Review: Beirut
With the official first release of Gulag Orkestar last year, Beirut joined the growing pantheon of bands built up by a broad Internet fan base to dizzying heights. In this case, the buzz machine does not lie: New Mexico-based Beirut pulls together a sound that is highly stylized and all its own, even while reminding you of half a dozen other bands.
Released in 2006, Beirut’s first album Gulag Orkestar opens with wonderfully warped horns reminiscent of Ennio Morricone and a melancholy tension that is all Eastern European in origin. As the tinny piano enters, you start to suspect that this isn’t your average Balkan orchestra. But it’s the layered yet canned tension of the percussion that seals the deal as you enter the plaintive world of Beirut. Beirut layers live instruments on top of each other, creating a heavy, rich sound as thick as molasses and just a smooth.
Beirut follows closely in the footsteps of DeVotchKa, another indie act with Eastern European influences. In fact, Beirut’s similarities to DeVotchKa are striking, from the earnest, soaring vocals to the accordion and horns in the mix, but it lacks the virtuoso musicality that characterizes DeVotchKa’s sound, instead replacing it with densely packed layers of various instruments.
Despite the seemingly overwhelming similarities, it’s more about convergence than derivation in the case of DeVotchKa—Eastern European influences are emerging in innovative acts all over the US right now—look for it to be co-opted into mainstream hip hop in the next one to two years (some people may believe it’s Brazilian Tropicália’s turn to be exploited, but in my opinion, that’s already well under way, what with Will.i.am’s stylings stripping Mas Que Nada of its charm and hypnotic beats. So I’m going with the Balkan sound next).
Less upfront, but more influential on Beirut’s sound is The Magnetic Fields, the East Coast project headed by Stephin Merritt. Equal parts hook-laden melodies, ukulele and musical theatre, The Magnetic Fields’ sound is all over Beirut, in part through the dizzying array of instruments that appear on Gulag Orkestar. And any similarities you hear to A Hawk and a Handsaw are perfectly understandable—it turns out Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost not only also hail from New Mexico, but they both assisted on Gulag Orkestar.
Nearly a one man show, Beirut is the brainchild of 20-year-old Santa Fe native Zach Condon. Congdon has already attracted a lot of interest for his recent work. Yes yes, he is very precocious, has an adorable back story and even garners praise from Pitchfork—but the best part is that he has a new EP set to be released at the end of this month. Lon Gisland moves towards a more spare, less layered sound, one that is slightly more upbeat about its plaintive qualities. Already available for download on iTunes, Lon Gisland will hit stores January 30th.
