March On

What I love about Beirut is that the music takes me someplace unfamiliar. From the instrumentation and nuanced vocal stylings of Zack Condon to the wistful worldliness that comes through in his lyrics, Beirut is simply good listening.

Although not as strong as the previous two releases, the EP combo of March of the Zapotec and Realpeople: Holland is consistent with Beirut's sound. There's a little dabbling of electronic stuff thrown in the mix but I still enjoy it overall. I'm throwing "The Concubine" out there cause it's my favorite of the set. My daughter's fond of "The Shrew".

Beirut: "The Concubine"

It's Curtains...Really?

"Whether you describe it as the dawning of a post-racial age or just the end of white America, we’re approaching a profound demographic tipping point. According to an August 2008 report by the U.S. Census Bureau, those groups currently categorized as racial minorities—blacks and Hispanics, East Asians and South Asians—will account for a majority of the U.S. population by the year 2042. Among Americans under the age of 18, this shift is projected to take place in 2023, which means that every child born in the United States from here on out will belong to the first post-white generation."

I'm a little late getting to this but it's an interesting observation. Read Hua Hsu's full essay in The Atlantic here.

Get It

Incredible mixtape from start to finish. I'm enjoying this more than J.Period's Lauryn Hill endeavor.

The blends are perfect, the music is still incredible to this day and relevant as ever. The Q-Tip commentary is great as well.

I've usually stayed away from the mixtape circuit for numerous reasons but I have to give it to Tip and J.Period for putting together a fantastic mix of unforgettable Hip-Hop.

Definitely on point here.

And it's free in case you ain't heard...

Don't sleep.