In the uprising of hipsters and trend setting, Beach House created an album celebrating and encapsulating their interpretation of modern day youth. If you are a consumer who has become accustomed to digital only releases, Teen Dream is going to inspire you to go back to buying hard copies again. Beach House took their time creating the aesthetics of this album, going as far as to have a music video for each song included on a DVD. Coming out of the 00’s, Beach House set a prestigious bar for full package albums going into the new decade. The look and feel of Teen Dream creates high expectations, but what is the actual material like?
Beach House is showing substantial growth. Looking at their sophomore release Devotion, Beach House has advanced from having a few stand out tracks, such as “Gila” and “Turtle Island,” in a generally free-spirited yet placid album.From one song to the next, Teen Dream has more compelling dynamics and is more overtly conceptual. Teen Dream starts off with uplifting innocence in the song “Zebra.” Alex Scally’s simplistic, up-tempo double picking of a clean electric guitar gives Victoria Legrand a fine foundation to come in with her ethereal vocals that gives Beach House their trademark dream-pop sound. Being that the element of the zebra is an intrinsic part of the album artwork, the listener might be expecting some major significance from this song. However, the lyrics at surface value do not go any deeper than admiration of the majestic creature. In essence, “Zebra” is simply an entry point for the rest of Teen Dream, as it is on the listener’s finger tips when they open the album jacket. The theme of literalness holds true throughout the album as one song isn’t tied to another in direct concept, rather, the entire album falls under the overall concept of being part of a teen’s dream.
Musically, Teen Dream has peaks and valleys. Where the mood starts off as uplifting in “Zebra,” “Norway” is fiery, restless, and smoldering. Some songs will create anxious energy in the listener, and other songs like “Better Times” are designed with repetitive keys, down-tempo drum tacks, and relaxed vocals for the listener to enjoy and take a break from the intensity. In contrast with down-tempo relaxation, there is also down-tempo vehemence. In the song “Real Love,” ambient noises of cutlery and other household items create the atmosphere of being at home. As the piano comes in with calming tones, there is the soft clack of a wooden stick against the side of a snare drum. As Legrand sings in first person to someone of consequence, her brassy voice sings out with bridled feelings that are on the brink of being unleashed. The lyrics, “The light watch the seabird fall. Real love finds you somewhere with your back to it,” convey fluttering emotions of desire, hope, and relief. The album concludes leaving the listener with happiness, gratitude, and satisfaction in the song “Take Care.”
Side stepping to the DVD, the listener suddenly becomes the viewer, and it becomes much clearer what Beach House’s interpretation of a teen dream is. In the video for “Walk in the Park,” Beach House exaggerates the roles of the freak, the cool kids, and beautiful girls. The freak, with hair growing out of unnatural places on his face, looks longingly at a cool kid making out with a beautiful girl. The cool kids notice the freak, start to mock him, and eventually go over and beat him up. The freak rises and offers the cool kids a sandwich taken from his inward parts, the kids eat it, start vomiting violently as if infected with a bio-weapon, and the freak dances off triumphantly; it is a very happy ending. The artistry throughout the DVD ranges from abstract flash sequences, the base appeal of sexuality, a comedic short film, and much more. Although the composition of the DVD tracks are rearranged for a more cinematic flow and concepts are all over the place, the constant feature of the videos remains the same in embodying modern day youth.
Teen Dream is a visual, audio, sensory experience. If you are part of this up and coming generation that purchases songs a la cart, take a step back. This album is worth the time and the effort to get a physical copy. Do it, and get lost in Beach House’s interpretation of a teen dream.
Here’s the formal online low-down as posted on the Give Seattle 2009 website:
“On Nov. 17, Seattle coffee roaster Caffe Vita in collaboration with 30+ Seattle artists, businesses and nonprofits will release GIVE, adownloadable music and video compendium to benefit Arts Corps, Seattle’s largest nonprofit arts educator, along with various Seattle neighborhood food banks. A full 100 percent of sales will go directly to GIVE beneficiaries. The $7 compilation – conceived and initiated by Caffé Vita, which is producing, curating and funding the project – will be available online as well as in Caffé Vita shops, Easy Street Records, Sonic Boom Records, University Book Store, The Crocodile, EMP, and Neumos. These outlets will carry GIVE packages, including physical cards with a redemption code for the download, as ready-to-give presents.”
Formalities aside, there are 30 songs from 30 local artists, making GIVE one of the largest selections of Seattle music you’ll find on any compilation out there. For $7 and a good cause, this album is a steal and well worth every dime. GIVE is an eclectic mix of various artists of all genres, all of whom dig in their heels and hustle the Seattle music scene like the homeless selling Real Change on the streets. I especially like the track picks for Common Market and Kinski because the instrumentals show diversity in the groups. Mad Rad, Fences, and a few others stand out as well. Check out a couple of picks off the album below, and then get yourself to the December 3rd show at The Crocodile to see several of the artists on the compilation. If you’ve ever wondered how to get a good taste of what the Seattle scene has to offer, the Give Seattle 2009 compilation is a great place to start.
TONIGHT at The Crocodile, a handful of artists from the Give album will be playing live to promote the compilation. All proceeds from this event will be donated to Give Seattle, Art Corps, and neighborhood food banks. Buy your tickets HERE.
Word to your momz! I came to drop Bronze!(Fawn) Okay — that was thE stupidest intro in Seattle Show Gal history! But you know what? It will be even stupider on your part to miss their show June 5th at The Sunset Tavern.
Do you know what these cats have been up to? Besides deflowering susceptible females and not calling the next day, Bronze Fawn just Recorded 5 brand new songs with Matt Bayles over Memorial Day weekend; one of them approximately 19 minutes long. Whether this alleged song will be 19 minutes of booyah or 19 minutes of boring remains to be seen. Bronze Fawn is said to debut all of the songs off of their new album. This could be mind-blowing! This could be catastrophic! This could be earth-SHATTERING!!! All I know is I am going to have to see it for myself to believe it.
You should too! What I liked about Bronze Fawn in my previous encounters was that they had passion in spades. Their cinematic style of music creates vast spaces for the mind to wonder. Through their exploration in different musical spaces, the constant feature was passion. Looking further at their diversity of content, I found that Bronze Fawn dabbles in moods of excitement, relaxation, curiosity, joviality, and bit of romance. Could these different faces of Bronze Fawn represent the men behind the music? I doubt it, but how should I know? I’m only here for the music!
Please enjoy a clip from a Bronze Fawn shows back in January of 2009 and I’ll see you 06/05 at The Sunset Tavern Suckas! I think they’ll be on no later then 10 so DON’T be late!
In getting to know Peter Broderick, it does not come as a surprise that every project he takes on is as unique and complete as he is. From having albums that speak to a more eclectic ear to those that focus on a single train of thought, such as Music for Falling from Trees, you can count on being left in want of nothing.
Music for Falling from Trees was written for the dance piece about a man trying to maintain his identity as he is locked up in a psychiatric hospital. The title ‘Falling From Trees’ coupled with the content of the album creates the fantasy of falling from a tree into the rabbit hole; the final destination unknown. This album is a rare opportunity to get lost in a piece of a collaborative dream that stands alone as the work of a visionary.
Peter orchestrates the beauty of this experience with piano and strings as his tools. “An Introduction to the Patient” serves as first look at a specimen said to be crazy. Peter launches into a short, sweet, and moderately discombobulated spackle of piano that doesn’t quite have a beginning or an end. Only 60 seconds, it is a powerful character setting; it has no rhyme or reason, not unlike the subject in question. “Patient Observation” shifts the mood toward passionate darkness; the music has an ebb and flow with minor scales that pull at your heart strings but maintains the underlying tone of hope. “Pill Induced Slumber” leads with light-hearted piano through pathways of least resistance. A gentle pound of the piano accentuated by the entrancing strings leads the song into a darker tern as the subject succumbs to forced consciousness — or lack there of.
As the album progresses to “The Dream,” staccato strings playfully match piano creating a light atmosphere that suggests the subject has a delicate humanity. “Awaken/Panic/Restraint” spews strings as violently as a grimacing child in a state of panic. “Electroconvulsive Shock,” the penultimate piece, creates sympathy and compassion for the subject’s loathsome experiences through solemn, reflective strings. “The Path to Recovery” doesn’t create perfection, but through calm bright piano it reintroduces hope. This final track was beautifully delivered as an ending piece to the highly emotional story.
From the first few minutes of the album, Music for Falling from Trees asserts itself as an album that will not fit into whatever else you are doing; it calls you to stop and step into the world that it creates. Peter Broderick wrote this as music for to score a dance; it’s depth and dimension is so full that it dances all on it’s own.
Seattle Show Gal is in hot pursuit of undiscovered talent! How many great bands are out there that are slipping through the cracks? Seattle is saturated with so much music, it would be nearly impossible to sift through it all to find the good stuff. The Seattle Show Gal staff is not so proud to think that we can bring you all of it, but we are actively pursuing all different types of acts to give you a pulse on what is going on--right here in Seattle! (See more in "About")
In getting to know Peter Broderick, it does not come as a surprise that every project he takes on is as unique and complete as he is. From having albums that speak to a more eclectic ear to those that focus on a single train of thought, such as Music for Falling from Trees, you can count on being left in want of nothing.
