Beach House - Bloom Review.

Beach House - Bloom review.

The thing that I noticed with Bloom is that you can't shuffle songs when listening to this album, and multiple listens makes it better. Unlike Teen Dream, Beach House wants to draw us in with every song, instead of picking songs that we will only listen to once, and others that we will listen to always. This balance is one of the reasons why I enjoy listening to Bloom so much. Bloom is a new page for Beach House, it does't sound like anything I ever heard before, and that might take some getting used to. However, One listen will have you hooked.


Track- By-Track Review

Myth
This was the first song that I heard from this album. I was sitting in a parking lot when one of my friends tweeted me a link to this song. I thought that it was a leak of the album, but this song started to play instead. Up to then, I was listening to Teen Dream almost every day. Going from Teen Dream, to Myth shocked me a little, but the melody started to grow on me after that. This song has a nice ring to it. It is defiantly slower, but it hooks you in. Myth is simple. It starts slowly, gains momentum, and rolls along from there. This song is of a moderate length, but it doesn't disappoint me in any way. Myth is a great way to start off this album, it flows right into the next song quickly.

Wild 
This song, just like Myth starts off slowly, but then slowly builds into something great. Wild is similar to Myth. They could be the same song if they flipped positions in the track listing and were merged together. The first time I I listened to this album, I started to get bored, but after multiple listens, that feeling started to go away. Wild flows greatly into the next song.

Lazuli
This one opens somewhat slowly, and then starts to rise with the addition of a light background sound, then the keyboard, vocals and guitar; then the mood just stays there. Lazuli isn't fast or slow, but instead it just has the correct pace to it. It is very light, and it always draws me in around one minute or so. Lazuli is a fitting title for this song because it is so rare. Just like Lapis lazuli, a song this nice this early in an album is a treasure. If I need to listen to one song from Bloom, I always choose this one.

On a side note, I have the Lazuli Record Store Day 7 inch (did you know that came out? Anyway, its Lazuli colored...). Listening to it, I realized that this song has a b-side called Equal Mind. Equal mind is a prefect complement to Lazuli, but it almost sounds like Troublemaker and Myth combined. Despite that, I really want to know why Equal Mind was not not included on Bloom. It is a shorter (3:40) song compared to the other ones on Bloom, but it is a little bit faster, and lighter on the effects. Maybe that's why it didn't make the cut onto this album.

Other People
I don't like this opening for some reason. I think it is how it doesn't flow with the ending of the last song. Despite that, I love this song once the opening is over. Again, Other People starts slow, and holds that strength over the duration of the song. Other than the opening, this song reminds me of Lazuli, except it doesn't have the repetitive guitar riff. Great song all around though.

The Hours
Another opening that I don't like, but again, that does not effect how I listen to this song. At this point in the album, I'm starting to feel hypnotized. I understand that all of the songs are different and wonderful, but they feel like they are apart of the greater work of Bloom. I like that.

Troublemaker
Troublemaker doesn't start immediately, but it has an introduction that I enjoy, so that hooks me into this song quicker than The Hours or Other People did. This song always makes me sway around to the beat of the song, and I always sing along with it. I guess the hypnosis worked. I'm left in a daze by this song, and by the other songs in this album, yet I still can't really describe what makes each song different. I think that that is a wonderful thing. Troublemaker is another one of my favorites on Bloom because of that reason. It is the summary of the album in a 5 minute song.

New Year
I say that New Year is the most upbeat song on Bloom. It moves faster, but is one of the longer songs in length. I'm completely fine with a faster song near the end of this album because it is a nice break from the slower tempo songs that have been playing for a while. New Year is another favorite. It is upbeat, and just a nice song to twirl around to (Or just listen to.Whatever floats your boat).

Wishes
Wishes is another slow one. I guess New Year was a temporary detour. Wishes starts off quickly and then starts to dazzle. Wishes is the slowest song on Bloom. The guitar riff at 2:20 is my favorite part. Wishes is simple, it starts, it gets amazing, and then it ends. I wish it didn't end because I like it that much.

On The Sea

The slower start to this one makes you feel like you are on the sea. On The Sea is not a bad song at all, but whenever I encounter this song on shuffle, I just can't get used to it. However, On The Sea is a nice song to listen to because it is very relaxing. I would expect an album like Bloom to finish with a light song like this, and it is not disappointing, although I might have to get used to it.


Irene

Although Irene starts off slow, just like the song before it, Irene sounds strikingly like the beginning of the album, Myth. This aspect makes me happy because I feel like the album has come full circle perhaps. Again this song is very simple. It starts off slow, it has a nice guitar loop in the middle and slowly ends. When I listen to this album from start to finish, I always want to listen to more and start all over again. If you read my reviews, you will know that that is the ultimate mark of a great album.

There is a hidden track after Irene. It might be a b-side, I'm not sure, but the song following it is a nice way to transition to the beginning of the album. It really connects things well.

Bloom does not disapoint whatsoever. It is a gentle album. It isn't heavy like Teen Dream before it. Instead, Bloom has a quiet intensity that drives Beach House to new heights.