Eastern European folk, classic pop and some vague traces of a skipping electo influence makes Beirut’s The Rip Tide captivating. Back with their third studio album, Beirut are a band dedicated to the quality of their music and on The Rip Tide it definitely shows.
The Candle’s Fire opens the album cue on its intended sound-scape. It’s a pop folk fusion making it catchy with old old school tones. It’s not the most exciting start to an album, in fact it’s not a particularly ground shaking album, unless you’re Brazilian, but it’s a good LP none the less and on the right day it could be perfect.
Santa Fe is only slightly more up tempo than The Candle’s Fire, but it’s just as infinitely listenable. The blaring trumpets, revolving drums and accordion sways are sort of addictive. Eastern Harlem continues with the same Tetris-like addictive qualities that seem to wrap the sound around your head. There’s no white light, but there’s a lot of hurricane about The Rip Tide.
Goshen is an old school ballad with elements of Sigor Ros. It’s slow with a military beat and wave like vocals. Payne’s Bay is a sea shanty with more of the swaying feel on Santa Fe.
The Rip Tide is the song with the most modernity, sounding like it could have been put together with the help of Animal Collective in parts. There’s a world music feel to the backdrop of the song, but still with the same Balkan folk calling vocals.
Vagabond is a bit eighties pop, and one of the least expressive songs on the album to start with, making it sort of skipable. However, the ending is worth waiting for with more of the Animal Collective sound changeovers that makes their music so great.
The Peacock opens vocal heavy and you realise that it all only works well together, not in isolation. When the full sounds of Beirut unites there’s power and seduction, of sorts, but when the music is stripped back, as in The Peacock, there’s something substantial missing.
Port of Call is an ukulele and trumpet mash-up that works quite well. It’s not as swelling as earlier tracks, but it’s not a bad song to usher in the end of the album with.
If you like your pop with pace, Beirut’s The Rip Tide might not be for you, but if you like your iPod with a range of class music then you can’t go far wrong adding this album to it. It’s consistently interesting, without too many modern day comparisons, and in particular in the earlier tracks on the album, kind of addictive (whatever that means).
Beirut, The Rip Tide album review: 3.8/5
