The undivided commitment that Beach House put into their studio work supports the Baltimore duo’s arena-sized ambitions. Baltimore touts a dense musical lineage, with notable luminaries ranging from the infectious freak-pop of Animal Collective to the pragmatic R&B crooners of the early 50s. These imports occupy a wide scope of styles that are wildly contradictory – Animal Collective ride high on a cloud of frenetic synth bursts, while acts like The Orioles deliver plainspoken ballads with earnest sincerity.
Beach House is a unique patchwork of these influences; innocuous and grounded on Earth, but often relying on gloomy minor progressions, syrupy instrumentation and controlled dissonance. That meticulous sense of structure was put on full display at Montreal’s Rialto Theater last Wednesday. Although, in a lot of ways, Beach House aren’t designed to play at a venue like The Rialto. With an act as big as Beach House, the proximity from the stage to the audience was borderline surreal. Nonetheless, Beach House owned every inch of the space with airtight performances.
The show was sold out, to no one’s surprise, but the venue was surprisingly relaxed and vacant. Snagging a decent spot at a Beach House show is both a matter of luck and an exercise of patience. However, the chances of seeing the idyllic dream pop outfit perform is a one shot deal. Despite a sizeable venue space, the sparse audience that filled the front and the barflies mingling towards the back quickly diminished the thick air of anticipation.
It was the curly-haired Victoria Legrand that ignited the space. The eager weight bearing on the atmosphere was back and more palpable than ever. Legrand emerged to a deafening roar, trailing two band members behind her and trusted guitarist Alex Scally at her side. This exemplifies just how ridiculously exact of a band Beach House are. Legrand possesses the looks and instrumental finesse of a natural performer. She made visible gestures and sultry, deadpanned glares despite being silhouetted by stage lights. She demonstrated additional talent on “All Your Yeahs”, carrying the song’s groove on bass guitar while sustaining an impassioned vocal performance.
After Scally transitioned into the buzz-tinged “Beyond Love”, Legrand’s enveloping synths and airy vocals flowed seamlessly into the mix. Sonically, the duo’s performance was carefully polished; aiming as far as they could for technical perfection. Despite tedious jam moments consisting of outpours of guitar noodling and aimless drumming, Beach House nailed down a perfect pop sweet spot. The setlist comprised of a delicate fusion between fan favorites (“Silver Soul”, “Myth” and “Other People”) and newer material from 2015’s solid Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars.
The collaborative interplay between Scally’s lush guitar and Legrand’s chiming synths was at its most potent during the encore number, “Sparks”. This track is a major shift from their reverb-soaked sound, featuring an interlocking vocal loop fleshed out by synthetic drums and a sheen of lustrous synths. This represents Beach House at their most primal and resolute form; tapping into new energies with firm confidence. Besides, if Beach House didn’t choose to have fun with fresh textures, their layers of atmosphere would start to sound mind-numbingly formulaic. While the more nonchalant tracks offered moments of deep catharsis, the grandiose ditties like “Sparks” were easily more vigorous and tangible.
Just like their string of quality releases, Beach House’s poised stage act begs a certain degree of concentration. Though they have a pristine pop aesthetic, instrumental nuances and sharp synths gave way to a more antiquated vibe. It’s as if Legrand’s seductive alto channeled the warped noise heard between radio stations – raw, disjointed and brooding. Rallying moments of collective singing, Legrand’s evocative vocals conjured intense emotions. Her vocals contained a breathy quality, held together by unswerving intent and crystal clear conviction. Scally’s listless guitar work was austere, yet intensely focused; stringing together skeletal riffs and pointed high-end notes with trance inducing fuzz.
Choosing not to indulge entirely into the performance probably took part of the experience away. It’s like listening to an 80s one-hit wonder without an accompanying video; the experience would be bareboned and flat. It seemed as if the duo were aware of this even before embarking on their North America roundabout. Visuals were projected on long, thin drapes, which were intensified by multihued lights of blue, purple, and orange. Rich pastels swathed the room, bearing the resemblance of a sunset. Possibilities for more elaborate spectacles could have enhanced the ambience, however the minimal lighting was enough to hypnotize the transfixed audience.
The Rialto was sedated by a feeling of elation. Given the duo’s lush sonics and engrossing vibrance, such a sensation felt altogether apt. Beach House are essentially a pop band with a few distinguishable influences sprinkled here and there. Shoegaze is probably the band’s most traceable source of influence. Beach House wore that influence on their sleeves, delving into fits of strident noise and instrumental dissonance. Despite those few moments of cacophony, Beach House’s performance was thrusted by a strong verse-chorus foundation. These juxtaposing elements, however, cohered rather well. This supports the notion that, no matter where Beach House end up, their latest Montreal triumph all together makes sense.
Review and photos – Calvin Cashen
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