Last Night: Beach House Needs Comfy Chairs

Sometimes people get between you and your chi.

“We want to try to circulate a chi,” Beach House singer Victoria Legrand announced. She, bandmate Alex Scally, and their live drummer were midway through last night’s set at Tipitina's, and these were some of her first words to the crowd.

It was a good show. The twinkling lights provided a nice visual, and the music sounded as though it were right off the record. The songs from the band’s latest release, Bloom, seemed effortless, beautiful in their simplicity. Legrand and Scally didn’t make efforts to captivate the audience beyond performing the songs, though, which was a problem in a packed, standing-room-only venue for an hour.

Is that the right way to hear dream pop? I would’ve enjoyed it more had we been sitting in recliners at Tipitina’s, eyes closed, welcoming in that “chi” she spoke of. A more intimate show would’ve better served their music, allowing every audience member to find that connection I spent the entire show waiting for.