Zach Condon isn't famous because of the eastern European sound that his musical 'project' Beirut has come to represent on the indie-rock scene. Rather, his success is the result of a superb song-writing ability and an evocative, soulful voice that avoids the whiny intonations of second-rate talents. But there's no denying that his unique blend of sounds and influences has helped him stand out amidst the cutthroat competition of the music business.
Beirut's much heralded debut album, Gulag Orkestar, is what happens when the Balkan musical staples of brass band and accordion get mixed up with ukuleles, string arrangements and the vigorous warble of Condon's surprisingly mature vocals. Recorded primarily in Condon's Santa Fe home, the album is essentially a solo effort, though it benefited greatly from the help of former Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes and violinist Heather Tost (who together form the Albequerque-based instrumental outfit A Hawk and a Hacksaw). It was also Barnes who introduced the album to Ben Goldberg, proprietor of New Jersey's Ba Da Bing! Records, precipitating its near-instant popular and critical success. Following Condon's move from Santa Fe to Brooklyn and Beirut's simultaneous bandying about by blogo-savvy New York hipsters, the band began its meteoric rise to indie fame, unhampered by a notoriously disastrous (though spectacularly attended) opening show at New York experimental music venue The Knitting Factory.
"It is kind of a mystery," said Beirut guitarist and mandolin player Jason Poranski of the band's rapid success. "It was right off the bat, from our first shows. There were enough people that had either heard Zach's songs online, or had bought the record as soon as it came out and those first shows had way more people attending than you'd ever have imagined."
The 21-year old Condon's brief but unusual biography hasn't hurt Beirut's mystique either. Having already made several unreleased self-recordings, including an entire album's worth of doo wop songs, Condon dropped out of high school at 16 (and subsequently from four different colleges), deciding instead to make a grand tour of Europe. It was during his extended stays in Paris and Amsterdam that he encountered the works of Romanian band Taraf de Ha'douks, Serbian trumpeter and band-leader Boban Markovi? and Kocani Orkestar's Naat Veliov (who has gained recent notoriety for yet another Borat lawsuit, in this case for the unauthorized use of his music). The influence of these Balkan and Romani musicians, along with the films of Palme d'Or winning Sarajevo-born film director Emir Kusturica (Underground, Black Cat, White Cat) was to forever change Condon's musical outlook.
"It wasn't something that I knew tons about…" said Poranski of Condon's European sound. "What I liked about it is that it sounds to me like Zach's songs with a little bit of influence, for sure."
After returning to New Mexico and recording Gulag Orkestar, Condon decided to bring his music to Brooklyn where his younger brother Ross was already living. It was though Ross that Condon came into contact with Poranski, a Brooklyn based painter and musician who he recruited, along with several others, in an effort to translate the album for live performance. Though originally a guitar player, Condon's artistic vision and idiosyncratic musical style forced Poranski to branch out.
"After I got on board it became clear that [Condon] was going to have me play guitar less and less," he said, "and instead had me picking up different instruments: mandolin, ukulele and keyboards at times."
It's not a change that he regrets, however.
"With this band it's been fun," he said, "because I get to move around a lot on stage and play different instruments."
Though surprised at the band's sudden popularity, Poranski has taken his newfound celebrity in stride.
"I didn't know what I was getting myself into," he said, "we had to adapt to that situation really quickly, and hopefully we did."
"I don't really feel too famous," he added. "I feel like I'm part of something that's taken off."
Beirut's latest album, The Flying Club Cup, available through iTunes though not yet released on CD, has already been embraced by fans. Featuring string arrangements by Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett, the album continues Condon's quest for ever more elaborate instrumental combinations and accumulations. While incorporating many of the same sounds as Gulag Orkestar, Flying Club Cup is a little less obvious in its influences, though it still achieves the attractive combination of majestic melodies, lush arrangements and a deliciously sloppy back-alley ambiance. Several of the album's tracks are also available on the internet in the form of gritty videos shot around various Brooklyn back rooms and stairwells.
Though Condon's creativity seems to have withstood the traditional sophomore album test, the true one is whether or not his unique sound will be durably popular and not just the flavour of the month. For their part, however, the band is committed to the long term.
"I think we're all on board," said Poranski. "It's really fun, the live shows are a lot of fun. We should all be on board for quite some time."
Beirut plays at La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent) from Sept. 28-30. Call (514) 284-0122 for tickets and showtimes.
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