Beirut
The Rip Tide
Pompeii Records / Playground

Beirut is Zach Condon from Santa Fe, New Mexico's solo project that lately has emerged into a band. The Rip Tide is their third album, following the double EP March of the Zapotec / Realpeople: Holland (2009). The first where a side trip to Mexican sounds, the latter more electronic. Both pretty different from the earlier Balkan- and chanson-inspired albums.

The Rip Tide is somewhat the natural development from Beirut's former works. It shows a more grown pop-attitude both in expression and lyrics, which also remembers that distinct genre-playfulness that they're both known and sometimes; loved for. The soundscape is still shaped from ompa-rythms, brass-moments, ukulele and a diversity of folklore.

But there is a the downside of being over all more accessible too - there is less room for the outstanding. That not to say that there is any really dullness here. Yet, with the exceptions of the nicely accordion driven opener "A Candle Tune", followed by the slow-paced elektro-mariachi in "Santa Fe", the up-beat title track and the insisting ballad "The Peacock" the imprint is more pretty than actually beautiful.

So Beirut has with The Rip Tide delivered a fairly good pop-album, with a charming twist.

Copyright © 2011 Aslaug O Klausen