Beach House - Devotion

Once upon a time, in what feels like a different lifetime, I went to a North Carolina beach with some college friends for spring break. We piled into the car with beach clothes, towels, sunscreen, Easy Mac, Ramen Noodles and copious amounts of alcohol. When we pulled up to the house we rented, the sun was shining and the waves were breaking gently onto the white sand in the distance. All that was missing from the postcard image were cartoon letters across the sky saying, “Welcome to Nags Head!”

But after exiting the car, something was very wrong with the picture. It was freezing. Well, not freezing, but spring break fell in early March, so it was still in the low 50s. In that moment, the environment changed from an idyllic beach setting to a bizarre scene of shivering in the sunshine with your feet in the sand.

It’s that atmosphere that Beach House has captured on its sophomore album, Devotion. The record creates a mood that has moments of warmth and light but never gets too comfortable. Singer Victoria Legrand’s whispy, reverb-laden vocals set the tone, with a Nico vibe that’s dreary and drony yet consistently pretty. Completing the Baltimore duo is Alex Scally, who contributes fuzzy, finespun layers of guitar and keyboards; Legrand lends her piano/organ/keyboard skills as well, and she comes from a good pedigree--her uncle is French composer Michel Legrand. Beats are usually carried by minimalist electronic drums.

Countless blogs have lavished praise on Beach House’s 2006 eponymous debut, and they’ll most likely do the same for Devotion. Most of that comes back to that hazy, dream-like ambience the duo has created. I’m a big fan of artists creating a particular, one-of-a-kind atmosphere for an album, but mood alone only goes so far. The songs themselves have to sparkle, and while there’s nothing particularly unpleasant about these tunes, there’s nothing spectacular about them, either.

Sure, there are some bright spots, like “Gila,” “Heart of Chambers” and the Daniel Johnston cover “Some Things Last a Long Time.” And most, if not all, of the tracks feel more finished and composed than those on the band’s debut. But after a couple of listens, it’s hard not to say, “OK, I get it,” and move on. Devotion never quite lives up to its atmospheric potential, eventually becoming mildly boring. Sort of like being stuck indoors for a week at the beach.

mp3: Beach House - Gila