Beirut: March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland

This double EP places the recognizable, warm brass and ukulele strumming of Santa Fe, New Mexico native Zach Condor’s band, Beirut parallel to Condor’s electronic side-project, Realpeople. Inspired by and written in Oaxaca, Mexico, March of the Zapotec feels distinctly robust and pure, the stately vibrato of the brass and effortlessly elegant, harmonic simplicity of the accordion mirrors the laidback feel of their previous, French-inspired album, The Flying Club Cup. The Mexican influence lies in the more complex rhythms and brass-centric melodic content, resulting in a sound far less poppy than any other Beirut release to date. Although the tuba and sometimes-abrasive rhythmic patterns (they are marches, after all), the warmer months to come will prove to be prime for listening to this EP – a truly vibrant melodic gem with just enough of Zach Condor’s rich, Serge Gainsbourg-inspired vocals to match the instrumental interest. “La Llorona” is the standout track, showing structural and motivic progression in an understated and truly beautiful way.

Realpeople: Holland was the half of this EP that attracted my attention in the first place, and it pains me to say that it’s the portion of the album that falls flat. Blending in with other minimal, warmly textured electro-pop like James Figurine, or even, dare I say it, Postal Service, Holland is as cute as can be without being remotely fresh or interesting. Songs like “My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille” contain catchy vocal phrases, which are repeated melodramatically within the context of sparse, synthesized arpeggios and taxingly simple beats. There’s nothing blaringly awful about Holland, but it lacks the dimensionality that Condor has dedicated his musicianship to, and resting on the beauty of his voice alone doesn’t quite cut it.

The two parts of this EP work together quite magically, showing the transformative abilities of Realpeople and Beirut enmeshed in each other’s influence. None of the tracks by themselves seem to stack up to past hits like “Postcards from Italy,” but the double EP as a whole is strong, intelligent, and innovative.