After experimenting with a variety of traditional European folk styles and experiencing unexpected popularity amongst the indie music community since its formation in 2006, Santa Fe-based group Beirut headed by the hipster music sweetheart Zach Condon have produced their third and most confident album, The Rip Tide, released yesterday. While Beirut's previous albums were indisputably interesting and fun to listen to for their variety of instrumental combinations and foreign sounds, Condon finally seems to have settled on a style to call his own. His pleasant and full-hearted vocals sing out gorgeously (but not too much so, as perhaps on earlier projects) over a folk-pop blend of catchy and, as reviewers have variously branded it, "agreeable" tracks. Although containing only 9 songs, The Rip Tide accurately and elegantly makes a statement of the band's unique styles without some of the abstract instrumental interludes that may have turned off listeners on his previous albums. It still maintains the heart of Condon's composition, often trading in guitars for ukeleles and horns, but appeals to a wider and less European audience, with excellent results. Check out these examples, then look up "A Candle's Fire" and "Port of Call," respectively the opening and closing tracks of the album.
Santa Fe - The Rip Tide by PompeiiRecordingco
Beirut - East Harlem by artsandcraftsmx
Beirut will be playing in Chicago at the Congress Theater on September 26 with Laetitia Sadier, so get your tickets NOW.
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