Album Review: Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
By Devon Hannan, Contributor
[Sub Pop; 2015]
Rating: 3.5/5
Key Tracks: “The Traveller,” “Elegy to the Void,” “Somewhere Tonight”
I know what you’re thinking. “This band just put out an album like two weeks ago.” Well, it was two months ago, but close enough. Thank Your Lucky Stars by Beach House is essentially a sequel to Depression Cherry, released back in August. The tracks on Thank Your Lucky Stars could be thought to be the ones that didn’t quite make the cut on Depression Cherry; however, I completely disagree. Although the albums were made at the same time, Thank Your Lucky Stars was definitely made separately from the ideas Depression Cherry brought to the table.
There are definitely similarities between the two albums, however. Thank Your Lucky Stars has proven to be a little more simplistic and stripped down. The instrumentals are fairly repetitive, like typical Beach House. Lyrically, this album may be the best the group has put out yet. The occasional change of pace (and by occasional, I mean very occasional) accentuates key moments. With Thank Your Lucky Stars, Beach House keeps the ethereal tone at hand, yet the simplicity draws their audience back to home.
“Elegy to the Void” made me feel incredibly small. The entire album, and Beach House’s discography in general, has a knack for that. The song makes you want to stick your arm out of a moving vehicle and make it ride the air pushing it back. You know, like in 90% of depressive teen movies.
The transition of regression is reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie and Lowell; while there is less adornment, the work’s clarity enhances the overall tonality and theme. Where the album lacks in diversity, it makes up in coherence. The songs on this album are executed best alongside the others. This isn’t an album where one could select one tune and place it on a playlist; the album itself is a playlist. Thank Your Lucky Stars is made for people who like to fall in love with the romantics of existence.
