March Of The Zapotec / Holland

Beirut could be The Fall with melodic horns. Swing a red rag at Zach Francis Condon and associates because collectively they will charge you down as they are immense. If you do not like this album there is nothing I can say to help you. For some this will be important and it should be. There are few bands of such note come along in anyone's life time and like the Zapotec there is mysticism and rejoicing. Sincere, soulful and sad.

Arrived as described & within the time-frame promised

Fantastic album and got for great price.

Condon remains a precocious talent on this split release. I expected each CD to be complete albums, but the split has not been approved for length reasons, rather style differences. Weighing it at no more than 40 minutes for the two releases strongly indicate that these are pills to be taken simultaneously, despite their differences.`March Of The Zapotec' continues the Mexican death-march stylings, plodding brass and all, and it refrains from such heavy harpsichord-embracing as heard on  The Flying Club Cup  and again weaves a little gypsy square-dance into the rich tapestry. So far, so Beirut. Whilst it would be hard to argue that `March ...' is as exciting as  Gulag Orkestar , it is still a very listenable collection.`Holland' showcases Condon's latent talent being a composed collection of bedroom electronica recorded under his early-teen moniker of Realpeople. The sound is as warm as elsewhere and his voice so welcome a spanning of the material that it ties the two halves together seamlessly, as does the slight legacy of harpsichord!I have read someone wittier than I describe `Holland' as the most foreign of Beirut's current repertoire, which is peculiar for an American called Beirut and equally influenced by Mexican brass, French harpsichord and Balkan dance. However, I do see his point, the electronica is complimentary without argument, completely unobtrusive, but it feels less special and that disappointment felt is foreign to Condon's work to date.

Some reviewers have suggested that the juxtaposition of the very "Beiriuty" Zapotec EP with the bedroom electronica of the Holland release doesn't work. I have to disagree: both are recognisably the work of the insanely talented Zach Condon and whilst I thought they might jar when played one after the other (which is presumably why we're given them as two separate CDs) they actually complement each other rather well. If you liked the previous Beirut releases then I see no reason why you wouldn't take this to your heart just the same.

For the record, "March of the Zapotec/Holland" is not an album. It's two EPs.For that matter, it's not really Beirut as you know it -- apparently Zach Condon has been going to Mexico and diddling around with some electronic instrumentation. Not many artists could smoosh together Eastern European rhythms with Latin instrumentation, and then top it off with a dash of the Postal Service. But fortunately Condon pulls it off.Apparently "March of the Zapotec" was influenced by a recent trip to Oaxaca, and as a result the gypsyish flavour of the music is tinged with some Latin colour. After the styles clash in the opening "Zocalo," Condon's band sways into the languid brassy "La Llorona," and the gloriously Spanish-flavoured "My Wife."After that, it's into the melancholy trumpets and dancy grandeur of "The Akara" ("So long to these kite strings/so long since I've been saved... tasting more, wasting more..."), and the twisting meandering "On A Bayonet," which sounds like an excuse to exercise the horns. And the first part finishes with "The Shrew," a more sprightly little tune that wouldn't sound out of place on a Decemberists album.But wait, there's more!On the other hand, "Holland" is done under Condon's pseudonym "Realpeople," and it's pretty obvious why -- he's going into Postal Service territory. "My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille" is a sparkling peppy little electronic number, but it manages to retain the warmth of Condon's other work. That electronic vein runs through the rest of the album -- darting trip-hop waves over soaring vocals, a couple gypsyish melodies tied up in thin threads of electronica. Only "No Dice" goes too far with the electronic thing, sacrificing melody for the funky techno explorations.After diddling around European-inspired pop for a couple albums, Beirut's sound is starting to branch out into unexplored territory.Given that it's almost completely made up of experimental stuff, "March of the Zapotec/Holland" is a pretty enjoyable little collection of songs, and Condon manages to pull it off with rare style, and hints at other directions where he may go in future musical journeys.He uses the usual array of Eastern European instrumentation here -- drums, mournful horns, rattling cans, accordion, some strings -- and the same sense of melancholy suffuses his songs. But the collaboration of the Jimenez Band gives it a spicier sound and a sprightlier pace, although his explorations of the electronic soundscape sometimes go over the top. They're at the best when they complement the acoustics (as in "My Night With the Prostitute..."), not replace them.Condon's voice is that of a young man looking out at the world after his second or third excursion into it -- experienced, yet able to appreciate its wonders. And his rich rolling voice are well suited to the lyrics ("And now outside/I see your eyes meet the sky/and I, I won't lie/I kept you here tonight... and I believed her then").Beirut's double EP dabbles around in Latin music and electronica, and for the most part, "March of the Zapotec/Holland" gets it very, very right.