Beirut are one of those bands who are just a delight to listen to. They’re the most prolific indie-Balkan folk band of the past few years, but they’ve been silent since 2009, when they contributed to Dark Was The Night – the breathtaking indie charity album organised by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National – and released their March of the Zapotec/Holland double EP. The first half was classic, brassy Beirut. The second half however was a full blown, upbeat blast of electronica. Good electronica, but electronica nonetheless. Obviously this was surprising for a band who are as folky as Joan Baez’s petticoats, and people perhaps wondered if there was a radical shift in direction being signalled.
Well, they’d have been wrong. Last week, Beirut unveiled their new single “East Harlem”, and it’s another lush addition to the band’s catalogue. Solid acoustic strums and piano stabs are laid over a lilting beat with some expert syncopation all around. Zach Condon’s voice is as beautifully, cosily slurred as ever as he croons “another rose wilts in East Harlem, and uptown, downtown, a thousand miles between us. She’s waiting for the night to fall, oh let it fall, I’ll never make it in time.” This is the only lyric of the track and, whilst superficially sorrowful, the music steeps it in an endearing, heart warming romance - the bread and butter of Beirut. And, of course, the brass section is heavenly as always.
A digital download will be available in a couple of weeks. The 7″ is out now, though not on a very wide release. It’s available at the band’s live shows, and in white, blue and even red vinyl, depending on where you look and what’s left!
By now, if anyone happens to be paying attention, it is likely easy to tell what types of music both Andy and myself are most often drawn to. Then again, no one has likely analyzed our musical tastes much further than either agreeing with our selections or not. If anyone is into some analysis (or simple math checking to see if we messed up our time countdown at all) check this for my full list thus far.
As a college student I was unaware of a very large swath of music. I began exploring new music at the apex of the Napster days and came across a lot of new Brit-pop, shoe-gaze and various other genres I soon began to enjoy and into delved deeper. I believe a friend of my roommate brought this record to my attention and I loved it. Sure, the band name is a well documented suck, but their talent clearly lies outside assigning monikers. Given a rare 10.0 on Pitchfork, I am less hyperbolic, though there are certainly bits that are excellent. I could also put ‘How Near, How Far’ on this list eventually, but today this will do fine.
Zach Condon could write hundreds of songs and not come close to the majesty of ‘Postcards From Italy.’ To have written it before having met the age of twenty makes it all the more awe inspiring. Instantly fetching with a taut loop of ukulele, driving majorette drums and pleasing horns set to vocals conveying wisdom beyond nineteen years.
As I sit here writing I am consuming mass quantities of some delicious store brand cereal. Being an easy going yet fairly cheap person, while attending weekly grocery-store-time I try to go for deals or generic substitutes when plausible. I don’t like eating terrible food so there are certainly instances when I will pay more to buy the ‘good’ kind of certain products. While an example of that eludes me at the moment, in the case of imitation Cinnamon Toast Crunch I go with the store brand. It is much cheaper yet still quite good. I’m sure if I tasted the original and its imitation back to back I would be able to notice some sort of difference…but man these Wegmans cinnamon squares are tasty.
Unrelated to my cereal, I’ve had the new Beirut album for more than a week and I’ve been trying to decide which song is my favorite thus far. While I was listening to the album my wife made a comment that it sounded like circus music. Perhaps subconsciously this is why I’ve liked the song ‘My Wife, Lost in the Wild’ so much. I’m still not quite sure however if I have a favorite track.
The album is split into two parts so that it appears the record is made up of two EP’s. While a curious decision on the surface, the separation makes more sense after focusing on where the EP’s diverge sonically. The first EP was recorded in Oaxaca, Mexico with a local 19-piece collective named the Jimenez Band. The tracks are similar to the type of music one familiar with Beirut’s previous commercial releases would be. The second half is more electronic, which apparently hearkens back to the music of Zach Condon’s youth when he recorded under the alias Realpeople.
