Beirut, “postcards from italy,”
from: Gulag orkestra, 2006
“The times we had
Oh, when the wind would blow with rain and snow
Were not all bad
We put our feet just where they had, had to go
Never to go
The shattered soul
Following close but nearly twice as slow
In my good times
There were always golden rocks to throw
At those who, those who admit defeat too late
Those were our times, those were our times
And I will love to see that day
Her day is mine
When she will marry me outside, with the willow trees
And play the songs we made
They made me so
And I would love to see that day
Her day was mine”
In 2006, Zach Condon, barely 20 years old, released his first album, Gulag Orkestar, under the sobriquet “Beirut,” although most of it was recorded by him alone in his bedroom. His influences range widely across world music but come together in unexpected ways that seem foreign yet familiar. Condon often favors brass instruments in a way that other bands would find a place for the guitar or keyboard solo.
All in all, it’s an engaging blend that stands on its own . . . catchy and groove-filled, with danceable cadences, joyful and poignant, intricate yet simple.
-Walter Henritze-
Art from the Beirut band