T&G has been trying for some time to learn to love Beirut. Zach Condon's previous two albums have been interesting and wonderfully arranged but have felt slightly cold to me and I have admired the music rather than loved it.
After a debut album focussed on an Eastern-European sound and a follow up that veered towards French baroque pop, this third album flies off in two completely separate directions and nobody could accuse Condon of taking the easy option or resting on his laurels.
This is essentially two distinct EPs that are tagged together to make a less than cohesive LP. The first EP is stunning. Condon joins forces with nothing less than a 19 piece Mexican Funeral band to create a set of songs that simply overflow with warm, rich brass sounds. The record is rich with trumpet, horns, ukelele and tuba with some wonderful drums and cymbal crashes. Condon sings mournfully over the top of all this, although there are some frequent instrumental passages, particularly on standout track 'The Shrew'. To some extent it all sounds like something you might hear playing at half time at a football match over Christmas but it is a splendidly full sound and a real joy to listen to.
The second EP changes tack radically to move to a 1980s disco sound! This is a return to Condon's solo recordings of old and the sound is heavy on synth and electronic drums. It concludes with 'No Dice', an overly long electro pop ditty which sounds like something you might hear at the Eurovision Song Contest.
This may well be a willful attempt from Condon to produce two utterly distinct EPs and to challenge the listener. If that is his intention, he certainly succeeds. The trouble is, when you are capable of producing a glorious mix of Mexican and Balkan sounds, 1980s euro-pop is always going to be a disappointment.
'March of the Zapotec' - 8.0
'Holland'- 5.0
['March of the Zapotec / Holland' is out now digitally and on cd from 16/2]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment