Credit Zach Condon for not acting his age. While many 21-year-olds are working on finishing up their undergraduate years, Condon is making albums. And not just any messily-recorded-in-the-garage (or GarageBand) albums, but fully developed and composed and realized albums. His first full-length, under the name Beirut, Gulag Orkestar, with its Eastern European-inspired horns and strings, a kind of Neutral Milk Hotel-meets-gypsy field recordings, was adored in the indie rock world, and its successor, The Flying Club Cup, is an even more mature accomplishment. Though not as immediately catchy as his debut, The Flying Club Cup contains a sense of intrigue that pulls the listener in beguilingly, twisting and swaying and marching its way through the romanticized ideas of the Balkan town, the rustic Southern French village, the small Italian trattoria. It's elaborate New World indie pop that tries to touch the Old as best it can. Flügelhorns and accordions and mandolins line the 13 songs here like old bricks, Condon's voice rising elegiacally over in layered swells, tired and wise, inspired by, but not limited to, the rich French musical past, from Tino Rossi to Jacques Brel. Because Beirut plays music that feels like it's been reflected off a long and storied life, there's the possibility for unearned pretension to appear, but there's a real sincerity, and a sense of life, that finds its way into the songs here. Condon and his collaborators (which include Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett, who even sings on the lovely "Cliquot") have not forgotten the kind of jocularity and community inherent in the folk traditions they pull from, so even as violins, organs, and harpsichords play dramatic and acute melodies and the vocals ascend to a feverish intensity, that feeling of being in the back of some tavern, passing around dishes and glasses and singing aloud with your compatriots, is present, and keeps things grounded, more real. "In the Mausoleum" balances syncopated piano with minor melodies and an ominous upright bass, while both "Guyamas Sonora" and the title track use dramatic horns to convey a kind of triumph in the prosperity of the tradition. It's thoughtful and fun and sophisticated, utterly alluring, another fantastic success by Zach Condon.
Mogstars: 9 out of 10Beirut’s second full-length album sees Zach Condon heading from the Balkan countryside that _Gulag Orkestar_ paid homage to into the carefree café culture of France. Harking back to the exuberant start of the twentieth century, Condon latches on to the optimism of bonneted beaus and fearless flyers of yesteryear, whilst consistently emulating the France that the impressioni
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Beirut has set a modest US tour up for the Fall, a coast to coast affair. Their limited engagements are in support of the upcoming sophomore album, ??The Flying Club Cup??, which is schedualed for release on October 9th via Ba Da Bing.Beirut is headed by 21-year-old Santa Fe native Zach Condon's band. The group has been described as a mix of Eastern European and folk sounds. Thu. Sept. 20 Broo...
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After Zach Condon cancelled Beirut's European tour dates to take time off nobody was sure how long it would last, but now they are coming back, Beirut have announced their tour dates for 2009. The dates were posted on Saturday on Beirut's official forum . Most of the tour dates in the beginning are mostly in New York, then it moves out of the US with dates aborad in Mexico, Brazil, The Nether...
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I don't know how those blokes of La Blogothèque do it. It's always an amazement to see renowned artists "busking" in the streets of Paris.~#64.1 - Beirut - Nantesenvoyé par lablogotheque(I'm turning off MOG now)Happy new week everyone.
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Beirut, the pet project of 22 year old Zach Condon, has taken over my life. Again. For the third time. It's got to be the dusty Balkan gypsy horns and the lilting, percussive strumming of the mandolin. It transports me to another age; sometimes it's a sleepy smoky village in the south of France, other times it's a brasserie in Brooklyn. It's transcendence at its least and transformance at it...
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Mogstars: 9 out of 10Beirut’s second full-length album sees Zach Condon heading from the Balkan countryside that _Gulag Orkestar_ paid homage to into the carefree café culture of France. Harking back to the exuberant start of the twentieth century, Condon latches on to the optimism of bonneted beaus and fearless flyers of yesteryear, whilst consistently emulating the France that the impressioni
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Here is the latest three minutes of beautiful noise from Beirut...it took me awhile to get into this band, but I am glad I did...some really gorgeous sounds
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So, So good.Take Away Shows from La Blogotheque:http://www.blogotheque.net/article.php3?id_article=3455here's "nantes":and "the penalty"
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I found a kindred spirit today. And it's not often you find one of those. Especially one whose music tastes are just as odd and strange as yours. It's great to finally meet someone whose values and attitudes on life and iTunes library are almost identical to your own. It helps that we're at such similar places at our lives at the moment, and it's nice to finally air out some strange and weird a...
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lately i have been absolutely enamored with Beirut. they just make you feel like dancing...or learning to play a new instrument. either way, zach condon's voice never ceases to blow me away. instead of trying to come up with deeply profound lyrics, he uses his voice as just another instrument for making beautiful sounds. reminiscent of sigur ros perhaps. you can't help feeling immense joy after...
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The carnival imagery is too easy, the calliope-colored nostalgia too obvious. Nonetheless: there’s a fairground, a Ferris wheel in the underwater accordion-oom-pah, and there are eager fingers, interlacing for the first time. God, the first time. The nerve it takes to take a hand. From here there will be things to build and to burn, to write down and to write off; you will one day not forgive m.
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From my blog of limited edition records, bonus materials, imports, autographs, and all things pretty: SixtyWatt If you are like me, you have started to make a daily (or bi-daily...that would be every 2 days right?) trip to Newbury Comics' website...cause every other day they add something AMAZING! The latest in a long list of fantastic signed discs is Beirut's The Flying Club Cup. Gulag Orkesta...
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it's actually quite surprising i haven't posted anything by beirut until now. after playing out gulag orkestar i thought i may as well jump on the wagon and really give this album a good listen. this is my favorite track.beautiful.
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I've been MIA for some time now due to the vile fall illness that strikes my family each year. I'll spare you all the gory details except that anytime I get a cold I lose my voice and sound like Brenda Vacarro for a week or two. Lovely. And, Dale, if you're reading this; your CD and baked goods will arrive soon! Any way, on to music...Every once in a while I find an album that just feels right ...
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I discovered this wonderful band through my bf last year. He took me to see Beirut. I never thought he had such knowledge. Ha! Was I wrong. But you need to check them out:
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Zach Condon has annonuced the release of two EPs. One will feature six new songs by Beirut, that were recorded while Zach was in Mexico. The second EP will feature songs by Zach's solo project Realpeople. The release by Beirut will be titled "March of the Zapotec", the release by the Realpeople will be titled "Holland". You may have heard songs from Realpeople one called 'My Night With the Pros...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 A Call to Arms |
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| 2 Nantes |
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| 3 A Sunday Smile |
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| 4 Guyamas Sonora |
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| 5 La Banlieue |
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| 6 Cliquot |
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| 7 The Penalty |
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| 8 Forks and Knives (La Fęte) |
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| 9 In the Mausoleum |
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| 10 Un Dernier Verre (Pour La Route) |
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| 11 Cherbourg |
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| 12 St. Apollonia |
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| 13 The Flying Club Cup |
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Click to purchase…
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 "The Flying Club Cup")
