Photo by: pgr-22.com
Several songs swell and pulse into untouched sonic territory on Beach House’s newest release, Bloom, but most of the album rests a bit too comfortably on the group’s dream-pop roots.
Some tracks could even pass for outtakes from 2010’s breakthrough success, Teen Dream. Others, like the moody, drifting “Irene,” point to a new side of the band. The band’s signature style thus returns, sounding as dreamy as ever, but, unfortunately, much of the record is generally unadventurous and straddles the dangerous line between relaxing and flat-out boring.
The album starts strong, with the duo playing it safe on the lead single and opener, “Myth.” The track fits in perfectly with the smooth-production and floating vocals associated with the band, but its highly contrasting chorus makes for a supremely catchy tune.
The energy from this stellar opening track is lost due to a lack of imagination. “Lazuli” offers a soft, arpeggiated intro that morphs into an all-too-familiar-sounding organ and guitar chord progression. With the intro being the only distinct part of this song (and many others on the album), it seems, at times, the album’s goal is to be a sleep aid – the already soft and pillowy production is dangerous in combination with a lack of interesting melody, if the listener intends to stay awake for Bloom’s entirety. “Other People” seeks to end this journey to dreamland with a simple angelic chorus put on repeat. But as much the hook catches, it is far from new or exciting. It seems Beach House made aesthetic choices on its 2006 self-titled debut, and have stuck with them ever since.
Despite the album’s general lackluster nature, a few tracks standout as potential indie anthems. “The Hours” gives guitarist Alex Scally a strong presence above the organ hum. Coupled with a cleverly placed synth squeal, this song buoys the album to a new level. Even more, Bloom’s great saving grace is the 8-minute lilting epic, “Irene.” The song begs to close every Beach House show for the rest of the band’s career with its soft build-up and euphonic progression. A faint harmony calls out “It’s a strange paradise” for the length of the song and truly creates a heavenly sound.
A few tracks, in particular “Irene,” make this record worth a listen. However, the majority of this album feels like a poorly executed Teen Dream, part two. Whether following a new direction or sticking to Beach House’s trip-hop infused formula, Bloom attempts to keep your head nodding to the beat for 50 minutes, but you might end up nodding off.
