| | |  | | Home » The Rip Tide | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Zach Condon's music often parallels the exotic mysteries of world travel. Since Beirut's last album, 2007's The Flying Club Cup, sang a love-letter to France (with a 2009 stop-off in Mexico for the March of the Zapotec EP), many asked where his songs would voyage next, but few predicted the inward journey Condon takes on The Rip Tide, an album with the most introspective and memorable songs of his young career. Recorded in Upstate New York, Brooklyn and, of course, Condon's hometowns of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, The Rip Tide marks a distinct leaping-off point for Beirut. Beginning life as small melodies conceived on piano or ukulele, the songs were built upon by the entire band in the studio before Condon's paring down and retrofitting. The results sound like they were recorded in a single session, with exciting rhythms matching the upbeat horns and contrasting the mournful strings. No direct geographical affiliation was exhumed; rather, the style that emerges belongs uniquely and distinctly to Beirut-one that has been hinted at all along. | | | Product Details: | | | Audio CD Release Date:
| August 30, 2011 | | Studio:
| Pompeii Records | | Number Of Discs:
| 1 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 22 reviews |
| | | Track Listing: | | | 1. | A Candle's Fire | | 2. | Santa Fe | | 3. | East Harlem | | 4. | Goshen | | 5. | Payne's Bay | | 6. | The Rip Tide | | 7. | Vagabond | | 8. | The Peacock | | 9. | Cuixmala | |
| | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 22 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 26 found the following review helpful:
 The Rip TideSep 27, 2011
By aurevoiryouth
Finally, after confusing people with the March of the Zapotec double EP, Beirut has released their third, concrete album. The Rip Tide is decidedly in the same vein as the previous two LPs, and that is what's wonderful about it. After experimenting with French and Latin influences, Zach Condon has taken further Balkan cues from his debut, Gulag Orkestar.
Gulag is the strongest album Condon has recorded; however, Rip Tide matches the quality of Flying Club Cup (#2). Once more, listeners feel as though they're on a hundred-year-old train, traveling to some long-forgotten old town. There are more upbeat songs here compared to previous tracks, particularly on 'Santa Fe', 'East Harlem', and 'Vagabond'. There is also a wonderful throwback in 'Payne's Bay' to Condon's first recording on an EP entitled The Joys of Losing Weight.
Although some have disregarded this track, a highlight of the album is 'The Peacock'. It carries that familiar, melancholic tune that Condon has conjured up on tracks like 'Postcards from Italy' and 'On A Bayonet'. It is buried at the end of the LP, and has consequently become my favorite track of mid-2011.
On an anecdotal side note that the Amazon universe seems to love: I just saw these guys perform tonight. They are, honestly, a great band. They are shockingly good at getting to the heart of nostalgic, melancholic music. Get Gulag, get this, get everything in between and you will, most likely, feel 100x more human than your office cubicle lets you.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Beirut BlastOct 04, 2011
By Michael G. Evans
"Mike E"
This has rapidly turned into one of, if not my favourite album of the year so far. It is a special, special piece of work that is uplifting and thoughtful, tuneful and captivating. I first heard this in Rough Trade East in London and it stopped me in my tracks. Its pace and control are beautiful, a magic collection of songs that deserve listen after proper listen.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Great Album, Fantastic PackagingSep 01, 2011
By Bonnie Billy
Beirut's The Rip Tide is a wonderful album. The songs flow nicely, the lyrics are accompanied by wonderful melodies. Some may complain about the length of the album relative to Beirut's previous albums, but it seems they were focused on releasing and album full of equally great songs, there are no fillers here.
As for the vinyl packaging, it is the best I've seen all year. It is simple, yet fantastic. The record's outer sleeve is thick and sturdy, it is reminiscent of my old, high-fidelity classical records. It is also bound in cloth, adding to the quality of the sleeve. The inner sleeve is a thick, and of high quality plastic. This is one of the few records I opened and put directly on my turntable without having to thoroughly clean. A few specks of dust here and there, but I'm not complaining.
The physical and musical quality of this release is magnificent. One of the better albums of the year, and one of the highest quality packaging I've seen in a while.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Buy it.Mar 11, 2012
By John M
I knew nothing about Beruit until I heard the song "Santa Fe" on the radio a few weeks ago. Such a catchy song I set out to find the album and I'm glad I did. Every song is great...one of those albums you can listen to from start to end and then just hit repeat and listen to over and over. A highly-recommended purchase...now I'm off to check out their previous releases!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Delightfully quirkyNov 13, 2011
By Paul Allaer
Beirut, the one-time one man band of Zach Condon that arrived on the scene in 2006, is now a fully fleshed-out ensemble, but still very much the brainchild of Condon. This is the band's third studio album.
"The Rip Tide" (9 tracks; 33 min.) starts off with a blazing "A Candle's Fire", featuring plenty of horns/brass. It is followed by the instantly likeable "Santa Fe" (UK single), which is a homage to Condon's home town. The tracks follow quickly one after another, making their musical point and moving on. "East Harlem" is a slower, pensive track, but still the wind instruments are featured prominently, as they are throughout the album. The title track is another highlight on here. In all, this is a great album, period, possibly better even than "Gulag Orkestar" (but that's just me). This album is delightfully quirky even though at just 33 min. it feels a little short but that is a minor quibble.
I had the good fortune of finally catching these guys live for the first time just this past weekend here in Cincinnati, where they played Bogart's, a 1,500 capacity venue. First of all, I was quite surprised how packed the venue was. When did Beirut become so popular? That aside, they played a a very entertaining set, featuring about 4 or so of these songs live (I was surprised they didn't play more from the new album--Gulag Orkestar remains the focal point of their live shows), and if anything it sounded even better live than on the CD. Meanwhile, "The Rip Tide" is highly recommended!
See all 22 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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