Thank Your Lucky Stars strikes a notably downcast tone and posture when stacked next to Depression Cherry. There’s nothing about these songs that is outright melancholic, but there’s also nothing that reaches the same shimmering highs as, say, “Levitation” or “Space Song” on the earlier work, either. The closest this record comes to matching that level of majesty is the album opener “Majorette” and the closing track “Somewhere Tonight.”
Sandwiched between those two songs is an array of fantastically subdued and beautifully constructed dreamy psych-pop offerings that each possess their own unique vibe. Beach House has mastered the art of space by this point and seems to have an instinct for how long to drag out a keyboard melody or a guitar line before bringing in another element to keep things from bogging down. This is especially true on “Elegy To The Void,” which is carried along at a meandering pace by the same reverb-drenched guitar melody pattern, shifted into different chords and matched by an atmospheric synth.
As ever, Victoria Legrand’s ethereal voice brings in the dream element to the duo’s signature dream-pop sound. She floats through each track like a warm, comforting haze, allowing Alex Scally’s guitar to do most of the work shaping the particular mood of each song. The lyrics remain characteristically vague. You’re left to wonder if the “she” in “She’s So Lovely” is the same “she” that Legrand sings about in “All Your Yeahs” and “Common Girl.” Maybe the “she” is Legrand, but maybe “she” isn’t. Maybe the “she” isn’t even a “she” at all.
It’s might actually be to the benefit of both this record and Depression Cherry that Beach House didn’t fold all of its gathered material into one singular, unwieldy double album. Short attention spans combined with these atmospheric, slowly paced psychedelic ballads could have made for a monumental slog. It would have been a shame for Thank Your Lucky Stars to have been misspent or glossed over; as is, the full sonic and emotional weight is tremendous. (this review is from the AV Club )
Sara is the host with the most this week
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