Rating: N

There seems to be something unsettlingly artifical about the whole Beirut project, as if idea man Zach Condon is playing some strange cultural appropriation game for which he’s the only one privy to the rules.

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Having grown bored with trying on Eastern European rhythms and textures, Condon has taken a trip to Oaxaca, where an encounter with funeral orchestra Band Jimenez from nearby Teotitlan del Valle served up some spicy Mexican-style flava for the March Of The Zapotec portion. It’s actually just part of this two-disc set that comes packaged with the significantly less exotic Holland EP by his pre-Beirut bedroom electronic project Realpeople.

As long as there are those willing to buy his superficial musical postcards, we should expect more trips to remote parts of the world where Condon can sample indigenous sonic creations and strum some ukulele over top. I blame David Byrne.

Top track: El Zocalo