Devotion (Beach House album)

Devotion
Studio album by Beach House
Released February 26, 2008
Recorded August – September 2007[1]
Studio Lord Baltimore Recording Studio[1]
Genre Dream pop
Length 44:10
Label Carpark
Beach House chronology
Beach House
(2006)Beach House2006		 Devotion
(2008)		 Teen Dream
(2010)Teen Dream2010
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Austin Chronicle[4]
Drowned in Sound9/10[5]
NME7/10[6]
Pitchfork8.5/10[7]
Slant Magazine[8]

Devotion is the second studio album by American dream pop band Beach House. It was released on February 26, 2008 through Carpark Records and serves as the follow-up to their debut self-titled album. It was recorded at Lord Baltimore Recording Studio within two months. The album was released to mostly positive reviews from music critics and is their first album to enter the Billboard 200 chart, debuting at #195.

Composition

Drowned in Sound said the album has "the sound of atrophied romance, obscure regrets and flickering confetti set to a shoegaze siren call that brought to mind the likes of Mazzy Star and Slowdive whilst gently asserting a hushed authority all of its own," further stating that the "funereal organ and sparse, chintzy beats remain, but the sound is more fleshed-out and vivid with harpsichord and lushly textured keys, Alex Scally's slide guitar in particular more languidly expressive than ever."[9] Slant Magazine stated the duo are "the Gillian Welch and David Rawlings of folktronica, dream pop, or whatever", adding that the album is "mostly quiet strumming, jangling percussion, and busy, elegiac keyboards."[10]

According to AllMusic, "You Came to Me" is a "stunner, melding dark chamber pop ambience with lyrics that feel like they came from a surreal '70s AM radio hit." "Heart of Chambers" is "downright soulful, with Legrand's keening voice and swelling organs giving it a truly devotional cast". "Some Things Last a Long Time" is an "aptly torchy, country-tinged ballad about carrying a torch for someone". It is a cover of the Daniel Johnston song from his eleventh studio album, 1990. "Astronaut" "pines for a crush to be requited, filtering the innocence and drama of girl group pop through the band's gauzy approach."[11]

Critical reception

Devotion received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 29 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12] Brian Howe of Pitchfork said "the duo's songwriting hasn't fundamentally changed on Devotion; they've simply cleaned up their act. These are crisper, brighter, bolder songs, retaining Beach House's sense of elegant decay while sweeping up the debris."[13] Drowned in Sound gave the album a 9/10 score, saying the album "resonates with the same formless essence as its predecessor, but also far exceeds it in both composition and execution," further stating that the band "have created as profound an invocation of the sacred and the sentimental as you’re ever likely to hear."[9] Slant Magazine praised the album, saying "it's possible to believe that if this band ever tires of killing with quietness and powerful beauty, they have it in them to dabble further in noise and space-rock. For now, though, holding back is working pretty damn well," as well as praising Legrand's vocal performance: "Where previously Legrand's vocals occasionally faltered or got lost in the mix of sped-up shoegaze, here she of the many Nico comparisons is comfortably out front. In fact, Legrand's vocal performance on Devotion is as masterful a one as you’re likely to hear in 2008."[10] AllMusic stated the duo "bring more focus, depth, and warmth to their unmistakable sound" compared to their debut, as well as saying the band's "dark moods have more shades, and even a little bit of light, making them all the more compelling."[11] With a positive review, Rolling Stone stated: "As comfortable as the Beach House sound is, it's the uncomfortable moments that are most seductive."[12]

Accolades

Tiny Mix Tapes listed the album at #6 on their top albums of 2008.[14] No Ripcord ranked it at #27,[15] The A.V. Club at #30[16] and Pitchfork at #46.[17] Rolling Stone included the album at #36 in their "The 40 Greatest Stoner Albums" list, saying the album "was the perfect deep-toking soundtrack for late-'00s indie kids: a drifty, velveteen set full of homemade charm, gauzy keyboards and hypnotic tunes."[18]

Track listing

All tracks written by Beach House, except "Some Things Last a Long Time", written by Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston.

No.TitleLength
1."Wedding Bell"3:55
2."You Came to Me"4:05
3."Gila"4:46
4."Turtle Island"4:00
5."Holy Dances"4:19
6."All the Years"3:36
7."Heart of Chambers"4:25
8."Some Things Last a Long Time"2:32
9."Astronaut"5:05
10."D.A.R.L.I.N.G."3:18
11."Home Again"4:09
Total length:44:10

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]

Beach House

Additional

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[19] 195
Billboard Heatseekers Albums[20]
5

References

  1. 1 2 3 Devotion liner notes. Carpark Records. 2008.
  2. ↑ Metacritic score
  3. ↑ Devotion | Beach House | AllMusic AllMusic - album review by Heather Phares.
  4. ↑ Beach House - Music Review - Austin Chronicle Austin Chronicle - album review by Audra Schroeder.
  5. ↑ Beach House - Devotion / Releases / Releases // Drowned In Sound Drowned in Sound - album review by Alex Denney.
  6. ↑ "Beach House: Devotion Review". NME.
  7. ↑ Beach House: Devotion | Album Reviews | Pitchfork Pitchfork - album review by Brian Howe.
  8. ↑ Beach House: Devotion | Music Review | Slant Magazine Slant Magazine - album review by Wilson McBee.
  9. 1 2 "Album Review: Beach House - Devotion". DrownedInSound. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  10. 1 2 "Beach House Devotion | Album Review | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  11. 1 2 "Devotion - Beach House | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  12. 1 2 Devotion by Beach House, retrieved 2017-05-10
  13. ↑ "Beach House: Devotion Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  14. ↑ "2008: Tiny Mix Tapes Favorite Albums of 2008". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  15. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2008 (Part One)". No Ripcord. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  16. ↑ "The best music of 2008". 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  17. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2008 | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  18. ↑ "The 40 Greatest Stoner Albums". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  19. ↑ "Beach House – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Beach House. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Beach House - Chart history". Billboard.
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