Beirut: The Rip Tide

By Michael Lopez Mon., Aug. 8 2011 at 10:00 AM

Categories: Album Stream

Pin It

Stream The Rip Tide in its entirety

When listening to indie folk/pop outfit Beirut, one had quite a lot to take in. Zach Condon -- the brainchild behind the band -- meticulously crafts his melodies with violins, horns and even some ukelele -- or "uke," as the kids call it. The Rip Tide, the third album from Beirut, finds Condon at his most mature -- with both his instrumentation and his songwriting. Due out on August 30, The Rip Tide is quite a sight to behold, if you will -- a journey through baroque-filled, Balkan-inspired melodies.

Lucky for us all, NPR Music has given the album its exclusive first listen treatment, streaming The Rip Tide in its entirety before its release.

The two song arc of the titular "The Rip Tide" and "Vagabond" is easily an album highlight -- the former song's mellow moodiness segues tidily into the latter's jangly, upbeat pianos and brazen horns. It's a subtle dichotomy that Condon has since mastered at this point in his rather celebrated career.

There is plenty of substance spread throughout the entirety of The Rip Tide. "Santa Fe," an homage to Condon's hometown, matches up perfectly with the calculated irreverence of lead single "East Harlem." The Rip Tide is sure to become a favorite album of many, slowly becoming a perfect remedy to the long, dog days of late summer.

The Rip Tide is out 8/30 via Pompeii Records and is streaming in its entirety via NPR Music. Track list is as follows:

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

Follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Music Newsletter: Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.