Indie folk LP chases smiles with frowns

Beirut’s “The Rip Tide” sounds much more docile than the title would lead one to believe.
It embodies a lazy current of indie pop rock that ebbs and flows in the listeners’ ears throughout this release.

Zach Condon’s gloomy vocals roll like cigarette smoke into a vapid autumn sky, while a shy accordion dilutes under rapid percussion.

The first cut, “A Candle’s Fire,” is meshed together with a “happy to be frumpy” trumpet and that signature accordion. This glows as one of the more memorable songs on the album, along with the title track and the harmonically pleasant “The Peacock.”

“The Rip Tide” certainly takes the slowest and saddest route out of the track list. It’s the overt melancholy that makes it pretty.

Beirut’s tones insinuate sweater-and-scarf-wearing tendencies. Maybe the tunes are a tad morose, but they make the listener feel comfortable with this notion.