Day: October 21, 2009
“I don’t know how to talk about music,” admitted lead singer Victoria Legrande halfway through Beach House’s set at The Hollywood Palladium last night. Even though her between song stage banter could have been slightly more articulated (it was still pretty amusing), Legrande instead spoke to the audience through her band’s ever-alluring, dreamy indie-pop ballads. Her enchanting vocals carried the bands otherwise minimal live set-up (3 piece, no bass guitar), with little to no back-ups.
I had previously seen the band in festival settings, including 2008’s Siren Fest at Coney Island and this summer’s Jelly Pool Party in Williamsburg (also with Grizzly Bear). With music better suited for a small indoor venue, the change of setting made a world of difference for the band’s live sound, which seemed a bit overly washed out from the end of Stillwell Avenue. The addition of a live drummer succeeded in bulking up the drum machine lead tracks, adding a slow, steady punch to the band’s earlier material.
Rarely does one think of Ballet and in the next thought think twisted, perverse and sadistic. These rare combinations of thoughts were combined for me last week at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse’s one-night production of the Lost Angels Ballet “Burn” & “Bathing for Beauty”.