Feeling lonely tonight? Then turn off the TV and lower the lights, for Baltimore duo Beach House have returned with their sophomore full length entitled Devotion. Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand have written eleven delicate Pop songs about love, feelings, and, of course, devotion. This 2008 album is a sure-fire antidote to the winter blues. Beach House have developed their craft exponentially since their 2006 self-titled debut. The recording is crisper; the songs are fuller. This is a band that is taking the Pop duo format to the limit. The organs, slide guitars and reverb are still there, but Beach House lay down some new sounds for their newest offering. Bella Union. Review Beach House (Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand) make haunting music - the kind which would seem at home in any independently made 1960's love film fitted snugly at the end as one lover died whilst the other wept uncontrollably. Despite this generally joyless outlook, the press release seems to preach the exact opposite; hailing the album as the perfect ''antidote to the winter blues''. Confusing? Perhaps... Not to say this is a bad record in any shape or form. In fact, quite the opposite. It's an album that gets lost within itself and creates a carousel of fuzziness and disorientation - making the world around seem slight and almost irrelevant. It would be an easy option to compare the overall aesthetics of Devotion to that of a drug-induced state, but that would only tell half the story. Wedding Bell sets the tone for the record, dancing around bouncing bass melodies and looping, echoed guitar loops (at a guess). Gila steadies the pace down a bit but by the time fifth track, Holy Dances, comes around, it's clear that Scally and Legrand use the vocal not just as a lyrical conduit but as another instrument. They cement the chorus of chimes which, in turn, extrudes an almost spiritual radiance from the album. Later on, Some Things Last A Long Time is a beautifully simple song that perfectly complements an un-complex album. This is a typical Bella Union release. It is raw, courteous and understated in a genial kind of way. Perfect for any lazy afternoon where aggression and gangster-rap seem to be of another world. --David McGuire This link will take you off