March of the Zapotec / Holland

One of the most interesting folk collections in Beirut’s discography

The project Beirut initially was one of 22 year old Zach Condon’s many as since adolescence he has been recording albums under various monikers. Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a grand son of a jazz guitarist Eddie Condon, Zach went to travel around Europe with his brother at the age of 17 and discovered Balkan folk music in Paris, which was the beginning of his music taste and later repertoire formation. In 2006 Beirut debut album Gulag Orkestar was released, with the basic part of the material recorded in Condon’s bedroom and the rest in studio with musicians Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost. Later some other friends joined them and Beirut became a full line-up collective. Last year, soon after the successful sophomore effort The Flying Club Cup release the band started working on new material, canceling the spring European tour. Yet what Zach and his friends have presented to the wide audience’s judgment this year is not a full length record but a double EP March Of The Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland, one of the most interesting and unusual folk collections in Beirut’s discography.

No primitive tunes on March Of The Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland

As on Beirut’s previous works you will find no primitive tune or simple lyrics on March Of The Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland as an impressive team of people has been involved in making each of these tracks. Thus, the first part of the record represents the recordings made during Condon’s trip to the Mexican state of Oaxaca where he recorded with a funeral 19-piece band The Jimenez Band. March Of The Zapotec opens with a short introduction El Zocalo which sounds a bit like a Mexican orchestra getting ready for a concert, while composition La Llorona surprises with a beautiful tune lead by soulful tubes. A varied and inconsistent as a woman, song My Wife is full of most vivid emotions, whereas The Akara proves to be the saddest track in the collection. Zach’s favorite song The Shrew has become a real refinement of the record as here Condon finally demonstrates his unique vocals and an original sounding makes the piece even deeper. Then the second part begins and includes the pieces Zach wrote a long time ago also recorded in his bedroom under the moniker Realpeople, only in their electronic versions. The first song here is My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille, almost danceable, built on the contrast between the beat and singing. A phsychodelic track Venice is remarkable for the complicated and varied effects and the record closer is another danceable composition without any lyrics No Dice.

An integral and harmonious work

Each time a unique personality such as Zach Condon decides to go in for music the material turns out to be no less unique than its creator. Boasting no special brightness at school from which he drop out and then at the university, this nugget who is by the way a grandson of jazz guitarist Eddie Condon, has his own views on music different from everything you are used to. He always manages to combine the things that at first seem impossible to combine in his works and they result in stylish and rather harmonious compositions. An example of such kind of harmony is March Of The Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland. Although the record consists of two completely different parts it is easily conceived as an integral work. Most probably Zach will remember his trip to Mexico for a long time and working with the orchestra has proved an interesting and useful experience. As for the album’s second part the new versions of his favorite songs are no less successful. No doubt the man behind Beirut will never have problems with how to make a new album and each of his creations will be the same original as March Of The Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland.