Beach House
's style is so distinctive that it's a small miracle
Victoria Legrand
and
Alex Scally
continue to find ways to keep their music fresh. In the past, they've released two albums in the same year (2015's
Depression Cherry
Thank Your Lucky Stars
) and added different sounds into the mix (as on 2018's
7
). In its sheer size and musical inventiveness,
Once Twice Melody
recalls all of these projects while changing things up once again. The four years between
and this album gave
Scally
Legrand
plenty of time to fill their notebooks with songs, and
's generous length takes the huge scope their music has implied since
Bloom
to its logical extreme.
also self-produced the album, and that may be why the sounds and moods they explore flow so seamlessly, especially when compared to
's discrete experiments. If that album expanded the idea of what
could sound like, then
fills in that idea with colors both familiar and new. The album begins with one of the most impressive strings of songs in their discography. "Once Twice Melody" kicks things off with the washy synths and tinny drum machines of the duo's early days, then swells into strings (courtesy of arranger
David Campbell
) that add some symphonic '60s pop majesty to the feeling of floating through space that
always conjure so brilliantly. "Superstar" is an instant classic, channeling the echoes of a long-ago love with frisson-like arpeggiated synths and a gently chugging beat. Another standout, "Pink Funeral," suggests a collaboration between
Bernard Herrmann
Cocteau Twins
as it teeters between loss and bliss.
come a little closer to their listeners on the tender "Through Me," a fine example of how her poetically simple lyrics let her voice ring out like a bell. Though
is unapologetically lush even by
's standards, the duo use space creatively to express the beauty in sadness. On "Over and Over," they allow these feelings to unfold in an epic seven-minute sweep; on "Many Nights," there's a candlelit coziness to
's voice even as the song builds around her. And while "Hurts to Love" sounds like it could have been left off of
Devotion
and the black chiffon moods of "Masquerade" hark back to
's sexy electro-pop, the album's acoustic-based songs are often the most exciting. "Sunset" is a campfire song,
-style, and the honeyed slide guitars on "The Bells" lend a surprising warmth to its dream folk. Equally comforting and creative moments like this give
the heart to match its ambition, and the way different songs stand out on each listen reaffirms that
's consistency is the opposite of predictable. ~ Heather Phares