Beirut

My little sister, Natasha, introduced me to Beirut many years ago and ever since then they have been one of my favorite groups. Beirut is actually the sole project of 23 year old Zach Condon, who is honestly, by far, one of the most talented musicians of this day and age. From New Mexico, he draws inspiration from all the places he travels to and spends time in, incorporating the local ethnic music into his band’s sound. He has released two full length albums to date, ‘Gulag Orkestar’ and ‘The Flying Club Cup’. This year he released a double EP, ‘March of the Zapotec/Holland’.

Condon mentioned that ‘The Flying Club Cup’ got its name from a hot air balloon festival in Paris that used to take place in the early 1900s. He found a 1910 photo by Leon Gimpel, which was one of the first color photos ever produced, and at the World’s Fair, which showed all these ancient hot air balloons about to take off in the middle of Paris.

The sounds of Beirut, and more importantly, the feelings they arouse, are like no other Western band. Condon combines elements of Eastern European folk music, particularly Balkan, melancholic horns and sad voices. There are plenty of accordions, ukuleles and violins for an extremely old time feel of a land and age flung far in the past. But what really cements the beauty of these songs is Condon’s voice; ancient, powerful, emotionally filled and overflowing. ‘Nantes’ is one of my favorite songs of all time.

Be sure to the watch the videos below for ‘Elephant Gun’ and ‘Postcards From Italy’, both directed by Alma Har’el. They are pretty incredible, particularly ‘Elephant Gun’.

Beirut - Nantes

Beirut - Elephant Gun

Beirut - Postcards From Italy

Beirut - Mimizan

Elephant Gun

Postcards From Italy

http://www.vimeo.com/3621787