Beach House

It doesn’t matter that we’re only halfway into 2010: Teen Dream is the album of the year. From the lush opening strums of the surreal and majestic “Zebra” to the dreamy and assuring album finale “Take Care,” fans of Beach House were treated to an entirely new direction than what was offered in the duo’s past two efforts. Words can do little to no justice in describing the epic equation of Victoria Legrand’s moving vocals and Alex Scally’s guitar/keymanship. Teen Dream is a journey into the unknown, sometimes dizzying and enigmatic, yet also charging full speed ahead towards musical aspirations bigger than most bands can fathom. If you were lucky enough to be in attendance the last time Beach House was in Chicago this past spring, you know that the ticket for Pitchfork’s Sunday set is worth it alone for this duo. (Sunday, 3:20-4:15, Connector Stage) –text: Jodi Root–photo: David Coggins