There are a number of Baltimore musicians getting some serious national attention in all sorts of genres including he joyful psychedelic soundscapes of Animal Collective, the crazed boy and his laptop dance mania of Dan Deacon, and the driving funk beats meets Thelonious Monk style Jazz Piano of the brilliant Lafayette Gilchrist and New Volcanoes.
But the performers we are discussing today are Wye Oak and Beach House.
This Beach House is a winter time Beach House, it's lonely and chilly at times and beautiful and invigorating at others. I happen to love the Seashore in winter and this music conjures that feeling up with grace. Beach House is the duo of Victoria LeGrand and Alex Scally and the have released two albums on the local Carpark label. Both albums were very well received and with the release of their 3rd album Teen Dream on the SubPop label they are breaking out all over. TV appearances, Cool festivals European tour, all that fun stuff. The music is often called "Dream Pop" and if Brian Wilson and Nico had a baby, well that would be really weird, but if they did it might make music that sounds like Beach House.
Until it was toppled in a thunderstorm a few years ago the Wye Oak was the largest White Oak tree in the US. When you travel from Baltimore or DC to the Maryland Beaches on Rt 50 you pass the Wye Oak State Park, the smallest state poark ever. Pretty much a lawn with this giant tree and now, a lawn.
Estimate to be 460 years old, the Wye Oak was an impressive sight and worth the short detour on a trip to the Beach House…. So anyway…
There's a Baltimore band named Wye Oak and they are a duo as well. Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack make some beautiful music together and they are keeping busy this summer hitting the road with Deer Tick and the legendary Lou Barlow.
This is a really nice video co-starring the city of Baltimore fo rthe song "Please Concrete"