While you may better know Beirut as the capital of Lebanon or as the original name for beer pong, Beirut also shares its likeness with a band of multi-talented artists rapidly rising on the indie music scene. 21 year old leader of Beirut, Zach Condon returns from his days of playing on the streets of Paris to give listeners the band’s sophomore album. The sound, a cacophony of Balkan-inspired tunes, ruffles speakers with highly crafted precision. From early on in the album you can easily recognize the loves of Condon and his well-do-to orkestra of followers: romanticized and yellowed photos, the delicate nature of the French, and an airy ease of melodic traveling music give way to The Flying Cup Club.

The album begins with a forewarning of brass–an 18 second long intro before the listener is entrenched in Condon’s trudging and nostalgic voice. If this is your first time hearing Beirut, you’re in for a treat as the vocals provided by Condon on the album are nearly as entertaining as the songs themselves. Sweet and innocent, with a good-natured grace, the vocals described in “Nantes” help Beirut trap the listener into a labyrinth of seductive sound, “well it’s been a long time, long time now since I’ve seen you smile”.

That maze Condon helps create becomes only more numbing and moving as the album works its way forward. “A Sunday Smile” evokes images of festivals full of patrons with a warm sun gleaming on those beneath. Harboring on religious tones, “We burnt to the ground left a grave to admire– And as we reach for the sky, reach the church of white”, the song is nearly as beautiful as it is universally encompassing. After a few listens, that’s the important thing you seem to gain from Beirut’s music: the universal nature of it all. How multiple instruments, arranged just the right way, can affect listeners in a positive way, leaving them cheerful and sleepy at the same time.

This optimism Condon pushes on the listener can easily be made into a metaphor for a rite of passage. Just as this is Beirut’s sophomore album, which many call make-or-break albums, Beirut show their perseverance for their placement in music as an international journey, full of flavor and sound. The tracks “The Penalty” and “Cherbourg” help to better enhance that type of epic decision-making we’ve all had in life. While the lyrics may be simplistic, “let them think what they may, for they’ve good reason–left for the lights always in season”, the way Condon sings them makes them sound so much more influential. This ability to emphasize the importance of the band’s message is truly one of the things that make Beirut great.

Musically, the Beirut sound is just as cluttered with instruments as before, but this time with less trumpet and more intuitively placed violins and accordions. This type of musical effect is mimicked in the vocals, most notably in the album’s title track where that feeling of good will toward man is also in accord. While seemingly complex, the album as a whole can also be interpreted as rather organic–with violins and cellos wrapping around each other like vines, while the lull of brass puts them to sleep in the dusk of a Parisian city. These new Beirut qualities are thanks to Owen Pallett, of the band Final Fantasy who did the string arrangements for the album.

Tracks such as “Un Dernier Verre (Pour La Route)” and “In the Mausoleum” will interest those that are fans of Sufjan Stevens as Beirut work to improve their piano skills and finely walk between festival and orchestral music. “In the Mausoleum” begins with a dark, Charlie Brown-esque selection of notes that grow into a grand song representing the turn of the 20th century.

Ultimately, the entire album is a journey. By agreeing to listen to The Flying Cup Club you are indirectly purchasing a plane ticket to Paris in the early 1900s. Your experience will be met with indecision, questionable loves, and great fun, but you will no doubt be wiser when you return home. If you wish to stay closer to home then just dim the lights, break out that hookah gathering dust in the corner and smoke yourself away to a mythical world of discovery. Just remember to thank Zach Condon for the trip.

-Remington Grant 10/16/07

Coming soon will be full reviews of three new albums, Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Band of Horses’ Cease to Begin, and Beirut’s latest, The Flying Cup Club.

Cheers Bosses,

Remington