Beach House - B-sides and Rarities: better than most bands’ a-sides

Perhaps even moreso than many other bands, Beach House albums are bodies of work, rather than groups of songs with a few cursory tracks thrown in to buffer the singles. The Baltimore duo’s six albums have all been thematically and sonically harmonious – which makes collections like this necessary.

These are the songs that have not "fit" on studio albums, dating as far back as the scratchy warble of 2005's Rain in Numbers. Although there is no thread tying them together, the woozy swathe of sound on Baby, the sun-dappled organ of Chariot and the comparatively minimalist White Moon, find an alliance thanks to Victoria Legrand's swarthy, swoonsome voice.

There are also alternate versions of Norway and 10 Mile Stereo that don't quite trump the originals, but overall this b-sides collection is better than most bands' a-games.

[ beachhousebaltimore.com ]