Beach House : Devotion

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/beachhousedevotion.jpg" alt=" " />Slow swinging and reverbed serenades pepper the duo's second album in a nearly perfect setup for bedtime. ...
8.1 Carpark
2008 

Beach House : DevotionSlow swinging and reverbed serenades pepper the duo’s second album in a nearly perfect setup for bedtime.  Soft rhythms carry singer Victoria Legrand’s drawn out, somber vocals while a combination of sparkling keyboard and smooth guitar make Devotion wonderfully sincere.

The three things that define the record the most are the minimal keyboard & guitar sounds, the plastic drums, and the echo of Legrand’s voice.  Legrand plays a sedated organ most of the time, except for moments like the opening “Wedding Bell”, where she swings a harpsichord sound around a delicate piano tune.  Alex Scally’s pointed guitar notes spike the difference while what seems like a Fisher-Price rhythm section coasts behind.  “You Came To Me” sets the tone for the rest of Devotion with a smoother flow and fuzzier feel.  Legrand’s voice reverbs into the keyboard sound with ease and Scally’s guitar pokes and shifts around like white tips of waves.

Devotion is thoroughly tender effort, and nearly impossible to avoid describing as dream-like.  The duo’s sound exudes such calm that it’s unconscious and forcibly eyelid-shutting.

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