Master of None

Beach House - Master of None (buy)

It's embarrassing how much bad music I listened to when the first Beach House album came out in 2006. Before last Wednesday's show at Webster Hall I'd never even heard "Master of None." Playing to a sold-out crowd doesn't mean much these days, but for Beach House there was a lot of love. Fans seemed to know the band's albums, not just the excellent singles.

Victoria Legrand spoke very little throughout, and when she did, it seemed as if it took her concentration from playing. One time she realized this, and she stopped, put her hand on her forehead and said "I'll talk to you guys later." She and Alex Scally were as focused as anyone I've seen on stage in memory. In the encore Legrand lost her balance during a jam-out on "10 Mile Stereo" and fell backwards to the floor. She sprung up with a self-assured and unembarrassed smile and went on in the way she would have acted if someone in the crowd had yelled "I love you Victoria!"

You can pick up album of the year contender, Teen Dream, or their 2006 debut Beach House at Amazon.