While writing about the incredible new Beach House album, Depression Cherry, I promised to share my favorite track. Now that the album is out, it’s right here streaming for your pleasure.
Space Song is the moment when the band cements its own sound, defining the new album and taking their art to a new level. If the first track kicks off like Cocteau Twins and the second drifts with My Bloody Valentine, this is where they come fully into their own sound world.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the song is without dramatic influences. This is the point that Depression Cherry starts showing its swooning, eerily classical side. This is what deeply reminds me of the music in David Lynch films, with singer Victoria Legrand’s voice rising to a new level of weightlessness that conjures the ethereal likes of Julee Cruise and Dead Can Dance. The galloping rhythm harkens back to much earlier pop, in a way that the best Spiritualized songs recombine the same five or six Elvis-era melodies in giddily unexpected ways. The best part is that Beach House have managed to pack this inspiration into a puzzle that’s unmistakably their own.
I wish that I could take a close enough picture to convey just how fuzzy and awesome the Depression Cherry vinyl sleeve is. The pictures online look like a flat, boring album cover, but holding it in my hands is a revelation. I have other albums with strange packaging, including hairy CDs from both Black Moth Super Rainbow and The Flaming Lips, but have never owned a vinyl in such a sleeve. I just had to share that because if you can, you should buy it. You’ll want to rub your face on it.
Optimistic Underground 
Thanks for the write ups on this album, your enthusiasm is well warranted! I haven’t listened to it enough yet to surpass my love of Bloom, but I’ll give it some time. And of course I’m loving my loser edition copy, the cover is fantastic!
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That’s awesome, great to hear that other people love it! I wasn’t as enamored with Bloom but now I want to go back and listen again.
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Can you believe we got a second BH album (thank your lucky stars) in such a short period of time!? It snuck up on me for sure. Curious as to your thoughts on it if you’ve given it a listen?
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I haven’t even listened yet, I’m terrible! Actually, I think I’m just hesitant because I like Depression Cherry so much I’m afraid of being relatively let down. Beach House hadn’t really done it for me with their albums after Devotion, then suddenly came roaring back with DC, sounding like Heaven Or Las Vegas era Cocteau Twins. I’ve heard good things though, so I’ll make an effort to listen maybe after work today!
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I can understand the hesitation, so don’t feel as though you need to push it up in your listening queue. It really was an odd move to drop it so quickly quickly after DP, but I suppose they are meant to be sister albums after all. I’ve only listened once so far, but I’ve liked what I heard.
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I normally listen to non vocal music at work, so now that I’m free and it’s Sunday, it’s time for this album and the new Joanna Newsom!
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Ack! I just realized the copy floating around is a very shitty vinyl rip with no dynamics and lots of crackle.. wish I could afford to just buy a copy already! Regardless, I’m digging it.
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