Beirut “East Harlem”
Ever since Zach Condon, focal member of Beirut, stunned listeners with his 2006 debut Gulag Orkestar and the remarkable set’s elaborately luxuriant display of timeless Eastern European folk sounds, it’s been a bit of a ball watching and hearing he and his band’s evolution over the years, especially with their every new release layering a brand new world influence to an already richly-textured artistic arsenal.
For new single “East Harlem” (from the forthcoming full-length The Rip Tide), Condon and Co. effortlessly manage to keep that aural wondrousness alive, the track’s stately waltz of jaunty piano-pop, sighing accordion and the warmest horn blasts to hit the ears since, well, Beirut’s last release, coupled with Zach’s quivery croon, yielding this beautifully romantic Olde Tyme Indie-Pop tint to a scene of two Manhattan-based lovers anticipating their evening reunion.
Though the guy in this story mourns his inability to reach his lady boo before the sun has left the sky, his imagining of “the sound of (her) breath at the door” and how it’s enough to keep his boiling frustrations at that damn NY traffic at bay makes this a swoon-worthy number deserving of at least a hundred rom-com openings to sweetly soundtrack.
Hear the cut below, followed by a reminder of Beirut’s past greatness in The Flying Club Cup highlight “Forks and Knives (La Fête)”.
Pick up the “East Harlem” 7″ here (the single will be available digitally on June 14th); check out dates for upcoming Beirut shows here; and mark your calendars for The Rip Tide‘s release on August 30th.
