Baltimore's experimental bands

Beach House

Members: Victoria Legrande, Alex Scally

Beach House crafts a warm, soft-focus kind of rock music on its latest records thanks to some lightly reverbed guitars and understated vocal harmonies carried along by somewhat church-y synths. The sound is what one would expect as accompaniment to a trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks. Paris-born Victoria Legrande sings evocative and ultimately hopeful lyrics in a romantic tone reminiscent of an Arcade Fire record, but her lyrics are more down to earth and her vocals are a complex mix of folksy and soulful. Baltimore native Alex Scally plays ethereal guitars to match: Bare, spindly riffs without the frills that would likely damage the duo's credibility. Beach House makes fuzzy songs for the middle of the night, shrouded in mystery, but purposeful.

Level of experimentation: 3 (out of 10), rather traditional, all things considered

Web site: www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic