Beirut, March of the Zapotec (Disc One)

Gipsy euro-folk delight. Zach Condon is back with a whole slew of new Mexican instrumentalists, The Jimenez Band, whom he apparently found in a random town in Oaxaca. Beirut’s familiar euro-gypsy-klezmer feel, paired with a southwestern flavor makes for some interesting tracks. Overall not of Gulag Orkestar or Flying Club Cup caliber, but interesting nonetheless. No FCCs. Recommended tracks: 2, 6

[Disc 1]
1. Quick instrumental with full of cymbals and brass. [0:29]
2. Awesome tuba. A melancholy number with multi-layered vocals. Sweet klezmer-ish bridge. [3:34]
3. Uke-filled ditty with alternating bass. Instrumental and goofy. [2:11]
4. Sultry track with fun trumpets. Is it just me or are the vocals off-key here? Oh Zach, you’re ever so avant-garde… [3:54]
5. This track sounds like a duet consisting of snake-charmers and flatulent elephants. I’m not kidding. Bluesy. [1:41]
6. Upbeat polka with Zach’s velvety vocals right up front. [3:44]


Realpeople, Holland (Disc Two)

Homegrown electro-pop. Condon-tronic… not such a good call. Apparently before Zach was the glory that is Beirut he had this band, “Realpeople”. Thank goodness he dropped out of high school and bummed around eastern Europe for a while (or whatever the hell he did to get his brilliant sound)… Sounds like an unimaginative child of The Notwist and Kings of Convenience. Ditch the synths and pick up the squeezebox, man. No FCCs. If you are into electro-pop, check out tracks 1 and 5. Track 4 is the most Beirut-ish.

[Disc 2]
1. Disco-esque dance ballad. [3:07]
2. Atmospheric, echo-y track. Nice layered vocals. [3:13]
3. Frankly unremarkable electro-ballad. [4:02]
4. Hooray, the accordion returns! Less electronica, with lo-fi xylophone-ish sounds. This track is much more Beirut-ish than the others. [3:28]
5. Straight up 80’s synth-fest, à la OMD. Instrumental. [5:24]