Beach House

Teen Dream Bella Union *****

It's taken Beach House three albums to finally reach the stars.

Along the way, Baltimore duo Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand have perfected and redefined a distinct mood – a woozy, foggy, fuzzy, somnambulistic sense of wonder created by washed-out, elegant and dusty drifts of guitars, keyboards and vocals. On Teen Dream, these dream-pop tools are applied to the best songs of their career. The results are staggering on every level, with lush harmonies accentuated, hazy moods amplified and a heightened, eerie atmosphere throughout. Still, their beautiful way with textures would be nothing more than pretty window-dressing without the songs, which point to a newly discovered masterly way with words and melodies. Shimmering and evocative from start to finish, Teen Dreamis an album that will haunt you for many months to come. www.myspace.com/beach housemusic.

Download tracks: Silver Soul, Zebra, Better Times, Norway