Life's a Beach!

Beach House’s Victoria Legrand is chewing over some bad news. “ohymgod – I really don’t want Conan to go,” blurts the singer. “I’m a fan and I don’t want to see that happen to him.”

We’re discussing the epic power struggle between two of American television’s big kahunas: Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. Both covet the choice 11.35 pm time slot on NBC and as of this morning, it looks as if Conan has finally lost out and is to be sent packing.
“Don’t say that!" grimaces the singer, who has spent the morning giving interviews and hasn’t been staying abreast of the story. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you. I’ve been living in denial about Conan these past few days.”
How did we end up shooting the breeze about late night television? Well, in a few days, Legrand and Beach House partner Alex Scally will make their network television debut, with a slot on the Jimmy Fallon show. Though Fallon doesn’t have quite the stature of a Conan or a Leno, they’re still psyched at the opportunity to perform to millions of viewers.
“It’s our first television appearance,” says Legrand, her syrupy speaking voice not that far removed from the disembodied coo she employs on Beach House’s latest, LP Teen Dream. “We’re nervous, but it’s a good nervous. It’s at that place where nerves run into excitement.”
Though they are the hottest new import from the American alternative scene, Beach House differ from their contemporaries in several significant ways. For one thing, they have steered clear of the usual scenester motherlodes of Brooklyn and LA’s Silverlake. Rather, they come to us straight out of the decidedly sketchy streets of Baltimore, Maryland, a city forever immortalised as a viper nest of crime, corruption and muddy diction in TV drama The Wire.
“I’ve no interest in moving to Brooklyn,” Legrand states. “I’d rather say I’m from Baltimore than from some more gentrified area. Gentrification is not working really well in the United States. It makes places too expensive for artists to live. We have a gigantic practice space in Baltimore. I shudder to imagine how much it would cost in some other city.”
Still she’s at pains not to glamorise her adopted town (she moved here from California seven years ago; Scally has lived in the city all his life). “It’s a tough city. It’s not a destination for people. We don’t have hordes of newcomers moving here. The city has a lot of character.”
Is it as iffy as portrayed in The Wire? Are you really in danger of being mugged every time you pop out for milk?
“In some cities the dangerous parts are in certain areas,” says Victoria. “Here, it’s kind of spread throughout the city. Baltimore has a lot of abandoned buildings. Our mayor, she’s a real piece of work. Unfortunately, the people in power don’t do a lot for the city. You have to be careful. You can’t assume this or that area will be safe."
The way she tells it, Baltimore is a textbook example of two-tier American.
“You go out into the suburbs, into the countryside and, sure, you’ll see some really, really big mansions. There is a lot of wealth in Baltimore. The thing is, if you know where to look, there are lots of really cool neighbourhoods too. Kids are doing some really interesting things. It’ s not like Brooklyn, though, where everybody knows about Williamsburg and Park Slope. Here we’ve got these secret little pockets and nobody else is aware they even exist.”
With a sound dubbed ‘dream pop’ by critics, Beach House have enjoyed a slow but steady ascent. Cheerleaders include Grizzly Bear (Legrand contributed backing vocals to their hit ‘Two Weeks’) and The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, who was to be heard rhapsodising about their 2008 LP, Devotion, to anyone who would listen.
“It’s kind of a trip that he would do that,” Victorian beams. “I remember when The Strokes record came out in 2001. They blew up really fast. It’s flattering – he’s obviously an artist that is really into music and who continues to be creative. We’ve never met. But maybe we’ll shake hands one day and have a beer. That would be cool.”
Legrand is a niece of the esteemed French composer Michel Legrand, whose credit of movie scores includes The Thomas Crown Affair and Pret-A-Porter. Curiously, she seems rather ambivalent about her famous uncle.
“We’ve never met and maybe we never will,” she sighs. “I grew up knowing all about his work and I’ve played his songs on piano. However, he’s not someone who has played a big part in my career.”
Last month, Beach House received another enviable accolade when uber-glossy Vanity Fair tipped them as artists to watch. How does one inveigle one’s ways into the affections of a Manhattan power-broker such as VF editor Graydon Carter?
“Well, I think it was a case that someone at Vanity Fair likes us,” says Legrand. “Subpop, our label, do certain things to promote the band and that’s how it came out. I think an opportunity opened up and someone at Vanity Fair who likes Beach House got in contact. I’m not sure how it works. But it’s fun to be in there.”
Not everyone has been quite as enthusiastic. Though it would be overstating the case to claim there was a backlash, there are those who whisper that Beach House’s sound isn’t quite as original as their cheerleaders might have you believe.
“The comparisons with Mazzy Star and Galaxie 500 strike me as outdated, “ counters Legrand. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Mazzy Star. Hope Sandoval is an amazing creature. But those comparisons are sleepy and we get tired of them eventually. Teen Dream has a lot of energy in it, a lot of motion and movement. Hopefully people will come to grips with the record and we won’t be hearing too much about those older comparisons anymore.”
Though they aren’t romantically involved, Legrand and Scally admit to an unusually intense creative relationship.
“It’s kind of strange and fortunate that we met when we did,” says Victoria. “Music has always been our primary link. We work well together and, with each album, things have been getting better and better. We’re both outgoing people. I do think our personalities compliment one another. We’re lucky to have found each other.”