Sunday Smiling: Beirut on Letterman (YouTube video)

It was nice to see Beirut on the Letterman show the other night. A bit curious, though, that they didn't play anything from the forthcoming March of the Zapotec/Real People: Holland "double ep", due 02/17/09. Perhaps the available musicians aren't up to speed with the new tunes (shades of that canceled Euro-tour).

But as much as certain critics like to paste Beirut as "pseudo" world-folk, Beirut can be credited with making a kind of world music that the indie scene can get behind. It says less about the band and a bit more about the bandwagon that the music has to be couched in a certain chaotic gypsy clothing. But in the end the music speaks for itself: refreshing sounds well-played.



It's fun to watch naysayers gripe about Zach Condon. While they were complaining about the in-authenticity of Gulag Orkestar, he'd already moved into French song influences in The Flying Club Cup and now some Oaxacan sounds on the new ep. Hopefully it will be some time before the whingers catch up.