Crazy Zany Radio Sunday - 'East Harlem' by Beirut

Every week our contributors will voice their opinion concerning one song, it’s a simple as that! The more the merrier, so people are always welcome to join in, just leave a note, eh.

Track: ‘East Harlem’ by Beirut (listen here)

Average grade: 6.3

Ilse: Upon seeing what this week's track was, I thought: 'Ah it's been a while!'. Last time I saw Beirut was in 2009 and that was also the year their last record came out, and as I've enjoyed Zach Condon's exotic, folksy indie pop for a long time, it's good to see he's getting back in the game. This new melancholic track is typical Beirut, it definitely sounds like something that could've been on 'Gulag Orkestar'. Nope, a bit of Beirut never fails to brighten up my day.
7.5/10

Anna: Pretty much the same ol' Beirut, really. The horns, the arrangements, the voice. It's a perfectly enjoyable piece of Balkan folk (albeit one made in the USA), but it does absolutely nothing to push their/his music to another level and the songwriting doesn't seem to have evolved even by a slight fraction. Meh (and I really mean that).

5/10

Linda: Hmm, I've only had a sneak peek at Harlem while I was in New York but my impression of it and this track just don't add up. But maybe I saw another bit of Harlem and is East Harlem as nice and mellow as Beirut's vocals. Nice and mellow, but a bit boring as well.
6.6/10

Craig: Zach Condon somehow manages to consistently charm even through his brooding rich-boy pose. This song shows an increased embrace of pop, but keeps the interesting instrumentation and eastern European//'world' influence. A nostalgic song about New York? I'm all for it.
8/10

Stef: You know, the thing is, I just cannot get excited about this. I can understand it being well made, well orchestrated, well put together, but in the end – and always the deciding factor as far as I’m concerned – it just doesn’t excite me.

4.5/10