Considering that Beirut’s Zach Condon once described himself as a musician in search of an “epic melody,” it might seem odd that his band’s third album, The Rip Tide, clocks in at a decidedly non-epic 33 minutes. But despite its brevity, the album once again showcases Condon’s continuing development as a songwriter and the brooding, lyrical instrumentation that has been the band’s hallmark.
In keeping with the band’s range of global musical influences—spanning from their early roots in Balkan folk songs to later musings with a Mexican marching band for the March of the Zapotec EP—two of the album’s best tracks, “Santa Fe” and “East Harlem,” pay homage to Beirut’s geographical inspirations. “Santa Fe,” a tribute to Condon’s hometown, intersperses his smooth, simple vocals with a choppy drumbeat to draw listeners in, and then rewards them with a beautifully sunny horn section reminiscent of debut album Gulag Orkestar.
Likewise, “East Harlem,” a song Condon says he originally wrote at the age of 16, opens with him singing sweetly, “Another rose will turn East Harlem.” The combination of his poetic, heartfelt lyrics with rich vocal harmonies creates a romantic quality to the song, which is only reinforced by the strumming and horn flourishes throughout.
While these two tracks share a more pleasant nature, the refined piano chords of “Goshen” capture the melancholy tone of the album as a whole—a sound which reflects the fact that The Rip Tide was recorded in the middle of winter in upstate New York. The seasonal influence is most evident on “Payne’s Bay,” which pairs Jon Natchez’s sonorous horn melody with the lyrics “I can’t belong to winter.”
While just a half-hour of new music may not be enough for some Beirut fans, The Rip Tide still impresses—not only with the songs’ understated, powerful sound, but mostly because, three albums and three EPs in, Condon and his band show no signs of slowing down.
