It's a small, but significant, detail that live drums are the first thing listeners hear on
Thank Your Lucky Stars
. Though "Majorette" soon unfolds into the swirling, twinkling, snow-globe beauty for which
Beach House
are well-known -- some might say too well-known -- the moment captures the tiny yet notable ways
Victoria Legrand
and
Alex Scally
tinker with their sound on their second release of 2015. Arriving just two months after
Depression Cherry
,
was recorded at the same time as that album; while it's tempting to say the duo should've combined the best songs from each into one work -- or released them as a double album -- their vibes are distinct.
Stars
' songs were written after
, and express the simplicity
craved after the massive-sounding
Bloom
in a very different way. Where its predecessor floated by in a beautiful blur that made the most of
Scally
Legrand
's impressionistic powers,
is a collection of shorter, distinct songs rather than a mood piece. Even the old saying the duo chose for the album title hints that this is a less abstract affair than
. There's a lot of heart in these songs, particularly in
's vocals: on the aptly named "Rough Song," she's raw and unfettered, a sharp contrast to
's ethereal purity. The focus on her voice also spotlights the album's lyrics in a way unique for
. On "She's So Lovely,"
traces a relationship's decay with small shifts, the hook "All I have to do/Is everything for you" souring into "All I have to do/Is stay away from you." Interestingly,
' more down-to-earth approach allows the duo to cover more musical ground. "All Your Yeahs" is one of
's most driven songs, charting a more purposeful course from brooding to joyous than they've taken in the past, while "One Thing"'s
Velvet Underground
-like thump is surprisingly heavy. Elsewhere,
get (relatively) more eclectic: "Common Girl" sounds like
Nico
fronting
Broadcast
, while "The Traveller" borrows some of
Goldfrapp
's gliding elegance. Nevertheless, the album's most beautiful moments are unmistakably
. "Elegy to the Void" -- which might be the most
Beach House-esque
song title ever -- is elevated by a stratospheric guitar solo. Later, the gorgeous finale "Somewhere Tonight" proves
are among the few 21st century musicians capable of updating '50s slow dance swoon without a hint of schmaltz or irony. In its own way,
is just as rewarding as
, and arguably more immediate. Instead of releasing another mammoth effort like
, they've delivered two smaller-scale triumphs that can be appreciated separately or together. ~ Heather Phares