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This guy, (Zach Condon and now an assortment of others,) is still relatively under the radar, as far as the masses are concerned, but the indie world has more than taken notice. His Debut LP, Gulag Orkestar, blew away the few who initially wrapped their ears around it's ethnic yet humble folk flavor. However, it seemed to catch on with the hipsters as the year progressed, and it ended up on quite a few "Best Of" lists, my own included. Now, after a handful of impressive EP's and singles scattered in, the highly anticipated sophomore album, The Flying Cup Club, goes under the microscope.
Gleefully, I can attest that it bookends almost perfectly with Orkestar, almost to a fault. His Neutral Milk Hotel meets The Decemberists hallmark is so charismatic and heartwarming, it should serve as a magnet for all contemporary folk-rock aficionados. My biggest complaint is that individual tracks fail to stand-out. There never seems to be tracks I instinctively turn to. However, that being said, I never skip any of the cuts, and have no problem listening to the album on repeat for hours. The bottom line is I recommend this album for all indie-rock fans and anyone who loves their music peppered with multitudes of diverse instrumentation and abstract instruments. Any yuppie looking for a singles heavy, flavor of the month "It" band should stray elsewhere. Beirut is the real deal.
Gleefully, I can attest that it bookends almost perfectly with Orkestar, almost to a fault. His Neutral Milk Hotel meets The Decemberists hallmark is so charismatic and heartwarming, it should serve as a magnet for all contemporary folk-rock aficionados. My biggest complaint is that individual tracks fail to stand-out. There never seems to be tracks I instinctively turn to. However, that being said, I never skip any of the cuts, and have no problem listening to the album on repeat for hours. The bottom line is I recommend this album for all indie-rock fans and anyone who loves their music peppered with multitudes of diverse instrumentation and abstract instruments. Any yuppie looking for a singles heavy, flavor of the month "It" band should stray elsewhere. Beirut is the real deal.
1 comment:
Personally - I do have a few stand-out tracks. Track #2 & 6 (sorry - don't have the listing in front of me) are great. I swear it sounds like Sufjan Stevens on the first part of the last track. For a while I loved this album, but felt it inferior to the first, but I think I've grown to look at them fairly equal. You just can't beat the awesomeness that was the first album as it came out of nowhere and with no attached baggage of expectations.
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