Coming up with a follow up album after the crazy success of 2009′s Hospice was a very tall order to fill. While I don’t think that anyone would say that Burst Apart is a better album it certainly wasn’t anything that you could write off as a sophomore slump. The story telling and ability to write melodic songs about the saddest subjects (“Putting The Dog To Sleep”) is still in full swing.

The Antlers – “I Don’t Want Love”

09. Alexander – Alexander

Alex Ebert took a side step from his normal stance as frontman for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros to dabble with his first solo record. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with his two projects. Both emit a sense of the quirkiness that listeners have come to love out of him.

Alexander – “Truth”

08. Other Lives – Tamer Animals

I had the privilege to see Other Lives twice this year as they were out on tour supporting their sophomore album and even had a chance to interview Jesse Tabish who enlightened us as to what it’s been like as the band has found some great success this year. Tamer Animals picks up where their debut, self-titled album left off with lush orchestral arrangements and no hint of a climax.

Other Lives – For 12

07. Cold War Kids – Mine Is Yours

Cold War Kids took a slight veer from their previous album this year opting for more radio friendly tracks with a sparkling studio crispness. This has driven off a number of their hardcore fans but has probably brought in more than it lost. My one issue with the album is that it appears as though the band crammed all the best tracks into the the front with the final few songs coming off as filling just to escape the EP length.

Cold War Kids – “Louder Than Ever”

06. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Fleet Foxes went for a more complex sound on their sophomore album with the camp fire sing-a-long aspect appearing to be a thing of the past although the jump isn’t so large as to drive off original fans. There’s still plenty of multi-part harmonies that help keep the band’s identity with Pecknold’s flare of story telling more prominent than ever.

Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues”

05. Beirut – The Rip Tide

Zach Condon is starting to build himself as a man that can do no wrong. If he was going to jump the shark it would have been with 2009′s March of The Zapotec/Holland double EP but instead it just added to the legend. Condon returns to more familiar sound with The Rip Tide. The album is the shortest of Condon’s albums coming in at only 33 minutes but what a fantastic 33 minutes they are.

Beirut – “East Harlem”

04. DeVotchKa – 100 Lovers

DeVotchKa’s hasn’t changed much of anything about their sound since their debut release over a decade ago. Nick Urata still fronts the band with his unmistakable crooning voice and is backed by music inspired  from every corner of the globe making it a perfect melting pot for each listener.

DeVotchKa – “Contrabanda”

03. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead

Every release out of The Decemberists’ tends to be polarizing with The Crane Wife being at the top of the list, The King Is Dead is no different. If you’ve been a fan since Castaways and Cutouts than you probably roll your eyes every time you hear some popped collar frat boy even say their name. But even with that success you have to admit to the band’s songwriting ability and that even with the media attention they have refused to budge from the narrative storytelling of maritime life and folklore. I believe that The King Is Dead  is the band’s best work yet which will bring in more new comers and make the music snobs even more angry I’m sure.

The Decemberists – “Down By The Water”

02. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials

I don’t like diva’s, I don’t like over produced albums and I don’t like songs with more layers of music than an onion. So why do I love this album so much? Florence Welch has a voice that cannot be ignored, that’s why. Each track is built around her golden pipes that are becoming so rare in this day and age that one has to stand up and take notice. This is a talent that you won’t find on American Idol or The X Factor, her voice is too pure, too unadulterated and too big for containment. Ceremonials makes sure that while you’re listening your heart beats at 180bpm and chills surge up your spine.

Florence + The Machine – “Shake It Out”

01. The Dodos – No Color

No Color opens with a jaw dropping tempo and guitar work in order to hook the listener from the first measure. Lack of appreciation for Meric Long’s finger-picking abilities and Logan Kroeber’s originality on the drums are two of the biggest travesties in music. They’re over looked simply because of the band’s indie-pop sound and that most listeners seek out a catchy hook  all while missing innate musical talent. The Dodos produce both of these traits in No Color, an album that should cement them in as one of the indie rock elite.

