Albums
< Beirut
The Flying Club Cup
words by Dean Driscoll
There’s something of a Europhile Sufjan Stevens about the prodigious 21-year old New Mexican Zach Condon - in a similar fashion to Stevens immersing himself in the culture and history of different US states, Condon’s second album was inspired by time spent living in Paris, with each song intended to evoke a different French city. After writing and recording last year’s debut ‘Gulag Orkestar’ from the confines of his bedroom, here Condon has recorded with a full backing band for the first time. As before, Beirut blend musical styles from around the world, with Balkan and Romany folk influences particularly prevalent as middle-eastern string sections, accordions and Latin horns vie for attention throughout. ‘A Sunday Smile’ perhaps best captures this album’s appeal: starting off as a delicate electronic waltz, layers of instrumentation are built in before reaching an emphatic chorus that’s nigh on impossible to resist crooning along with. By combining the City of Love’s inspiration, 3/4 time signature and Condon’s own beautifully delivered baritone, Beirut has produced a contender for the most romantic album of the year. 9/10
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