Still Dreamin’: Revisiting the lessons from Teen Dream

Rock n’ roll has lived an eventful life thus far. In the early years it was an adolescent, playing by the rules and mimicking blues and swing music. By the mid to late 1950s, though, it hit a rebellious stage and hardly looked back. It seems that every era of rock since has offered something musically and culturally defiant that has made parents cringe and kids go crazy.

But times have changed. Rock has, for better or worse, reached middle age, and it’s no longer interested exclusively in shock and awe. Instead, we’re looking for something that moves us. As we consider those albums of the year that deserve best of the year marks, it is worth returning to an album from 2010 that moved us like none other—- Beach House’s Teen Dream. There’s almost nothing dissonant or jarring about Teen Dream, and it doesn’t present an original style. Only Victoria Legrand’s vocals have an edge to them, and even they can’t be described as terribly unusual. Every song features a mix of sweet guitar lines and smooth keyboard with distant percussion. Doesn’t that describe half of the million-plus rock records in existence? There’s nothing offensive here – so what makes it one of the best records of the past five, ten years? Simply put, Teen Dream is beautiful in every way. Melodically, it achieves a level of grace that historically has only been reached by rock’s eternal masters. The interplay of the aforementioned Legrand with the simple harmonies in the background build remarkably off one another, and the result is sweet enough to taste. On most great albums, certain tracks or elements stand out, but in Teen Dream there’s nothing at the forefront; it fades into the air, seemingly blending with the mysterious ambiance of empty atmosphere.

The pursuit of the ‘wow’ factor in rock n’ roll is ever-present, and if an artist can upset the normal balance of sound while creating intriguing music, all the better. But as rock reaches its midlife crisis, what’s most important is the pursuit of beauty. Ten years ago, critics would have ripped Teen Dream apart, calling it derivative and monotonous. But today, Beach House’s second album is still a veritable darling in critical circles even over a year later, and rightfully so. Rock will continue to evolve, but the recent emphasis is on moving rather than shocking, and Teen Dream fits that mold – dare I say – beautifully.