I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t really listened to Beirut until the inception of ThisBonusTrack.com last summer. I remember I was in the car with Pooch one afternoon when I heard Postcards From Italy for the first time. Although I had probably heard it at one point or another before that, I guess I wasn’t conscious enough to peruse to the infectious triumph I can now attribute to Zach Condon (more commonly known as Beriut).
After doing a little bit more research, and getting myself a copy of his 2006 effort Gulag Orkestar, I was surprised to find out that Beirut was indeed a nineteen year old from Albuquerque, rather than a group from somewhere in Russia. I guess I wasn’t completely wrong as Condon adopted his sound (horns and voice) in large part from his Russian ancestry.
When I heard Beirut would be releasing his first album in four years, I was excited to see how it would compare to Gulag Orkestar and more recently The Flying Club Cup, released in 2007. Given the name The Riptide, Zach Condon’s highly anticipated album, digitally released on August 8th is far from a disappointment. In fact, so much so that I wouldn’t hesitate to put the album near the top of top 10 for 2011. Listening to the album in it’s entirety, one can really sense the maturity of Condon’s voice and style over the past five years.
That being said, whether you are looking for an uplifting song for the end summer or a warm, soft, safety blanket for the fall and winter, this album has it all. Check out The Peacock, Port of Call and Santa Fe to get a sense of what the album is all about.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
One Trackback
[...] Don’t believe me? Well let me briefly describe what you can expect to see in the video below. Basically a bearded man goes from losing both his girl and his dog to witnessing/having some sort of baptism or rebirth at sea. Don’t ask me how, but this odd string of events is both odd but emotionally beautiful. Additionally, if you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out our review of Beirut’s latest album, The Rip Tide here. [...]