Wednesday 7 September 2011

The Rip Tide

Artist: Beirut
Album: The Rip Tide
Release Date: 2/8/2011

Zach Condon finally finds and settles into his own sound


Zach Condon is a man who seemingly, for as long as he has been traversing musical different sojourns, has been searching for a genre to call home. Except "Home" for Condon is outside of any existing niche- it's a world of expansive pastures and the desire to break away from normality and live in a universe that is entirely his own. If in all his previous work Condon and Beirut haven't quite found their nook, "The Rip Tide" finally sees them find their utopia.

Opener "A candle's Fire" announces itself with tones of picturesque accordion, before being joined by high-flying flushes of euphoric brass. "East Harlem" marries wonderfully crafted orchestration with Condon's thick but handsome brogue and romantic visions of home as he sings "Sound will call me home again." The title track, with its tranquil yet expansive orchestration, captures the ever-present roving feeling in all of Beirut's previous work. "The Peacock" is a cacophony of sparse but stirringly beautiful trumpets and Condon finding within him the mystic but wondrous poet as he sings "There's an answer for "I'm Cold Again"/ Down in the sand just like those soldiermen."


In honing their craft and feelings back towards those with which they grew up with, Condon and his cohorts in Beirut have comfortably slotted into their own dream- world. "The Rip Tide" is an album that keeps home close to heart, but also yearns for adventure and a certain element of escape.

Download: 1) East Harlem, 2) The Peacock, 3) A Candle's Fire
For Fans of: Bon Iver, The National, Fleet Foxes

8/10

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