The Dodos – “Black Night”

9. Parenthetical Girls – “Doughnuts” (dir. Cãoceito)

8. Woodkid – “Iron” (dir. Yoann Lemoine)

7. Beirut – “Santa Fe” (dir. Sunset Television)

6. Fleet Foxes – “The Shrine/An Argument” (dir. Sean Pecknold)

5. Skrillex – “First of The Year (Equinox)” (dir. Sylvain Séchet)

4. Memory Tapes – “Yes I Know” (dir. Eric Epstein)

3. Hudson – “Against The Grain” (dir. Dropbear)

2. Youth Lagoon – “Montana” (dir. Tyler T. Williams)

1. Manchester Orchestra – “Simple Math” (dir. Daniels)

Beirut – “East Harlem”

Beirut hits the road:
10/25 – Richmond, VA @ The National #
10/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse #
10/29 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s #
10/31 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live #
11/01 – Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar #
11/04 – Mexico City, MX @ Salon Vive Cuervo
11/05 – Mexico City, MX @ Salon Vive Cuervo
11/07 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery
11/09 – Lexington, KY @ The Kentucky Theater
11/11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
11/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
11/26 – Providence, RI @ Lupo’s ^
11/28 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues ^
11/30 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall ^
12/02 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^
12/04 – Knxoville, TN @ Bijou ^
12/05 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel ^
12/07 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater ^
12/08 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ^
12/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Alter Bar ^
12/13 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
12/29 – Melbourne, AU @ Falls Festival
12/31 – Marion Bay, AU @ Falls Festival
01/07 – Busselton, AU @ Southbound
01/10 – Melbourne, AU @ Forum Theatre
01/12 – Brisbane, AU @ The Hi Fi
01/18 – Tokyo, JP @ Club Quattro
01/20 – Osaka, JP @ Shangri-La

# = with Basia Bulat
^ = with Perfume Genius

Greatest ending ever.

Artist: Beirut
Release: The Rip Tide (LP, August 30, 2011)
Notable Tracks: “East Harlem,” “Payne’s Bay”
Recommendation: Dig deep, or pass

The Rip Tide is not a follow-up to The Flying Club Cup. It is not bombastic in its baroque. No tears will be shed. It is not an instant classic. It requires effort to appreciate, and some tracks simply do not work at all: even repeated listens do not reward the listener for the patience. In a word, it is pretty, not beautiful. Consider one of the conclusions of an overwhelmingly positive review: “It’s so light and airy that it could slip right by you.” (Under The Gun Reviews, July 11, 2011.)

Indeed, you could make a pretty strong case that The Rip Tide continues along the aesthetic arc set by March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland, an album that received mixed reviews here, with Patrick listing it as the #6 album of 2009, while the present reviewer wrote, “The last five tracks shift gears altogether: Beirut fans can imagine a DJ spinning Gulag Orkestar on one turntable and BT on the other. Those unfamiliar with Beirut need not go there.”

Concluding: “The second act is a total loss.” Anyone here remember this:

Fans — that is to say true, unyielding fans — of the double EP will more than likely appreciate the upcoming album, set for an August release. “Santa Fe” seems to take Condon’s baritone crooning and brass ensemble back to the dance floor, even if the tempo is all wrong. The title track’s percussive click is downright annoying, introducing an unintended dose of Drum Machine 101 to an already wobbly song structure: too monochrome, too somnambulant, too uneventful. There are moments in which The Rip Tide sticks in the listener’s head in a decidedly unwelcome way, and this drowsy piece of non-composing is one of them. (It seems as if someone has been reading too many Beirut reviews. Just so we’re clear the next time around, journalists don’t use terms like “effortless” or “natural” literally.)

