Where do I start? Beirut, the recent folky band influenced by eastern European folk and Gypsy music, is essentially one man - Zach Condon. Originally from Albuquerque, he now lives in Brooklyn and the 23-year-old is, simply put... amazing!
On his debut album he plays over 10 instruments himself! Basically he makes every sound on the album but the drums and cello! His music is quite sophisticated given his age. For most of us, it takes decades (or classes) to understand the complexity of music enough to approach it with dexterity. This kid recorded his first album when he was still 19!
Apparently, he got some help from former Neutral Milk Hotel
member Jeremy Barnes on his first album, but the ideas are
largely his. His songs sound like they're coming straight from a dingy, smoky pub down a dark, dirty street in Bratislava. But, they also sound like they're the newest songs by the indie-darlings of the month. Not to suggest that they're trite, they are not. Just that many bands seem to be aiming for this unique sound and he does it effortlessly. Of course, his level of effort is immeasurable considering he writes the music and the words and helps design the covers.
Long story short, Condon has a very bright future ahead of him and should be part of everyone's music collection! I started with the EP Lon Gisland, but all of his other records are great too: Gulag Orkestar, The Flying Club Cup, and March of the Zapotec. I highly recommend Beirut to anyone who appreciates good music and has the patience to wait for it!
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1 comment:
I was recently introduced to Beirut via the Dark Was the Night compilation. Good stuff, thanks for the background info - makes it way more interesting to listen to.
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