Beach House ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

If every show sells out the way last night’s Seattle show at Neumos did for Beach House, local powerhouse Sub Pop can be said to have undoubtedly made the right investment. The band’s Sub Pop debut Teen Dream arrived in January accompanied by a blogorama of coverage, first after the initial leaking of the record in late 2009, and then during the week of the official release with sustained coverage of the videos commissioned by the band for each of their songs. That they had these atypical music video’s made by unconventional filmmakers set a different tone, and a different standard even, for what might come in the future. Not just that we should expect music video’s at all, but that they might be more than an ego trip for person making the music and instead an opportunity for someone else to inject some creativity and build another dimension to the songs.

The band have been touring hard on Teen Dream in the months since, including riding opening slots for Grizzly Bear in Europe, so I doubt they much knew or cared what day it was. I could tell they were having ‘a case of the Mondays’ though. The monitors weren’t right, which caused them to abruptly end their single “Norway,” well before it was finished.  After a few more songs of missed timing and glares at the sound guy, they decided it was futile to make the sound any more right and did their best. Vocalist Victoria Legend powered through and for the most part rescued the songs but the band just never seemed to find their pocket. The curiously drunk Monday-night crowd was oblivious.

Bachelorette ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Beach House ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Beach House ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth