1st impressions: Beirut - The Flying Club Cup

Beirut - The Flying Club Cup [out October 9th via Ba Da Bing! Records]

00 "A Call to Arms"
01 "Nantes" [KEY TRACK]
02 "A Sunday Smile"
03 "Guyamas Sonora"
04 "La Banlieu" [KEY TRACK]
05 "Cliquot"
06 "The Penalty"
07 "Forks and Knives (La Fête)"
08 "In the Mausoleum"
09 "Un Dernier Verre (Pour la Route)" [KEY TRACK]
10 "Cherbourg"
11 "St. Apollonia"
12 "The Flying Club Cup"
13  Untitled

Flashback to the hallways of 11th grade: If The Decemberists were in charge of the Spring musical and Sufjan was hanging around the band room with his oboe, Zach Condon was thousands of miles away, no doubt enjoying his semester abroad. When he inevitably returned, he was "that kid" at school—the one with a head full of espresso-fueled ideals and unpronounceable musical influences. It's this "American abroad" mentality that saturates Condon's newest Beirut offering (as it did on Gulag Orkestar). Inspired by the French belle époque—most notably the Parisian Worlds Fair in 1900 and early photography of the event—Condon recruited the efforts of a unified band (Beirut is no longer a solo affair) with spectacular results.

• A notable addition is the influence of Owen Pallett (of Final Fantasy ), maestro of the string arrangements on the record. During The Flying Club Cup's finest moments, it's the dialogue between Pallett's violins and Condon's horns that captivate the listener. ["Un Dernier Verre (Pour La Route)"]

• As on his previous efforts, it’s fascinating to hear Condon unite electronics with European melodies, combining the old and new influences of his music together. [See "Nantes"]

• With a voice as versatile as Condon's, it’s easy to both hit and miss amongst the dense melodies, especially during "Le Banlieu." It's a necessary risk to take when you're as ambitious as Beirut.

Comments

[sal]

love!

[ZiP]

this album is gonna be tight, no doubt about it.

[Joseph]

I cannot wait for this. Gulag Orkestar is a great album and this should be great as well.

Fucking right.

So excited.