{"title":"Beirut","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout Beirut\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeirut began as the solo project of Zach Condon in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2006, initially as a bedroom recording project drawing on Balkan folk music. The debut album Gulag Orkestar (2006), released on Ba Da Bing, attracted critical attention for its unusual instrumental palette. Condon expanded to a touring band and continued releasing through Ba Da Bing, then 4AD and Pompeii Records. The band's lineup has shifted across albums with Condon as the constant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSound and style\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeirut's sound combines indie folk, baroque pop, Balkan folk, Mexican folk and mariachi (particularly on the EP Lon Gisland and album March of the Zapotec), Eastern European brass band traditions, and orchestral pop. Condon's vocal style is characterized by a baritone delivery influenced by chanson and continental European song traditions. Their work moves between fully arranged orchestral compositions and more intimate solo material.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDiscography highlights\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGulag Orkestar (2006, Ba Da Bing)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Flying Club Cup (2007, Ba Da Bing)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMarch of the Zapotec \/ Realpeople: Holland (2009, Ba Da Bing)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Rip Tide (2011, Pompeii)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo No No (2015, 4AD)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGallipoli (2019, 4AD)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHadsel (2023, Pompeii)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFor collectors\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBa Da Bing and 4AD pressings of the Beirut catalog have been issued in multiple variants. Gulag Orkestar has appeared in anniversary and limited editions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere to start\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eListeners new to Beirut typically start with The Flying Club Cup (2007) or The Rip Tide (2011). Gulag Orkestar (2006) is a common entry point for their early Balkan-influenced material. \u003cspan class=\"related-collections\"\u003eExplore more: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/folk-vinyl-records\"\u003eFolk \u0026amp; Indie Folk\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/2000s-vinyl-records\"\u003e2000s\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"beirut-gallipoli-cd","title":"Gallipoli CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eGallipoli, Beirut's fifth album, is more visceral than their recent albums, alive with an energy enhanced by every creak and groan of their instruments, every detuned note, and amp buzz and technical malfunction being left in the cracks of the songs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540723839159,"sku":"210000001933","price":10.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/3849220.jpg?v=1781154009"},{"product_id":"beirut-the-flying-club-cup-vinyl","title":"The Flying Club Cup LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Flying Club Cup is the second studio album by Balkan folk-influenced band Beirut, originally released on October 9, 2007.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540765978807,"sku":"210000025002","price":20.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/3690201-2411739.jpg?v=1781154189"},{"product_id":"beirut-gulag-orkestar-vinyl","title":"Gulag Orkestar LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe third studio album by the American indie folk band, Beirut, originally released on September 25, 2006.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540766044343,"sku":"210000025001","price":20.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/beirut-gulag-orkestar.jpg?v=1781154188"},{"product_id":"beirut-hadsel-icebreaker-vinyl","title":"Hadsel LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eA collection of songs beautifuly reflect that vulnerability, sense of self-determination and belief that after collapse, one can learn to manage on their own again.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540797272247,"sku":"210000084864","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/beirut.jpg?v=1781154302"},{"product_id":"beirut-the-rip-tide-vinyl","title":"The Rip Tide LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eBeirut The Rip Tide on LP + Download Card Zach Condon’s music often parallels the exotic mysteries of world travel. Since Beirut’s last album, 2007’s The Flying Club Cup, sang a love-letter to France (with a 2009 stop-off in Mexico for the March of the Zapotec EP), many asked where his songs would voyage next, but few predicted the inward journey Condon takes on The Rip Tide, an album with the most introspective and memorable songs of his young career. Recorded in Upstate New York, Brooklyn and, of course, Condon’s hometowns of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, The Rip Tide marks a distinct leaping-off point for Beirut. Beginning life as small melodies conceived on piano or ukulele, the songs were built upon by the entire band in the studio before Condon’s paring down and retrofitting. The results sound like they were recorded in a single session, with exciting rhythms matching the upbeat horns and contrasting the mournful strings. No direct geographical affiliation was exhumed; rather, the style that emerges belongs uniquely and distinctly to Beirut, one that has been hinted at all along. Lyrically, Condon’s deep honesty outstrips the simplified nomadic troubadour image of his past. The tracks speak of love, friendship, isolation and community, touching on universal human themes that are less fabricated stories than impressions of life at a quarter-century of age. This dramatic shift expands Beirut’s palate without weighing down the music. “Santa Fe,” a jumpy ode to the town of his youth, is the best pop song he has written yet. Of particular note is “Goshen,” a torch song that wraps itself in Condon’s delicate piano phrases at a level of intimacy never heard before on a Beirut song. The performances of the band, Perrin Cloutier on accordion, Paul Collins on bass, Ben Lanz on trombone, Nick Petree on drums and Kelly Pratt on horns, are spot-on. With contributions by such esteemed colleagues as violinist Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw) and Sharon Van Etten, The Rip Tide reveals greater levels the more the listener explores. And one need not even travel very far.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540797370551,"sku":"210000025000","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/41lhfbylvgl-sx425.jpg?v=1781154302"},{"product_id":"beirut-a-study-of-losses-vinyl-transparent-blue","title":"A Study of Losses 2LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a strange but quite lovely one. Beirut’s usual palette is here - wistful horns, trembly vocals, waltzing rhythms - but it's filtered through something colder and more ghostly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540925427895,"sku":"210000097130","price":30.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/4406357-3387368.jpg?v=1781154740"},{"product_id":"beirut-no-no-no-vinyl","title":"No No No LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eBeirut's \"No No No\" LP marks the band's first release of new material since 2011's \"Rip Tide,\" showcasing their spirited and vibrant sound. Recorded live in a cold New York studio amidst blizzards, this album is infused with raw emotion, reflecting lead singer Zach Condon's personal challenges and creative resurgence. Expect standout tracks like \"Gibraltar\" and the title track, offering a fresh glimpse into Beirut's evolving musical landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785863213239,"sku":"210000001937","price":26.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/2948235.jpg?v=1783046135"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.waxtraxrecords.com\/collections\/beirut.oembed","provider":"Wax Trax Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}