Crash Landing- 2009 Album Deletions

Photo Credit: www.stabur5productions.ws/page3.html

You click and drag new releases on to your iPod's 2009 playlist, but does everything deserve to stay? No. Well, we are at your service to aid you in proper, and deserved 2009 album deletions (not from the whole Pod, but rather the playlist.) Ultimately, we are helping you generate a Best of 2009 playlist, right? Maybe.

The Veils - Sun Gangs
Nux Vomica and more specifically "Calliope!" hit us hard, and kept hitting. This album rocked our speakers, bumped our chest and simply made us buy the album...and catch them at the Mercury Lounge. So Sun Gangs. Yeah, it just didn't live up to the pre-established standards. Its that easy. It's the sophomore slump and we know it blows. Rebound baby, rebound. Deleted.

The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand
If you thought they were going to conform to a more mainstream sound, in true Lips fashion, you can go fuck yourself. They didn't and I kind of wanted an album of "Bad Kids"-style gems, but, oh well; their loss. Deleted.

Beirut - March of the Zapotec & Real People
This is just boring tuna. Though our one reviewer, Deanna, thought otherwise, this album is one tuba blast short of bearable. Deleted.

M.Ward - Hold Time
Just because it is another M.Ward album doesn't mean you have to like it. This is no freaking Transfiguration of Vincent. Maybe if Zoe Deschanel accompanied him on this we could call it, She & Him: Volume Deuce and Paste could name it best album of 2009. Deleted.

That should free up some space.

I Shall Be Released: Beirut

Beirut - March of the Zapotec/Holland

February 17, 2009
Pompeii/Ba Da Bing

Zach Condon must suffer from schizophrenia, but if so, he’s the only one suffering. His new EP March of the Zapotec/Holland gathers together promising material, from both his full band and his solo electronic effort, Realpeople.

Last year, an overwhelmed Condon cancelled a tour and took some time off in Mexico. The rest was certainly worthwhile, as the new tunes sound fresh and fully realized. The first six songs are the usual culturally diverse Beirut pieces we have come to expect, but the last five are new songs under Condon’s old moniker, Realpeople, for his experimental, synth work.

For the rest of contributing writer Deanna McLafferty's review, continue after the jump.

Besides Condon’s mix of musical styles, he also flips back and forth from joyous celebratory songs to dreary laborious ones. Some of them sound carnivalesque, epitomized in the bombastic intro “El Zocalo,” while others sound more like a funeral march, such as the slow, emotional “On a Bayonet.” Other highlights include the saxophone solo in the middle of “La Llorona” and the brass instruments that build into a fury at the end of “The Shrew.”

There are a few missteps, however, whenever the songs become too self-involved and arduous. “My Wife” is an interlude that exceeds its welcome, and the slightly monotonous “The Akara” doesn’t go anywhere.

Surprisingly, the songs included on Holland are often more light-hearted and interesting. “My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille” is one of the most enjoyable songs on the album along with “No Dice,” which is actually danceable. “Venice” can only be described as some kind of underwater journey. On the other hand, “The Concubine,” feels slightly out of place on this side of the EP.

With a Beirut album, not much of the focus is ever on the words. In fact, lyrics in a Beirut song are completely unnecessary. If Zach Condon’s voice wasn’t one of his best instruments, I’d prefer his songs without them. They’re kind of like the cherry on top of a very layered cake. The music says enough.

Condon’s talent lies in his ability to find the similarities in opposites. Each song has multiple intricate parts and this EP starts with one type of song and ends with another, but either way you can tell it’s one of his. His voice is distinct, no matter what the medium, and this EP proves that.

- Deanna McLafferty

New Beirut - On Sale Now

Although scheduled for a February 17th release, Beirut's two new EPs March of the Zapotec & Real People - Holland are available now on iTunes. Not sure whether this is a planned digital exclusive for iTunes a la Deerhunter, or some sort of Raconteurs-style iTunes screw up, but I know what I'm going to be listening to this morning. This is Zach Condon's first release on his own Pompeii Records distributed by Revolver in the U.S. Beirut played a secret show at Coco66 last night in Greenpoint and will also be playing two more NY shows at MHOW and BAM 2/4 and 2/6 respectively.

Entitled March of the Zapotec, the first EP consists of songs written by Beirut and recorded in Mexico with the help of Oaxacan march masters The Jimenez Band. The second EP, Holland, showcases Zach's latest bedroom-style recordings under his former moniker Realpeople, including the previously released "Venice" (in the 2007 Believer music issue), and "My Night With the Prostitute From Marseille" (on the Natalie Portman curated Big Change charity album). Taken together, the two EPs proudly display the scope of Beirut's work over the last year.

Meanwhile, we'll have a review of the two EPs next week. Stay tuned.