Familiarize Yourself

It’s what’s been said and done during the day that lingers in our restless minds come dark… Pick apart the past, you’re not going back. Don’t you waste your time. And I find staying awake with this restlessness when I should be sleeping more satisfying than grueling with Gila as my lullaby.

I stumbled upon duo Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand just some weeks before their sold out show with Grizzly Bear, Sept 27 at The Metro. I found them on my family vacation at a beach house off Cayuga Lake in NY. It was hardly a beach as it was covered in sharp rocks not sand and the house was damp, crawling with centipedes (I am not kidding unfortunately). Needless to say the best part of that trip was Beach House not the “beach house“, which took until just recently to realize.

I was a bit unsure of their sound at first. It’s very somber and ominous, both lyrically and instrumentally, which didn’t sit well with me in the bright July sun. No, this wasn’t love at first sound, it was the kind that develops. After a long break, I was reminded of them by the recent Grizzly Bear show. This time, after careful listening I heard the compassion and hope in Legrand’s longing and heartfelt vocals. I found her absolutely compelling.

Their Myspace describes their genre as visual, and at times the music does sound vivid enough to bring images of autumn’s leaves lazily coming down to mind. Beach House brims with elegance and their sound is ripe for this time of the season and cold nights when we wish sleep came more easily.

Enjoy.