Devotion

Beach House's self-titled debut album was a mostly murky affair, all droning organs and haunted guitars, that sounded great but came up a little short in memorable songs. The band's sophomore effort, Devotion, ups the ante considerably and finds the Baltimore duo crafting songs that are as memorable as they are beautiful. Despite working with a fairly limited palette, the twosome create a room-filling, almost magisterial sound. Songs like "You Came To Me" and "Gila" are swoon-worthy paens to love and longing, while the group's take on Daniel Johnson's "Some Things Last (A Long Time)" is arguably the truest interpretation of Johnson's work ever captured on record by another artist. Having seemingly come to terms with the strength of her voice, Victoria Legrand brings a soulfulness to the material that is rare in the world of twee indie-rock. Listening to her sing the refrain of "Home Again" ("Oh constant heart of my devotion"), it's easy to understand how the band has established such a devoted fanbase. In the world of American indiepop, this might just be the closest thing to true soul music.