I downloaded a digital version of the album which just gave me the eleven songs. Because I got the record digitally the separation of the EP’s had no real effect on me. When I burned the digital version so I could listen to it away from the computer I just put them all together. Though seemingly out of place with each other stylistically, the two sections flow together well as an album and I don’t feel the separation was even necessary.
I could have gotten the whole thing off Hype Machine weeks ago but I waited until it was officially released. I’m sure every song on the record is out there somewhere. Because of that I had some trouble deciding which new song to post along with some older stuff. Anyways.
001: Joywave - Ridge/Traveling At The Speed Of Light 7"
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Upcoming Western NY Concerts
NOTE: Concerts are in Rochester unless otherwise noted.
1/5: Les Racquet
1/12: Joywave with Old Tapes, Dave & Marissa
1/13: The Dads
1/14: My Brightest Diamond
1/17: Josh Netsky Band with Cuddle Magic
1/18: Tycho (Buffalo)
1/26: Avicii
1/26: A$AP Rocky (Buffalo)
1/28: The Crystal Method (Syracuse)
2/11: Blind Pilot (Ithaca)
2/22: William Fitzsimmons
2/24: Mike Doughty
2/25: Charles Bradley (Buffalo)
2/29: Summer People
3/3: Matthew Good
3/5: Evening Man
3/23: The Men
3/30: tympanogram’s 3rd Birthday with Born Gold, Old Tapes, TBA
4/20: fun.
4/23: Cults (Buffalo)
5/6: Bear In Heaven (Ithaca)
5/7: M83 (Buffalo)
an examination used to test the condition of the middle ear and mobility of the eardrum, and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal.
Basically, it sounded like a cool name for a blog intended to be primarily about music. We’d both had other blogs previously, but over beers it was decided that more damage could be done as a joint venture. And here we are.
We share a passion for the undiscovered and under-appreciated, and hope that you’ll be able to find something you love as well.
Disclaimer
The music offered on this blog is for sampling purposes only. If you enjoy something you hear here, please go out and buy the music, see a show, or purchase some merchandise. Posted mp3s are available for a limited period of time only.
If there are any materials featured here that are your intellectual property, and you would prefer them removed, please notify us and we will be happy to oblige.
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About the Author: Dave
I like music. I can't describe how I came to like the music I do, because I don't know how or why, I just do.
Many years ago, Napoleon's brother, my great-great-great-great-great-great Grandfather, came to America. He was asked his name on Ellis Island while being processed as an immigrant. Not understanding English, he was under the impression that he was being asked how he had arrived in the new land. So he turned around and pointed at the sea vessel and said, 'LaBarge.'
About the Author: Andy
I come by my music taste of my own free will. My friends listened to 2Pac, my parents to contemporary Christian and me? Sunny Day Real Estate. I can’t explain it.
“Music, true music, not just rock ’n’ roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones…” - Lester Bangs
![beirut 5 [stream] Beirut // East Harlem](http://tympanogram.com/files/beirut_5.jpg "[stream] Beirut // East Harlem")
By now, if anyone happens to be paying attention, it is likely easy to tell what types of music both Andy and myself are most often drawn to. Then again, no one has likely analyzed our musical tastes much further than either agreeing with our selections or not. If anyone is into some analysis (or simple math checking to see if we messed up our time countdown at all) check 
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As I sit here writing I am consuming mass quantities of some delicious store brand cereal. Being an easy going yet fairly cheap person, while attending weekly grocery-store-time I try to go for deals or generic substitutes when plausible. I don’t like eating terrible food so there are certainly instances when I will pay more to buy the ‘good’ kind of certain products. While an example of that eludes me at the moment, in the case of imitation Cinnamon Toast Crunch I go with the store brand. It is much cheaper yet still quite good. I’m sure if I tasted the original and its imitation back to back I would be able to notice some sort of difference…but man these Wegmans cinnamon squares are tasty.
