Beach House

B-Sides and Rarities

In B Sides And Rarities, Beach House have offered up an intoxicating glimpse into their alternative universe, which is never less than engaging. If you didn’t like the studio albums, this album won’t win you over, but for fans new and old, it is a treasure trove of Baltimore’s finest’s lesser-known gems.

Covering more than a decade's worth of songs, the collection underscores that while Beach House's music sounds fragile, it's also surprisingly resilient.

For a band that creates as rabid of fans as Beach House, this b-sides collection is a welcome addition to one of the best independent catalogs this decade.

The band made no claims that this collection was intended to compete alongside their studio albums, and what the record lacks in atmosphere, it more than makes up for in discrete bursts of quality.

Sadly, this is more a record for hardcore fans than casual ones, though there are some distinct highlights. When it’s Beach House, the bar is set pretty high, and there’s always a few flowers and gems hidden between anything that feels inessential.

Uneven though the offerings may be, there are some serious gems to be found here, and the collection adds further definition to our understanding of a band too often reduced by oversimplified interpretations.

Songs like “Baseball Diamond” and “Baby” are strong additions to any devotee’s collection, and for the more casual listeners, you can slip on B-Sides and Rarities at a party and it’ll be indistinguishable from the band’s studio releases.

The collected footnotes from the Baltimore band's decade-long career plays almost as smoothly as a proper album, showing the meticulous construction behind some of Beach House’s spells.

'B-Sides and Rarities' is unlikely to convince any Beach House doubters or win them many new fans, but it will be a very welcome release for those who have followed their work over the past decade.

This B-sides and rarities album includes some intriguing material that will keep fans entertained until the next album, but most likely will have them returning to their favorite album tracks for a more satisfying fix.