I woke up this morning to sound of Beirut's, "Sunday Smile." What a beautiful song... Here's some info on Zach (Beirut)... I urge you not to miss out on this incredible album... Probably the best artist to surface in about 5 years and my current mantra/obsession, as all of his songs stick in your head... Friday May 22nd
I had to come back to this post today... I feel like I didn't give you guys a complete answer as to why why i can't get his music out of my head... Zach Condon writes music that grabs your soul... He has a way of writing his music and lyrics that puts him in his own category of pure joyful music of everything we think but don't say... He reminds me of a new age Elliot Smith (Rest in Peace, One of the greatest songwriters ever)....And with that being said, Thank you Zach! Let's make some music together...
Zach Condon was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on February 13, 1986.[3] He was brought up in Virginia before moving back to New Mexico. Condon attended Santa Fe High School, where he was a student until he dropped out at the age of 16. He later enrolled in community college, which he attended for a short period before traveling to Europe for four months with his brother Ryan at the age of 17.[4] He stayed most of this time in Paris where he became aware of Balkan folk music, popular with Parisian students. This discovery and Condon's subsequent exploration of world music proved to be instrumental in the development of Beirut's sound.[1]
On his return from Europe, Condon enrolled at the University of New Mexico, where he studied Portuguese and Photography.[5] Condon recorded the bulk of the material used for Gulag Orkestar by himself in his bedroom, going into the studio to finish the album with the assistance of Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel, A Hawk and a Hacksaw) and Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw), who became early members of the band Beirut.
On the strength of the recordings, Condon was signed under the name of Beirut to Ba Da Bing! records, and Gulag Orkestar was given a May 2006 release. Condon recruited some friends to play the music live and Beirut was born.
Beirut's first official music video was for the song "Elephant Gun". The video was directed by Alma Har'el. The second video, which was for the song "Postcards from Italy", was also directed by Alma Har'el, and was released later. Lauren Tafuri was the costume designer for both of these videos.
Beirut's second album, The Flying Club Cup, was recorded largely at a makeshift studio in Albuquerque and completed at Arcade Fire's studio in Quebec. The music on the album has a French influence due to Condon's interest in French chanson during its recording.[6] Condon has cited French and Belgian singers Jacques Brel (Belgian), Serge Gainsbourg and Yves Montand (Italian/French) as influences.[7] He also expressed interest in French film and culture, claiming this was his original reason for travelling to Europe.[8] The Flying Club Cup was leaked onto the Internet in August 2007 before being officially released in October 2007. In September 2007 they did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon.
On April 3, 2008, Beirut canceled a previously announced summer European tour.[9] Condon explained the cancellations in a post on the official Beirut website, stating that he wanted to put the effort into ensuring that any shows would be "as good as humanly possible".[10] Soon after, The Stranger reported that Condon was working on a third album tentatively scheduled for a fall release.[11] This album materialized as the double EP March of the Zapotec/Holland EP, containing an official Beirut release based on Condon's recent trip to Oaxaca (March of the Zapotec), and electronic music under the "Realpeople" name (Holland), to be released February 16, 2009.[12] However, the album became available for purchase on iTunes on January 27, almost a month before the projected release date, and was leaked onto the internet on 23 January.
In December 2008, Capitu, a TV Globo miniseries based on Machado de Assis' Dom Casmurro used "Elephant Gun" as its theme, making the band popular in Brazil.[13]
On February 6, 2009 Beirut made their debut television performance in the United States on the Late Show with David Letterman, performing "A Sunday Smile".
Tracklisting:- "A Call to Arms" - 0:18
- "Nantes" - 3:50
- "A Sunday Smile" - 3:36
- "Guyamas Sonora" - 3:31
- "La Banlieue" - 1:58
- "Cliquot" (Zach Condon, Owen Pallett) - 3:52
- "The Penalty" - 2:22
- "Forks and Knives (La Fête)" - 3:34
- "In the Mausoleum" - 3:11
- "Un Dernier Verre (Pour la Route)" (Zach Condon, Kendrick Strauch) - 2:51
- "Cherbourg" - 3:33
- "St. Apollonia" - 2:59
- "The Flying Club Cup" - 3:05
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