Beirut will never sound as impetuous and Eastern European melancholic as on his debut Gulag Orkestar (2006). Multi-instrumentalist Zach Condon made this drowned gypsy-sounding album practically alone in his bedroom, dreaming aloud of faraway places from his hometown Albequerque. Thanks to the success of this, Beirut grew into a band that now operates from New York. That nostalgic and melancholic
… look at distant Europe still resonates on the third album The Rip Tide, but has now been channeled much more into a (typical American) indie folk sound. At the same time, the influence of Condon on this genre during the last five years should not be underestimated. The Rip Tide is a moody and dynamic album on which piano, ukulele and brass dominate. Like the title track in which trumpets play a dazzling spaghetti western theme while Condon keeps his vocals small and intimate. That works well and is well done, but the sad party of Gulag Orkestar is over and is also a bit missed. (MR)more
