Listing the Best Albums of 2009 from A to Z: Beirut

November 2nd, 2009    Posted in Best of 2009

Beirut
March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland

Unofficially released onto iTunes January 27th

This is by far, the most interesting release I’ve heard all year long; maybe ever.

Beirut founding member, Zach Condon, dropped out of high school at age sixteen and traveled to Europe a year later, where he discovered Balkan folk and World music. He created Beirut as a solo project at twenty-three, but it later evolved into an eleven-piece band. The EP peaked at #87 on the US charts.

Both of these discs have a completely different sound and feel. The first disc starts off with just about thirty seconds of music, setting the mood for the other five tracks. It’s full of horns, accordions and at times, marching band-like drums, which result in giving it the feeling of some type of carnival, circus or Spanish parade sounding music. As I was hearing these songs, I thought to myself that it sounded like pretty good music for a film soundtrack.

I was pretty surprised by what I would hear on the second disc (Holland release). These songs all around have an electro/dancey feel, with very minimal Spanish horns and accordions like on the other disc. Out of all of the ten songs though, there is one track that I felt represented both of these styles perfectly.

Have a listen to that song, “The Concubine”, below.

Another one of my favorites from the EP is “The Shrew.”

Other Artists I’d Recommend: Gogol Bordello, DeVotchKa