Beach House – Depression Cherry (Newbury Comics Exclusive, Limited Edition, Green Vinyl)

On their fifth album, Beach House don’t veer too far from their template: beautifully spare, sun-bleached ditties that belie their often-dreary subject matter. Sure, there’s a blown-out guitar here (the pleasantly noisy “Sparks”), or a breathy spoken word there (“PPP,” replete with Cocteau Twins-style guitar), but the duo’s MO remains: “If it ain’t broke . . .” The creeping organ tones and Victoria Legrand’s gauzy croon are so luxuriant, you almost forget that these are still sad songs—and it’s in that balance of light and dark that they reliably stick the landing.