Beach House – Devotion

If only Beach House’s sophomore album, Devotion, arrived a month earlier, when the grey moodiness of constant rain and cold evenings could have used a little mellow warmth. Recalling the slow burning dreaminess of Mazzy Star, but haunted with the more plaintive wispy voice of Victoria Legrand, Beach House is built around an atmospheric density thickened with slow clopping beats from a drum machines, the wavering of a pedal steel and organ melodies that sway gently like innocent ghosts. Filled with waltzes and torch songs, Beach House is engaging as much as it is hypnotic. With elegant instrumentation, Alex Scally weaves the Baroque implications of harpsichord within “Auburn And Ivory” to balance the crying slide of pedal steel. It implies a Gothic turn without feeling the slightest shiver of fright. Barely crossing the half hour mark, Devotion seems to vaporize away just as you were still receiving its welcome. Hit play again, sit back and enjoy its serene dark comfort.