"East Harlem", Beirut
- Jun 6
- 1 min read
Updated: Jun 8
Original - 163 Words
"East Harlem" received positive reviews from most music critics. The song was chosen upon release as Pitchfork Media's "Best New Track". Marc Hogan stated that, "East Harlem looks poised to undergo a similar sort of ripening as it becomes more and more familiar. The lyrics are sparse and rooted in classic, instantly communicative tropes: "Another rose wilts in East Harlem," Condon croons, as he wastes no words in vividly describing an intra-Manhattan relationship that feels like it's separated by "a thousand miles" (have you tried getting from downtown to East Harlem lately?)." Hogan continues by saying, "the stately backing is what we've come to expect from Beirut, with swaying accordion, rich brass, lively piano, and trebly strums, all in all more like a 2010 Williamsburg performance. By the time Condon switches things up, repeating, "Oh, the sound will bring me home again," over wordless backing vocals, he might as well be describing the warm, cozy but still distinctive feeling "East Harlem" has achieved."[3]
New - 68 words (58% slimmer)
Upon its release, “East Harlem" received mostly positive reviews from critics; Pitchfork Magazine declared it the “Best New Track” of 20XX. Marc Hogan, the music editor at Pitchfork, praised the song’s lyrics for being “sparse and rooted in classic, instantly communicative tropes”. Of the musical arrangement, Hogan said it represented “the stately backing…we've come to expect from Beirut, with swaying accordion, rich brass, lively piano, and trebly strums”.
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