The album has its high points, to be sure: “East Harlem” shimmers with a quirky, uptempo light, even when the horns aren’t blowing. The poly-Condon choir dominating the last minute or so is a nice touch, but this comes nowhere close to the passion or gravity of “In The Mausoleum.” Or “St. Apollonia.” Or “The Flying Club Cup.” “The Peacock” very nearly earns its song title, what with its the-coffee’s-almost-ready warmth, gentle baritone breeze, and electric organ hum. But in time your favorite track might become “Payne’s Bay,” with its slicing string work and precise horn section. This is where vocalist Condon plants his flag, with the strength-in-repetition, almost hypnotic, “Headstrong, today, I’m feeling headstrong.” Cute little instrumental burp in the closing second, too.

If the over-40 set has learned anything from AOR, it’s that an album does not live or die on its radio edits. The three tracks lauded above constitute 11 minutes of material. Much more representative of The Rip Tide as a whole is the hollow opener “A Candle’s Fire,” which resembles a cardboard cut-out of the Beirut we thought would show up. The brass arrives on time, and the crooning does, as well as the snare drum love, but we’re none the wiser. This is not a lake, it’s a flooded parking lot. The cascading vocals of “Goshen” are a perfectly acceptable accompaniment for the piano and trumpet, while the catchy, snappy, black-key piano bar riff of “Vagabond” is similarly competent. Note that we just said competent, not inspired. This is the sound of a lesser artist ripping of Zach Condon…at his best.

And perhaps that is the crux of the matter. By this measure, an altogether negative review of The Rip Tide is unfair. If Condon had announced himself with The Rip Tide, we would declare him an artist with promise. “Good instincts.” “Shortlisted.” “The one to watch.” Instead, we know what kind of power he can wield when he allows himself, a fact that renders the forthcoming album a pretty serious disappointment. Nice closing track, though. (6/10)

Last night Dallas was graced with the first appearance in 5 years from Condon and crew. It was a smashing show but I realized this morning Beirut has a sound that should not be artificially amplified. Condon has a tone that seems to be better suited to a house concert or a stairwell. If you’ve attended a show during their latest tour I’d like to get your input on this.

On the heels of releasing the 7″ single for “East Harlem”/”Goshen”, We now have an official announcement for a new album this summer. Word is that The Rip Tide will be released on August 30th via Pompeii Records and Revolver in the U.S. I’ve been able to find a few live videos for some of the new tracks that you can link to from the track list below.

01. A Candle’s Fire
02. Santa Fe
03. East Harlem
04. Goshen
05. Payne’s Bay
06. The Rip Tide
07. Vagabond
08. The Peacock
09. Port of Call

Beirut – East Harlem by Revolver USA

On Friday Condon promised that this coming Monday he would release a new single titled “East Harlem” with the b-side being “Goshen”. “East Harlem” is a track that Condon says he wrote when he was 17 but has been on his live set list for the last few years and “Goshen” has started showing up at his live shows just recently. There have been whispers since late last year that a new album might be on the horizon but by the sounds of it we’re now looking at a summer release from the group.

On a side note, Condon made a guest appearance on the new Blondie album that comes out soon. Blondie has apparently become quite the fan and even covers Beirut’s “Sunday Smile” on the new album. You can listen to a clip of it on Amazon.
Beirut – East Harlem by Revolver USA

As an added bonus here is a cover that the band did for Red Hot + Rio 2 for the Red Hot Organization which is a charity benefiting HIV and AIDS research. You can listen to it below and then head over their the organizations website and get it as a free download.

Beirut – “O Leãozinho” (Caetano Veloso cover)

Sadly, we sold out years ago this DVD.

Chris Peterson, a fan of Beirut, decided, with the consent of BadaBing (Beirut’s label) and ours, to upload and share files from the DVD (read the story). If you would like to have a copy of the no-longer-available musical movie masterpiece that is Beirut/Blogotheque’s Cheap Magic Inside, you have two options : from our server or by BitTorrent.” La Blogotheque website

Video: Beirut – “A Call to Arms & Nantes” (Cheap Magic Inside)

Beirut – Cheap Magic Inside Download (Scroll down to the bottom for English)