About

A TAV Curator's Pick.

"Beirut main man Zach Condon recorded his debut album (Gulag Orkestar) when aged 18, after dropping out of college in Santa Fé, New Mexico and running away to live in Paris, France.

Creating a unique international pop sound, that started to spread like wildfire on the independent scene, two more critically acclaimed albums followed - The Flying Club Cup and The Rip Tide - cementing Beirut’s reputation as a musical trailblazer, selling a million records along the way.

Whilst still a teenager, Zach led his Beirut band around the world, selling out multiple nights at legendary venues such as the Hammersmith Apollo and the Sydney Opera House, becoming a must-see band on the festival circuit with memorable performances at Glastonbury, Primavera and Coachella.

Now in his 20’s, Zach has come home to the 4AD label where he launched his career to release a fourth Beirut album titled No No No.  Recorded over a two-week period in New York amidst one of the city’s coldest and snowiest winters, it’s Condon’s most vibrant and spirited record to date.  Unlike previous outings, the band set-up is significantly pared down with guitar, piano, bass and drums forming the bulk of arrangements." - 4AD.com

"If you’ve been following Zach Condon in the decade or so since he first began crafting baroque world-pop gems in a bedroom somewhere in Santa Fe, you may have come to expect a few things from an album carrying the Beirut moniker. Song titles that namecheck far-reaching locations, relatively brief (sub forty-minute) runtimes, complex arrangements built from exotic instrumentation and a heavy dose of horns and strings; all were hallmarks of three very good and sometimes great albums, from 2006’s Gulag Orkestar to 2007’s The Flying Club Cup to 2011’s The Rip Tide.

With the exception of a slightly pared-back sound that emphasizes drums, bass, and piano over pump organ and ukulele, No No No fits that mold to a tee. Clocking in at just over twenty-nine minutes and containing songs named for “Perth”, “Fener”, and “Gibraltar”, No No No is, on paper at least, the latest in a growing line of very good Beirut albums. In practice, it is that and more: nine sketches of heartbreak and hope played with a newfound ease, a short collection that yields greater returns with each listen." - The Line of Best Fit

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