Once Twice Melody
Like AC/DC before them, Beach House’s gift lies in managing to make what feels like the same album a hundred different ways. Even the new inflections on *Once Twice Melody*—the string section of “ESP,” the rhythmic nods to hip-hop (“Pink Funeral”) and Italo-disco (“Runaway”)—fit immediately into their plush, neon-lit world. And while specific moments conjure specific eras (“Superstar” the triumph of an ’80s John Hughes movie, “Once Twice Melody” a swirl of ’60s surrealism), the cumulative effect is something like a fairytale rendered in sound: majestic, inviting, but dark enough around the edges to keep you off-balance. And just like that (snap), they do it again.
Once Twice Melody is the 8th studio album by Beach House. It is a double album, featuring 18 songs presented in 4 chapters. Across these songs, many types of style and song structures can be heard. Songs without drums, songs centered around acoustic guitar, mostly electronic songs with no guitar, wandering and repetitive melodies, songs built around the string sections. In addition to new sounds, many of the drum machines, organs, keyboards and tones that listeners may associate with previous Beach House records remain present throughout many of the compositions. Beach House is Victoria Legrand, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist, and Alex Scally, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. They write all of their songs together. Once Twice Melody is the first album produced entirely by the band. The live drums are by James Barone (same as their 2018 album, 7), and were recorded at Pachyderm studio in Minnesota and United Studio in Los Angeles. For the first time, a live string ensemble was used. Strings were arranged by David Campbell. The writing and recording of Once Twice Melody began in 2018 and was completed in July of 2021. Most of the songs were created during this time, though a few date back over the previous 10 years. Most of the recording was done at Apple Orchard Studio in Baltimore. Once Twice Melody was mixed largely by Alan Moulder but a few tracks were also mixed by Caesar Edmunds, Trevor Spencer, and Dave Fridmann.
With panoramic proportions and gleaming finishes, the band’s sprawling eighth album luxuriates in the rhapsody of sensation itself. You don’t listen to Once Twice Melody, you dissolve into it.
Despite some missteps, the band's new album proves Beach House has more up its sleeve than subdued melodies
A decade since their magnum opus, Beach House continue elevating their artistry on Once Twice Melody
The Baltimore duo's eighth record pairs trippy imagery with playful, cinematic sounds that herald the start of a bold new chapter
Beach House's style is so distinctive that it's a small miracle Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally continue to find ways to keep their music fresh.
Beach House have managed to build a legendary catalogue of mystifying, awe-inspiring music thats strength lies both in its sameness and its...
Beach House, consisting of vocalist Victoria LeGrand and guitarist Alex Scally (both multi-instrumentalists) formed out of Baltimore's indie scene in 2004, with their self-titled debut album released two years later.
In the middle of the 19th century, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr coined the term “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” or, for you Anglophiles out there, “the more things change, the more things remain the same.” Quite how this fairly unremarkable Parisian saw Beach House coming is something that it seems we’ll never understand.
Released gradually since November, the Baltimore duo’s rich, roaming eighth album was worth the wait
You probably already know what this Beach House album sounds like – a perfectly listenable if familiar new record from the dreamy stalwarts
Beach House’s ‘Once Twice Melody’ is an emphatic affirmation of life’s joys and sorrows. Read our review.
Beach House are always tinkering around the edges of their sonic universe, getting darker, weirder, subtler, and more expansive. They do that on 'Once Twice Melody', and the payoff is enormous.
Once Twice Melody by Beach House Album Review by Mark Crickmay. The double album is now available via Sub Pop/Bella Union/Milestone
Beach House - Once Twice Melody review: The Dark Souls of Disney soundtracks
The Baltimore duo's latest is an 84-minute concept album of pastoralist-tinged dream pop – dive in, and the rewards are huge
This double album is a diverse, innovative and well-considered collection of songs