Beirut :: The Rip Tide

At age 25, Zach “Beirut” Condon has already released five acclaimed EPs and three full-lengths, the latest of which, titled The Rip Tide, is his best – and certainly his most focused – to date. Featuring nine tight songs over 33 minutes, the record feels like a perfecting of the Balkan folk/indie rock hybrid sound the band has become known for since his/their excellent 2006 debut, Gulag Orkestar. Along the way, Beirut (which remains mostly Condon, though others have become quite involved) have flirted with other influences from around the world, most notably with French pop – inspired mostly by the late, great Serge Gainsbourg. More recently, Condon and Co. have sunk their roots into Brazil, both taking influence from the unique country and also influencing young Brazilian musicians (the band, no joke, is so big in Brazil that they have a festival full of Beirut tribute bands each year called Beirutando). Known as a globetrotter and cultural sponge, Condon returned to the U.S. to write and record the very focused The Rip Tide, recording the record in his current hometown of New York City.

What’s initially striking about this record is the lack of heavy world influences, the vibe instead feeling very poppy – though in a still-very-cultured sort of way. Sounding quite a bit like pre-69 Love Songs-era Magnetic Fields for their last release, 2009′s March of the Zapotec/Holland double EP, Beirut drop the bulk of that wandering spirit here (though a bit of it can be detected on songs like “Santa Fe”), in favor of a focused approach. Where Condon had been picking up new instruments here and there over the years, for Rip he settles into his core – focusing mostly on piano, ukulele and, of course, trumpet, for the backbone of the record. And while Condon will claim that the sound of The Rip Tide is stripped down, these ears of mine can’t agree. Any record featuring a howler like Condon, regular horn swells and overly detailed compositions cannot be classified as “stripped down” or “simple.” Focused, once again, is the word here. Focused but still elaborate.

What we do get this time around from Beirut are some seriously clever pop compositions that make fellow world-music-influenced indie poppers like Devotchka, Vampire Weekend and even Grizzly Bear seem more poppy than authentic in comparison. All of Condon’s world- and music-tourism is on display in the corners of his compositions, as usual, despite the change in his writing approach. The result is a very tight, very accessible record that, while not as forwardly interesting as his past releases, is his by-far most successful overall record yet. The irony here is that The Rip Tide is a very modest record when compared to the back catalog, dropping the oft-pretentious tones of past sessions.

Released on Condon’s own Pompeii Records, The Rip Tide is short and, for the most part, not at all promoted. A fans-only record in release approach that should probably be on sale for $7.99 at Target, due to its instant accessibility. To say that this is a very beautiful, very accomplished and very melodic record is the pinnacle of the still-very-young Condon’s career isn’t enough. At 25, Condon already has a deep, memorable and unique catalog; and at 25, he’s now released a record I’m not afraid to call a New Indie Classic. The sad smile here, though, is that the album, at best, will be a slow brewing cult record when it should be a High Violet-like crossover release that even the Rolling Stones and Spins of the world can’t ignore.

97/100