Used to Be

I just got the new Beach House track, and have to say that I'm pretty stunned. When I first heard this band, I absolutely hated them. I thought their music was the most boring/stupid thing ever (I know, mature, right?). Then I listened again last winter, and realized how much I love them. Victoria Legrand's languid, woozy melodies are complimented by Alex Scally's inebriated slide guitar into a perfect melange of narcotic pop. Last Sunday I listened to some of my favorite tracks of theirs (from both 2006's Beach House and this year's fantastic Devotion).

So on to the track: "Used To Be" is pretty simple meditation on change, love, and growing older (and of course, how these affect one another). Legrand provides a halcyon chord progression with some sort of bright mallet patch on her keyboard, singing in a much clearer manner than ever before. Her voice is still swimming in reverb, but the beauty of her plaintive, earnest melodies really shines through here. After the first verse, Alex Scally adds heavily distorted, almost fuzz-folk guitar (á la Neutral Milk Hotel's "Ghost") adds a new dimension to the band's sound, one I'd like to see them explore even more.

The B-side is a demo version of "Apple Orchard" that I find far superior to the original. Legrand doesn't strain at all, as the melody is completely within her grasp, but I miss the slide guitar of the LP version.

If you're new to Beach House, BUY THEIR MUSIC NOW!

The simplicity of the video compliments the song well; I love it.