Ah, Baltimore. Charm City. Home to John Waters, John Hopkins University, and -- according to Wikipedia -- a dance called the SpongeBob. This illustrious city on the Patapsco River is also home to a really awesome aquarium, where I bought a shirt with a beluga whale on it when I was a kid, as well as being the main headquarters of globe-trotting dream-pop duo Beach House. Although they've only been together for three years, by now you're probably familiar with the group's delicate organ-accented shoegaze jams, either through hearing their acclaimed self-titled debut or their follow-up, this year's Devotion (TMT Review).
They've been touring like crazy, hitting the road for lengthy periods of time, and going to places Sarah Palin's never even heard of! And now they're heading back across the Atlantic, getting ready to take on Europe (and the East Coast) -- very, very quietly. Of course, they'll be doing more than just racking up frequent flyer miles, posing with tourists in front of cathedrals, and playing awesome festivals. If we've learned anything from checking their MySpace profile several times a week to see when a new album is coming out -- which I, um, totally don't do -- it's that Beach House takes a nice promotional photograph. Seriously, they have some of the best promo pics I have ever seen. Way higher class than any internet picture you or I could ever hope to have. And where better to take awesome photos than on a European touring vacation?
Seriously: big things are coming from this tour. I can feel it.
@ Jana Hunter
* The Walkmen
**Tickley Feather