As Friedrich Nietzsche attests, "There are no facts, only interpretations." Maybe a newspaper is not the best forum for this idea, but the vast world of art can’t help but create infinite lenses through which we can observe the world."The music I make is not for me," says singer Victoria Legrand. "The music we make comes from us, but it’s supposed to make you think whatever you want—it’s supposed to make you feel all sorts of things." Legrand is one of half of Beach House. With Alex Scally, the Baltimore, Md. duo evokes an organ-rich atmosphere that’s dreamy, soulful, poppy, close, far away, anything and everything."It’s very intense, but wonderfully intense. You get a lot of control when you’re just two. We get along really well, we understand ideas without speaking about them too much. I feel very lucky that this exists," Legrand says, reflecting while on a two-day hometown pause from touring. "Some people would say, Do you guys fight all the time? No, it’s not like that. We don’t fight, and if we do fight it’s just intense energy that’s gonna probably create something better … things need a lot of energy and force to come about." Teen Dream , Beach House’s third album and first release on Sub Pop, was recorded in an upstate New York church-cum-studio, which seems to fit with the band’s otherworldly musical qualities. Legrand says it’s not so, though. "If a place has all of the things you want, you can make a record anywhere. It’s all about just being in a room." The band’s first and second albums—which are likewise luminous, abstract and acclaimed—were released on Carpark and recorded in a flash. Joining Sub Pop came with the benefit of more resources. Beach House was able to record the album on a sound board the two musicians were fond of and take a month to complete the record. In addition, Teen Dream is accompanied by the extra flare that is a DVD with 10 artists’ filmic interpretations of each Beach House song on the album. Live, the band takes great efforts to make shows exciting for audiences and for themselves. Stage props on this year’s American tour have included glowing pyramids, spinning shapes and other tricks. "We care a lot about doing a show and making it a full experience for someone that knows our music or doesn’t. We’d like to believe that what we’re providing is a special world," explains Legrand. "We would never be happy with just wearing our day clothes and getting up there—I’m sure it would be fine,” she says, “but it doesn’t feel as magical."
Beach Housewith Vampire Weekend and The Very Best Thursday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. Hard Rock Casino (Isleta)11000 Broadway SETickets: $26, holdmyticket.comAll-ages!
