One of the things that first becomes apparent when listening to the Beach House iTunes Session EP is how well Victoria Legrand’s voice copes in a live setting – rest assured that she’s still as soothing and melancholy on this EP as in the studio. Legrand’s icy, seductive voice swells wonderfully throughout the six tracks. She never seems to exert herself too much, remaining utterly composed and thoroughly professional throughout. What Legrand may lack in raw passion she more than makes up for with a blissful, charming voice that blends with the dreamy soundscapes that Beach House have now perfected.
A huge part of Beach House’s sound is naturally Legrand’s voice, but the beautiful music largely played by Alex Scally that caresses her wonderful vocals is just as important. The duo favour slow melodies, and with an extended group of musicians for their live performance, these songs are allowed to truly shine. “White Moon” is an original song not featured on any of their three studio albums, and is arguably worth the price of admission alone. The gentle clip-clop of backing percussion, doubled with groovy guitar jangles creates a delightful mood. Beach House have never sounded more alive than they do here.
It is surprising at first to find out that these songs are live recordings, rather than outtakes or alternate versions of existing songs. Arrangements are different from studio renditions, but the strength of the vocals and the superior mixing of each and every musical instrument, whether it be organ, guitar or keyboard, suggests that these songs do not come from a typical live setting. The way that each song fades out also adds to this studio atmosphere; it is testament to the talent of Legrand, Scally and their collaborators that the entire EP seems to occupy a beautiful world between live recording and the studio. The heavenly chants mid-way through “Silver Soul” are delightful, shining like a ray of light; the distant intro guitar of “Real Love” carries Legrand’s beautiful vocals like a caressing blanket wrapping itself around you. This is optimistic, magnificent music on every level.
Certain detractors could dislike Beach House for their slow pace. Some have called them boring, but to me Beach House are at the forefront of a musical territory that few others can match. With a strong female vocalist, tender and playful melodies and an inoffensive, often dream-like pacing they are a unique act that are very hard to dislike
At 25 minutes in length, this live EP could have been longer without exhausting Beach House’s source material. They have three albums’ worth of content now, and so it wouldn’t have hurt for the set to be longer. None of the six tracks are lifted from their debut, Beach House, which seems to unfairly omit an important part of the band’s development. Nevertheless, the strength of the material on offer from their later – and better received – releases makes the Beach House iTunes Session EP a triumphant success.
