Beirut: The Rip Tide

 


   So. The Rip Tide. Released on August 30th of this year as the band's third LP. I'm completely head-over-heels for the album and I'm not planning on hiding it. Commencing with "A Candle's Fire" and closing with "Port of Call" the toe-tapping soul-searching ratio is ace.    "Santa Fe" and "East Harlem", as tracks numero dos y tres, continue to establish a sense of longing, love, and hope through the hard times. (Definitely something we can all relate to right now.)    Next comes "Goshen", "Payne's Bay", and "The Rip Tide". Beirut has graduated with honors. These tracks feature the great vocals, instrumentation (trumpet and drums), and Zach Condon's ever-improving songwriting we've all come to love in Beirut's music. "The Rip Tide" makes a perfect title song--it's filled with the aforementioned themes of hope, love, and determination.    Tracks seven and eight, "Vagabond" and "The Peacock", are, in my opinion, the two most well-written songs on the album. Go listen to them.   The album culminates in "Port of Call", my personal favorite. It's fantastic. The album's fantastic.       Like an episode of 2 Broke Girls (but on a totally different spectrum of art), clocking in at a smidge over 33 minutes, once The Rip Tide is over, you're at a loss, your heart is open, and your time was spent wisely.   Go serenade someone.