Review Summary: Come for the locales... stay for the incredible sensations that lie within.
7 can be described as immersive and enveloping, but those descriptors never quite do it justice. Rather, the beauty of the experience lies in the fact that there’s always something even more compelling underneath the surface. There’s always a sense of intrigue at the undertow of every hypnotic rhythm and lush dream pop arrangement; thus, a bond is created between the spacious dreamlike passages and the little intricacies that drive them. Just listen to the relationship between the layered synthesizers and the strange jazz chords that propel the best moments of “Dark Spring,” or the neat little drum shuffles that drive along the droning keyboard tread of “Girl of the Year,” or the way both clean and jagged electric guitar licks collide in the weightless sensations of “L’Inconnue,” or the marriage of electronic and organic piano arrangements that top off the album’s closer “Last Ride.” The power of
7 lies in the way it juggles its immersion with the little ornaments that will keep you coming back to
re-immerse yourself, and it’s all glazed with Victoria Legrand’s delicate yet all-encompassing vocal performances. Alex Scally, the other member in this duo, is in fine form as well and experimenting with more multifaceted arrangements and guitar tones than ever. He definitely added more shoegaze and psychedelia here than on previous Beach House albums, lending ethereal and textured vibes to moments such as the shimmering euphoric guitar chords served up in “Dive” and the psych-pop/alternative rock mixture of the acoustically-driven “Lose Your Smile.”
As I mentioned at the beginning, atmosphere is the name of the game here. That’s been the case with previous Beach House albums as well, but this is quite possibly the most mesmerizing and layered slice of dream pop they’ve ever concocted. Much like Animal Collective’s
Merriweather Post Pavilion, there’s always the general sense that you’re bathing in the sound, or that it’s washing over you. However, the difference is that
7 exhibits a general lack of energy and finds comfort in a more introspective tone; the tempos usually lie at a slow crawl, only delivering upbeat rhythms and bubbly instrumental work at select moments - most notably “Dark Spring” and the fuzzed-out distortion that glazes the midtempo pop-rocker “Woo.” But those dimly-lit, introspective moments are truly the heart of
7. They really flesh out the spirit of transportation - not literal transportation, but in the sense of escapism and fantasy. The reason I put so much emphasis on the relationship between the surface and the little intricacies is because they’re both crucial in developing the worlds Beach House have created. Perhaps it can be partially attributed to a change in producers - Peter Kember, who’s worked with Animal Collective’s own Panda Bear, is a driving force here - but for the most part, the increased emphasis on dense arrangements and thick layers of atmosphere falls upon the duo themselves. Prior to releasing the album, they stated their intent: “There are songs with layers and production that we could never recreate live, and that is exciting to us. Basically, we let our creative moods, instead of instrumentation, dictate the album's feel." And that about sums it up. If you want to experience something that truly wraps you in its own weight and scale,
7 is one hell of an album to hear. It invites, it crushes, it heals, it mesmerizes, and it comforts… all without losing its focus or compromising its vision.
