Armed with their ethereal sound and biting wit, the duo behind the band Beach House is poised to storm into San Luis Obispo Friday. Well, maybe “storm in” is the wrong expression; “float in on a cloud” is a better fit to describe this band’s sound.
Beach House, comprised of organist/vocalist Victoria Legrand and guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally, is touring in support of its recently released second album, “Devotion.” The “dream pop” group released the album Feb. 26 and is in the middle of a 33-show tour to promote it.
“(The tour) is going to be awesome, going to be spine-tingling numbness,” Legrand said.
Beach House gives listeners the sense of floating in some surreal, undefined landscape. There’s no pounding bass or hard drum beats in this album, just soothing organs and Legrand’s lush, deep voice. At times, the music is like a religious hymn.
Its sound is best suited to small, intimate venues where listeners can wrap themselves in the music’s layers. Fittingly, the band enjoys playing in these types of places the most.
“In a small space, the sound is all-consuming, and you can feel everyone’s physical being so close to you. It’s really incredible when everyone’s feeling the same thing,” Scally said.
Beach House formed about three years ago when a mutual friend introduced Legrand and Scally. The two clicked immediately and began making music. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2006. Dubbed “dream pop” by critics, the band was compared to everyone from Mazzy Star to Cat Power.
Legrand’s rich, tranquilizing vocals are frequently likened to Velvet Underground singer Nico. When asked about the oft-made comparison, Legrand didn’t mince words.
“I’m a girl; she’s a girl. She’s a lot taller than me. She has a voice 10 registers lower than mine. I guess there are some similarities, but I don’t see them. I have a low voice and a vagina, so there you go. Guess I’m like Joan Osborne and Boy George, too,” Legrand said.
Though the band’s first album was a hit, Legrand thinks the new album shows an evolution of their sound. “It’s thicker and has more texture, more age, not in the sense of getting older, but like a scotch versus a Smirnoff Ice,” she said.
Though the band’s sound may be getting older, its members haven’t shed their sense of fun. On the eve of their tour kickoff, the duo went shopping at a Maryland mall.
“We’re looking for white pants to go with our costumes. I have a weird white blazer. Hopefully we’ll look cool,” Scally said with a laugh.
Beach House will be playing at the Steynberg Gallery at 8 p.m. Friday with opening act The Papercuts. To listen to the band’s music, go to www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic.