There was probably some point in your life where you fantasized about being in a band, so you could wow everyone on stage with your considerable emotional depth/instrumental skill/wild attitude/brilliant but hidden artistry. There was probably also another point where that fantasy became unrealistic or impossible, which is okay. Growing up does that to you. You find new things to obsess over, and that original band dream goes out the window. I can't remember the last time I wished I was in a band—fifteen years, maybe? It just doesn't appeal anymore. Watching this video of Beach House playing a short set in the desert in Tornillo, Texas, though, something else becomes apparent: making art in an alien landscape is amazing and a huge privilege. The desert the band is playing in here is lit in soft blues and golds; it feels conducive to having a genuine moment of revelation, something that changes the way you look at your own work or the work of others, which is a feeling that we're all chasing all the time. For that alone, it's worth taking thirty minutes to watch. It also casts Beach House's music, which is lush and dense, in a new light—charred and still pretty, but kind of exhausted, too. Environments! They're important. Read more about Beach House and the making of their most recent album, Bloom in our FADER #80 cover story.
