What is “dream pop,” you might ask? It’s an indie subgenre of alt rock and neo-psychedelia (sort of like chillwave and shoegaze). This style of music certainly isn’t for everyone per se. But if you are indeed into dream pop, the odds are that you are a hardcore fan of it. And if you are a hardcore fan, you know that Beach House is The Beatles of dream pop. Every Beach House album is among the best dream pop albums ever. But out of all of these incredible albums, two that stand out: Teen Dream and Bloom. You can’t go wrong with either. “Myth,” the lead track on Bloom, is the band’s all-time greatest song. But for me personally, Teen Dream is Beach House’s greatest achievement. It is an album that changed my life, as well as music itself. It redefined the musical experience. It’s a magical work of art.
Teen Dream begins with its guns blazing. The first four songs on the tracklist—”Zebra,” “Silver Soul,” “Norway,” and “Walk in the Park”—are all stunning. These are flawless, iconic songs. And they’re so different, even though the sense of ethereal magic remains constant throughout them. The middle of the album isn’t quite as strong as the start. It peters out a little in songs like “Lover of Mine” and “Better Times.” Then again, these are still great songs; it’s just that the first four set the bar really high. But don’t worry. The 10-song tracklist picks back up at the end—culminating again in the songs “10 Mile Stereo” and, the last song on Teen Dream, “Take Care.” These songs are intimate works. It is totally permissible to get immersed in the sounds. But the lyrics are just as special. One of my favorite things about the lyrics is that they find a balance between being intimate, personal, and evocative as well as vague, dynamic, and malleable enough to strike a chord within audiences of all types (regardless of your experiences).
Granted, it’s very difficult to compare songs within a Beach House album. It’s clear that the Baltimore-based duo is more focused on creating cohesive albums than mere collections of isolated tracks. The album floats along from its start to its end seamlessly. This is also the band that I listen to on shuffle the most (rather than listening to songs in a certain order) because all of the songs flow so well together. Beach House is one of my favorite bands of all time. We have ventured through life together. So many stories. So many moments. This band got me through my hardest times. Anyway, if I had to pick six favorites on this album, I’d certainly pick the first four and then “10 Mile Stereo” and “Take Care.” Lately, my favorites have been “Silver Soul” and “Norway.” But it’s hard to go wrong with anything. Like I said earlier, Beach House isn’t for everyone. Some consider it “stoner music.” Maybe. But I find the music to be quite sobering. When I listen to Teen Dream, I find myself in reflection—about my life, my dreams, my youth—and I admire the poetic lyrics and mesmerizing sounds. This album is a timeless game changer.
Rating: 9.5/10
Can you explain the genre of “dream pop” further, for the pop-challenged (i.e., for me)?
Is it a particular *style* of pop, so that its various practitioners all make similar sounds?
Is it a particcular “aesthetic”, i.e., do songs fit into the category based on a prevailing mood or (textual) theme?
Clarification will be appreciated!
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No problem! Dream pop is its own genre and has been a big thing for a few decades at the very most. I think it’s comparable to pre-2010s indie pop in the sense that it’s not really pop as much as it is indie music that happens to be a bit more commercially successful. It definitely doesn’t have much in common with traditional “pop” music, as far as I’m concerned. It’s more underground. It’s also a more artistically layered genre in that many of its pioneers consistently released high-quality, well-received content. (Part 1 of 2)…
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Are you familiar with the bands Tame Impala or Grizzly Bear? They can be considered “indie” bands for the most part except they have aspects of neo-psychedelica as well (and Grizzly Bear has some folk). I’d say Beach House is similar in the sense that they’re also neo-psychedelic and all. But the difference is that Beach House is less like a band and more like just a two-person act with a singer and the guy who does most of the production. Anyway, I didn’t sleep much last night and I’m sure this wasn’t a great explanation, but I can probably do a better job tomorrow if you’d like to hear more. Long story short, I definitely don’t consider indie pop a form of pop though. Pop, to me, is too shallow and meaningless and lacking in depth overall (though there are obviously exceptions). Beach House, on the other hand, makes very critically-acclaimed music that is consistently magical and high-quality. All of their albums are amazing, and the tracklist is usually awesome from start to end. If you want a few of my favorite dream pop songs just to demonstrate what I’m saying, I’ll link those below. Amazing stuff!
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None of the above, I’m afraid. I listen to almost no pop music except conventional woman singers (Streisand, Fitzgerald) and the occasional Broadway show. That’s why I asked the question — I don’t really have any good reference points….
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Aw dang. Well these bands certainly have idiosyncratic types of sound, but they are very critically acclaimed and I too am a big fan of them. If you’d like me to link some songs, I’m happy to. But if you were just curious and wanted to know what dream pop is, I totally understand. Cheers!
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Myth is legendary
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Myth is one of my top 5 favorite songs ever.
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Sorry for the spam, also. I’ll shut up now ha
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_pop
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Thanks for sharing!
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Love that! Checking it out.
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never heard of them, but i’ll definitely check them out !
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Love it!
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Appreciate the share!
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