| In the latter half of the 17th century, the religious oppression of the French Huguenots led to a mass exodus. This resulted in many of the refugees settling in Germany. This melding of Franco-Germanic society has had an enduring impact on art, music and culture as a whole.
Zach Condon is an artist of fearless romanticism. At the age of 16 he left High School to travel Europe and found himself inspired by the traditional folk music of the Balkans. Operating under the moniker Beirut, he teamed with former Neutral Milk Hotel percussionist Jeremy Barnes to release the album Gulag Orkestar in 2006. He would also release the Lon Gisland EP a few months after. Both were rich with profoundly well crafted songs and easily some of the strongest of the last decade.
On his new album, The Flying Club Cup, Condon eschews some of the eastern European influence of his previous material. The time around it seems as though his roots are watered by the (primarily) French and (somewhat) German cultures mentioned earlier. Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy was enlisted to assist in the string arrangements; each lending to the inherent melodrama common to this palette. Recording took place in the converted church owned by the Arcade Fire with whom Beirut seem to be kindred spirits. Both are hard to categorize and both are more a collective than a band.
Surprisingly, the tracks grow stronger as you progress through the album. Each robust and dynamic with the same beautiful melancholy found in classic French cinema. There are transitional instrumental tracks from the onset ("A Call to Arms") and positioned carefully and cleverly ("La Banlieue") for a seamless listening experience.
To pick out a few of the stronger tracks would be an injustice. "Nantes" is romantic and builds from keys to strings to brass. "Cliquot" is a parade of longing built upon a rolling snare. "The Penalty" finds the familiar ukulele from Gulag returning.
Honestly, it would not be overstating the stunning level of brilliance saturating this work by highlighting each track. Operating in such a peculiar and antiquated genre would seem to work against a modern artist. After a while it might come across as redundant. Clearly, this is not the case. The Flying Club Cup surpasses expectation and may well have an enduring impact on you as a whole. Reviewed
by: Ghostly
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