Beach House - Bloom (2012)

Bloom is the fourth studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. 

It was co-produced by the band and Chris Coady, and was released on May 15, 2012, by Sub Pop, in Europe by Bella Union, in Australia by Mistletone Records, and in Mexico by Arts & Crafts. 

The album was written over two years of touring and was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, over seven weeks. Building on their previous album, Teen Dream (2010), the duo continued to add live drums to their song arrangements for Bloom, supplementing their drum machine rhythms.

Bloom was written "between countless sound checks and myriad experiences during two years of tour", and was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas. It was co-produced by Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead), who also produced the band's previous album Teen Dream. Beach House chose to record in west Texas after being captivated by the area while resting there during a tour. Bloom was mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The album took seven weeks to record.

Victoria Legrand described the album's title as an "abstraction of many feelings". Legrand continued:

"To find a word or a set of words we felt curated the whole thing, Bloom was it. And it was based on feeling and just a belief in the word. It actually has more weight for me than it has an ethereal quality. It came about where it made sense. [...] For things to feel right, it definitely has to sit for a while and I think that's why it's not ethereal for me. I associate that word with fleeting or not having any substance, I don't know. [...] I'm just saying that for us there's a certain intensity with this record, and I think the word "bloom" is an attempt at that."

"It's a strange paradise," Victoria LeGrand sings at one point on Beach House's fourth album Bloom, and there isn't a more apt description of the beautifully heartbroken mood that she and Alex Scally create here. Reuniting with Teen Dream engineer Chris Coady, the duo designed the album to be listened to as a whole, and fittingly, it often feels more like a suite than a collection of songs. 

This ambition is admirable, but it also means that it takes a while for individual moments to emerge from the album's beautiful haze. Indeed, Bloom may be Beach House's most sonically gorgeous album yet, with an icy sheen that doesn't warm up much, even when recordings of locusts and seagulls show up between tracks; it's easy to imagine LeGrand exhaling clouds of mist while singing the backing vocals on "Lazuli." 

While the endearing, sometimes awkward intimacy of Beach House's earlier work -- which felt like LeGrand was crooning confessions over creaky, vintage keyboards and drum machines just for you -- is missed, Bloom's shimmering remoteness enhances the album's philosophical, searching approach to love and loss. 

It's a mood and setting perfect for LeGrand's vocals, which have never sounded richer or more world-weary: "What comes after this momentary bliss? Help me to name it," she calls out on the opening track "Myth," a sentiment echoed later by "Wishes," where she wonders, "How's it supposed to feel?" Emotional moments such as these take their time to emerge, but when they do, they're riveting, particularly on "Troublemaker," which recalls Beach House's previous albums in its delicate dance between sad, stark verses and more hopeful choruses, and on the beautifully resigned "Irene," where a whimsical keyboard melody offsets and underscores the feeling of loss at the same time. 

Since Bloom's suite-like flow downplays Beach House's poppy side (with the notable exceptions "Other People" and "The Hours"), it's not the band's most immediate music, but the album's challenging mix of heartbroken words and aloof sounds rewards patient and repeated listening. 

Track listing

A1.  Myth - 4:19

A2.  Wild - 4:58

A3.  Lazuli - 5:02

B1.  Other People - 4:25

B2.  The Hours - 4:12

B3.  Troublemaker - 4:56

C1.  New Year - 5:26

C2.  Wishes - 4:47

D1.  On The Sea - 5:32

D2.  Irene - 6:45

D3.  Wherever You Go - 3:35

Beach House

• Victoria Legrand – vocals, keyboards, organ, piano
• Alex Scally – guitar, basses, piano, organ and keyboards, backing vocals; drum machine edits/programming

Additional musicians

• Daniel Franz – live drums and percussion
• Joe Cueto – viola (track 9)

Production

• Chris Coady – production, engineering, mixing
• Beach House – production
• Manuel Calderon – assistant engineering
• Brooks Harlan – engineering
• Phil Joly – assistant engineering
• Joe LaPorta – mastering

Artwork

• Beach House – photography
• Brian Roettinger – design

Notes

Released:  May 15, 2012 

Recorded:  2011 Studio Sonic Ranch in Texas / Magpie Cage in Baltimore (additional vocals)

Genre:  Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Alternative

Length:  60:28 

Label - Sub Pop