There are groups that are not for everyone but they are everything for those who admire them. Beach house it could be one of them. After his debut at the Vorterix Theater in 2013, They will return to Buenos Aires as part of the Primavera Sound festival on November 13 with Arctic Monkeys, Lorde and others.
This duo was formed in Baltimore (United States) in 2004 by the singer and keyboardist of French origin Victory Legrand and the American multi-instrumentalist sleazy alex helped shape the exciting dream pop, the genre that filters songs in pop format through hypnotic plots and contemplative sound pillows with a cinematic spirit.
They did it with such success that today it is considered one of the great cult groups of the indie scene Generally.
Here they will present songs from their entire career and especially from their particular latest work, the one celebrated by the specialized press Melody eleven twicewhich was released earlier this year and distributed in four parts or chapters as the lovely Victoria (“Vic” to friends and fans likes to call them).
“We are excited to be back”
At a tour stop and before heading back to the street, Vic witnessed Clarione with its aura of simplicity and emotional transparency in all its glory.
-What memories do you have of your previous visit to Argentina?
-We were just in Buenos Aires, and I remember thinking that, well, we had been to Brazil but not Chile yet and I realized that Buenos Aires has an incredibly European aesthetic, it reminded me of Europe for many reasons, especially in what refers to architecture. But I think we were there so little that I couldn’t enjoy it that much, I mean, I had a great time but I would have liked to have been so much more.
We are very excited to be back because the first time you go somewhere it is always very fast. And I think we’re lucky to be able to return. It was all great and the show was a lot of fun, so I want more.
– About the show they gave here. Their music is very intimate, ideal for a place like the Vorterix Theater where they played for the first time. It will be different now, so what’s the beauty of playing at a big festival like Primavera Sound for Beach House?
-Festivals are generally very positive situations, people can do what they want, they can roam freely. It is outdoors, there is more freedom than indoors, you can stop and watch one band for 15 minutes and then another. So I think when you do a good show at a festival, people stay on your stage and really get into the show. They choose to be there. They want to dance and participate.
We like to play at festivals, they are fun in a different way.
-Do you think the latest album works as a full-scale sample of what the band is today?
-That album is a large-scale sample of what we experienced emotionally, soundly and personally at that particular moment. But I think none of our records completely define how we sound. We change every two years in some way.
Our albums are portals to enter our art and represent a specific time period.
“Everything is uncertain, with or without a pandemic”
-I think the album emphasizes the concept of being creative using all available resources. Was it a natural response to all the uncertainties experienced in 2020 and 2021?
-Everything is connected and yes, uncertainty has meant that the imagination became, above all, an incredible salvation. Both during the pandemic and before. Life as we know it is a thing full of anxiety and uncertainty and you need to make the most of it.
Making art during the pandemic was certainly an event conditioned by isolation, uncertainty, anxiety, death, life, love.
But these are things that have always existed with or without a pandemic. Everything is uncertain and I think artists and non-artists have all explored the meaning of life. What does it mean to be alive, what is the purpose of life and we all have different answers, you know?
For us it was always about making music, exploring all these questions from the musical prism. Through texts, chords, melodies, writings.
To answer your question: yes, we are first of all human, very sensitive to what is happening around us.
-What can you say about the recording experience in your studio and how this affected the sound of the album?
-The music would have sounded very similar if we had made it in another studio. We were actually in three studios, we went to the Pachyderm to record the drums, for example. But well, in quotes, our production was real, we did it all by ourselves. I don’t know, I think it made us stronger as engineers and as musicians, but I don’t think we would have changed the sound much by recording elsewhere.
The pandemic has imposed many limitations on us. He forced us to do it ourselves. We have always had our criteria, from the beginning, but even so, it has always been very appreciated to have a third person in the studio, whether to calm a fight or to change the direction of a discussion or invite us to take a break or whatever. What. .
I think this record was meant to be a beast.
-The album was split into four parts which were released separately, how complicated was it to have that idea? Did they give importance to a certain artistic concept behind the idea or was it meant to keep the audience’s attention?
-It happened because when we started working on this, we already had a lot of songs. And we have been very demanding with each of them, we love them all and didn’t want to exclude any of them. We have been working constantly for almost three years. It’s about freedom, being enthusiastic about the new job, being open and not limiting. And also have a big heart … because we are like a family.
We didn’t want to treat this album as we treated the previous ones, and that’s what ultimately allowed us to change and think about the idea of the chapters. Because in the end, creativity leads to more creativity, it’s an endless chain reaction.
We didn’t want to repeat what we have done in the past and when the artist is committed, the public is also committed because they believe in the artist. They believe the feelings are pure, it’s about keeping things alive and I think all the details on this album (the songs, the chapters, the packaging) achieve that.
-Long albums like this often take a long time to understand, is there any album of this type that you like?
-I always thought George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” was a great double album, very good. There are a lot of great double albums, this is one example. And that I usually listen to two sides of these albums and then I can choose if I like the first or the third side more (laughs). When you release an album like this, you don’t expect everyone to listen to it in a row, but I guess people will stop before the album wanting to hear the third part or third chapter in this case.
“We were very lucky”
-The Beach House music is contemplative, calm, somewhat slow. I assume you don’t write thinking about what fans can expect from you, but is there any kind of goal you have set yourself? How would you like your music to be perceived?
-We would like to think that people come to us in their own way. We have been very fortunate in the way we have become successful artists. We are very lucky to have these fans. Each person who finds us does it in their own way, in a unique way. They hear something and they get curious, and then music is a very personal thing. People are fascinated and music can be something that speaks to you or not. And I think it’s a beautiful and secret thing, because it’s so personal. And you can’t make people like something, in the end people choose what they like. I think it’s beautiful and we’re incredibly lucky and so grateful to get so much love from people.
I’m so sorry. We have no goals or strategies. It has always been the reason why we love doing this, exploring, we love nature, life, people, magic. If you think the same, then we will end up meeting. This is how it happens, it is something very simple and very complex at the same time; like a spider web: you get stuck in certain places, but usually they are places where we want to get stuck.
And it is something that cannot be forced. You don’t pay money for it, it’s a natural and magical reaction. There is no plan, just work and creativity with our hearts involved.
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Source: Clarin
