Beach House's stunning sophomore effort Devotion has been out for a couple of months now, but it remains hard to shake. Its Lynchian dream sonics thrive on waking life, the way all great albums do, offering up sublime soundtracking for every possible environment. Mission accomplished.
Of course, everyone expected big things from Beach House after Pitchfork and other tastemakers latched onto the band's self-titled 2006 debut and didn't let go. But pianist/vocalist Victoria Legrand and multi-instrumentalist Alex Scally turned in even more addictive songs of love, loss and everything in between on Devotion. Legrand's ethereal voice takes center stage, much as Elizabeth Fraser's did for the similarly evocative Cocteau Twins, while her electric organs mind-meld with Scally's hypnotic guitar to form a lush background of spacetronica – and not much else. Devotion is as understated as it is brilliant.
Listening Post queried Legrand on the movies in her mind and why tech is good for her backbeat but bad for her voice.
Wired.com Listening Post: "Heart of Chambers" has hypnotized my one-year-old daughter. She makes me play it for her every morning.
Victoria Legrand: It's funny, I have a six-year-old sister in France who likes "Heart of Chambers" too. I feel the most in that song. That's the closest to rocking that I get on the record.
LP: Where does the song's gorgeous pain come from?
Victoria Legrand: I always feel a certain amount of pain in me, but the point is to get somewhere different with it. I think that song carries the weight. For me, its a heavy train rolling along, a song about someone who really wants to be loved. When I was writing it, the words flowed out of me pretty smoothly. I saw in my mind an imaginary scene: a dark room in a tower and a solitary man. And books and useless knowledge. And I saw a voyage.
LP: Sounds cinematic. Have you considered soundtracking?
Victoria Legrand: I see several movies when I'm writing; images run through my mind. Our music is cinematic in a way I'd like to think. I wouldn't mind doing a soundtrack someday.
LP: Have you had to fight to keep your work separate from its influences, or that which critics and fans recall when they hear it?
Victoria Legrand: I don't think we have been fighting to get away from the comparisons. We are flattered. But with some of the comparisons, I can't see the similarities. People need to compare to understand sometimes, so if it helps new listeners, then great. Alex and I just try to keep our heads clear when writing. I personally do not listen to a lot of music. It helps keep my mind free. I don't want to sound like someone else from the get-go. I want to express myself and the world in my head.
LP: Is the voice an underrated instrument these days? Is its power being fully tapped in the age of autotuning?
Victoria Legrand: I think the voice is an underrated instrument these days and it's easy to make up for lack of ability with effects. I think sometimes people are more wowed with effects than core craftmanship. Strong voices are not as common as they used to be.
LP: Do you feed your voice through anything?
Victoria Legrand: I don't think my vocals demand effects. I like reverb to a certain extent, but I don't want to hide my voice. I like stripped-down vocals, but I also like crazy, powerful, doubled vocals like in dance or electronic music. Or Amon Duul.
LP: What gear are you using for the music?
Victoria Legrand: We use a four-track for our beats, and a collection of organs we have acquired from various whereabouts. Alex plays a Stratocaster, and I have an old Yamaha keyboard that's the same age as me.
LP: It's the 21st century, so why does indie rock seem to still need more women?
Victoria Legrand: I have yet to meet the same amount offemale musicians and singers on the road as I do men. Its a sausageparty in the music world. Come on girls! I wish there were more femalevoices out there. It'd be so much fun.
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Photo: Liz Flyntz
