention with offbeat bells at the intro. While Legrand sings about "building yourself a myth," Alex uses his usual guitar riffs to back her up. The album continues with what is probably its weakest link, "Wild." I feel like "Wild" is only there to fill up space.
Finally, in the third song of the album, we hear some new Beach House. "Lazuli" starts with melodic and catchy synth notes. Legrand again expresses deep emotion using simple but effective lyrics: "Like no other, you can't replace." I highly recommend that all of you check out the music video of "Lazuli" on YouTube. While you're witnessing some psychedelic transmissions, you'll also notice the impact of "Ghostbusters" on this video.
The album then continues with one of its best songs, "Other People." However, most of the songs on "Bloom" sound so familiar, you feel like you're listening to Beach House's 2010 album "Teen Dream" instead of their latest release. The duo concludes their fourth album on a high note, though, with a stunning 17-minute track called "Irene," which also contains a hidden track inside.
The bottom line: Although Beach House doesn't go out of their comfort zone here, they've succeeded in making a good album. Also, for most of those listening to Beach House for the first time, "Bloom" may sound much better than it does to those already familiar with the duo's music.
Notable tracks: "Lazuli"; "New Year"; "Other People"; "Irene"
Band's website: http://www.beachhousebaltimore.com/
This Week's Events:
1) Leonard Cohen - September 19 - Ülker Sports Arena, İstanbul - Ticket Prices: Bronze 110TL, Silver 180TL, Gold 220TL, Platinum 395 TL, VIP 555TL
2) Beirut - September 21 - Turkcell Kuruçeşme Arena, İstanbul - Ticket Prices: (SOLD OUT)
3) Dead Can Dance - September 19 - Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Amphitheater, İstanbul - Ticket Prices: Category (5) 84TL, Category (4) 95TL, Category (3) 105TL, Category (2) 122TL, Category (1) 165TL
4) Cirque du Soleil: Alegria - September 22-October 14 - Ülker Sports Arena, İstanbul - Ticket Prices: Category (4) 56TL, Category (3) 112TL, Category (2) 166.50TL, Category (1) 220TL
5) Duman - Büyük Ev Ablukada - September 21 - Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Amphitheater, İstanbul - Ticket Prices: Category (6) 50.50TL, Category
(5) 61.50TL, Category (4) 72.50TL, Category (3) 84TL, Category (2) 95TL, Category (1) 99TL
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