Beach House
Teen Dream: 9.5*
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Reminds Me of: Atlas Sound, Mazzy Star
No you’re not seeing things, this is indeed what the cover of the album looks like. If you have yet to hear about Baltimore-based duo Beach House, you soon will. Though they’re hardly new-comers having released two albums previously, this is their first for indie label stalwart Sub Pop. Teen Dream is a fitting title for the album. With lush guitars, reverberated vocals and beautiful choral harmonies, Teen Dream is indeed dream-pop of a first rate quality. Bolstered by beautiful vocals from French-born singer Christiane Legrand, Teen Dream works best when she is the main attraction (which is often). That isn’t to say that Alex Scully’s guitar work is not an integral part of the music. Its just that Legrand is at once powerful (Real Love) and tender (Take Care) which makes for a wonderful blend of vocal stylings. Perhaps what I like most about Teen Dream is that like any great album, it both starts and ends quite well.
Select Cuts: Zebra, Norway, Real Love
*Editor’s note, my buddy Scott persuaded me to bump the score a bit. After realizing that the album gets better with every listen, I decided to change the score.
Ngandu.com 
I think you’re selling the album short with an 8.2 even. I would probably give this a 9.3. Great Cat Power/Camera Obscura/Mazzy Star thing going on with some dreamy Film School guitar work. Makes me want to go running and crying in the rain for some reason like I’m in the movie “Some Kind of Wonderful”