Once Twice Melody
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Once Twice Melody Image
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 22 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 77 Ratings

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  • Summary: The latest full-length release for Baltimore duo Beach House was self-produced and features a live string ensemble.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Variety
    Feb 18, 2022
    95
    The kind of album you can put on and leave on: vividly atmospheric, melodically beguiling, and seductive enough to keep you coming back over and over.
  2. Under The Radar
    Feb 16, 2022
    90
    Constantly interesting, even exciting in many places, it reaffirms the long-held consensus that these two musicians have stardust in their fingertips. ... And whilst it may not be instantly identified as their best record, the longer you sit with it, the more deserving of that title it becomes.
  3. Paste Magazine
    Feb 14, 2022
    84
    From the majestic opening notes of the title track to the last electronic flourish of closer “Modern Love Stories,” Once Twice Melody is the culmination of everything Beach House do best.
  4. Uncut
    Feb 14, 2022
    80
    Once Twice Melody's greatness lies not in its hugeness - it's in the duo's ability to create music that possesses the same intimacy regardless of its scope. [Mar 2022, p.33]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. No Ripcord
    Feb 15, 2022
    80
    Weaving in dustier threads to Beach House’s ever shimmery fabric proves that the cyborgian approach of mixing the organic with the mechanical is an increasingly winning formula.
  6. Mojo
    Feb 14, 2022
    80
    It's Beach House's grandest vision yet. [Mar 2022, p.83]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Sputnikmusic
    Feb 21, 2022
    66
    Legrand weaves a series of intersecting narratives of love and loneliness, intimacy and abandonment, maturity and nostalgia. Any one of these themes is rich enough to fuel far more than Once Twice Melody’s eighty-five minutes, but Beach House’s storytelling is defocused to the point of indistinction, strung out of moody vignettes that flow like asphalt and stick like the tide. ... Fortunately for us all, this is just too gorgeous a record to pose a true slog.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
  1. teemutrash
    Feb 18, 2022
    10
    One of their best albums if not the best. The way of releasing the album in 4 sets was genius, as you were able to digest each songOne of their best albums if not the best. The way of releasing the album in 4 sets was genius, as you were able to digest each song thoroughly. Pure gold. Thank you Beach House… Expand
  2. Felipezd
    Feb 21, 2022
    10
    OTM is for sure a serious candidate to best album of the year. Beach House proves to be a powerhouse in modern music.
  4. jw1293
    Feb 20, 2022
    10
    Somehow, they’ve outdone themselves. The best band somehow got better - impressively dynamic songs, clear vision, perfect execution.
  5. tricky-1
    Feb 21, 2022
    9
    Where could Beach House go after this? Remain under conventions of a dream-pop (Cocteau Twins) and shoegaze (My Bloody Valentine) or to followWhere could Beach House go after this? Remain under conventions of a dream-pop (Cocteau Twins) and shoegaze (My Bloody Valentine) or to follow the path of sound of Stereolab, Air or even Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson? After 16 years, they still have plenty of tricks in their sleeves. It's something new but it is still Beach House. Regarding the album, as much as I love this, ''7, Bloom (still my favorite!), Teen Dream'' are mountain tops, but this is near the top itself. Because it's a double LP it requires repeated listenings to discover a beauty of each songs. Some saturation always follows. They have had material to explore and to expand the sound of the previous albums. To get back to the album, plenty of stuff are excellent here, but the songs that stand out are: Superstar and Over and Over (best on an album), title song, New Romance, Masquerade (most pop-ish). I have fear that OTM is their ''swan song'' and the breakup will follow. Who knows? 8.5/10… Expand
  6. spacemanrecords
    Feb 20, 2022
    9
    BEACH HOUSE you have done it again, you wonderful dreamy band...

    My review of this album comes from an extreme bias. My bias is that, this    BEACH HOUSE you have done it again, you wonderful dreamy band...

    My review of this album comes from an extreme bias. My bias is that, this record, is like a direct shot of nostalgia to my younger years. The band implements heavy use of new wave and dream pop inspirations, and they perfectly weave in and out of the record. The wonderous instrumentation, makes me feel things inside and that's pretty neat.

    was I skeptical of a DOUBLE LENGTH record? Yes, yes I was... Does it ever overstay its welcome in the almost 1.5hrs? NOPE

    I'm giving this one a strong 9. Thank you BEACH HOUSE    … Expand
  7. Shipox
    Feb 18, 2022
    8
    Not the best one or compared to depression cherry or 7 i Love it so much

    With 18 tracks and 84 minutes of running time, Beach House have    Not the best one or compared to depression cherry or 7 i Love it so much

    With 18 tracks and 84 minutes of running time, Beach House have plenty of room to try out different things, but Once Twice Melody invariably sounds phenomenal. There are feathery acoustic guitars and rosy vocoders, watery analog synths and chord changes that explode like fireworks against the night sky, and all of it has been mixed to emphasize its nuanced contrasts and swollen dimensions. In their soaring choruses and sumptuous arrays of synths, guitars, and percussion, they have taken on the proportions of spectacular, stadium-sized alt pop. (Guest drummer James Barone’s controlled wallop goes a long way toward establishing the record’s blockbuster footprint.) Where once they sounded indebted to bands like Mazzy Star or My Bloody Valentine, here they’re chasing a shiny brass ring bearing the fingerprints of Air, M83, even Tame Impala.    … Expand
  8. Honeyba
    Aug 20, 2022
    0
    This is just... bad. What a waste of time and money, honestly, so much autotune and zero talent

See all 20 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best Album of 2022
46
#46 Most Discussed Album of 2022

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