I ended up going to Beach House's show at the Black Cat on Friday night somewhat unexpectedly, and it turned out to be quite the pleasure. I hadn't listened to the band very much before, but even though the exceedingly mellow sound means the group can't build a conventional emotional swell in a set, the show had the feel of a backyard party, with big, pinata-like tinsel-decked objects rotating over the stage, and the crowd bopping quietly along. I particularly like "Take Care," I think:
One thing I'll say about Beach House though, and this is a problem much more for the show as a live act than as a creator of albums, is the songs tend to meander off at the end. In an album, they could blend into each other, but there's a tentativeness about it when they're performing live. It's as if they run out of things to say or do within the structure of a pop song. And given that that's the medium in which they're working, that might be something for them to figure out.