Beach House Celebrate 'Teen Dream' Release in New York

Posted on Jan 27th 2010 11:30AM by Colin St. John
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Fresh on the heels of their first Sub Pop release for the critically-acclaimed 'Teen Dream,' Beach House played a much-anticipated and sold-out release party at the Bell House in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Baltimore duo -- they transform into a trio or quartet live, with the addition of live percussion -- cycled through their third record, only picking and choosing a few songs from their previous efforts.

Victoria Legrand's voice sparkled and mesmerized on tunes like 'Walk in the Park' and 'Used to Be,' commanding everyone in attendance's attention. She has a tangible power on record, but live she exhibits enough gravitas to stop concertgoers coming back from the bar or the bathroom dead in their tracks.

The overall sound was expansive and resonant as Alex Scally's guitar parts glimmered on par with the lighted props on stage. Legrand referred to them as the "fur tree," as the odd accompaniments more closely resembled translucent, hairy squids with a heartbeat bent on Christmas. Early in the set, the frontwoman said she hoped the audience was "having a peaceful time," which is largely the state of the affair for a Beach House congregation -- but not always. By the time the band reached their propulsive encore, '10 Mile Stereo,' the crowd was swaying and bobbing just like Legrand's elbow-length brown hair: in sync and guided, but just a bit wild and out of control. The Bell House, for a night, had become The Beach House.