Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Beirut, Realpeople, Zach Condon, the joys of losing weight, The Real People
Zach Condon of Beirut and The Real People
PREVIEW: STREAM The Joys of Losing Weight by Realpeople
When you were fifteen, you probably did as all teens do: snuck out past midnight, listened to angsty teen hits and complained about the gross school lunch. Well, when Zach Condon was fifteen he recorded an entire album by himself, titling it The Joys of Losing Weight. Makes you feel sub par doesn’t it?
Working under title Realpeople, Condon, who would later become the moving force behind Beirut, recorded the 21-track album in his bedroom. Since the album has never officially been released, there is no album art available and none of the tracks are titled. The album was completely unavailable to the public, until it leaked online.
Predating Condon’s evolution to the Balkan style arrangements, The Joys of Losing Weight is the original palette from which Beirut would eventually evolve. It is full of electronic sounds layered with Condon’s vodka-drenched voice (yes it sounded like that even when he was fifteen, apparently) and the classic trumpet that this young prodigy has immaculately perfected.
What is most astonishing about this album is not only the fact that Condon could produce such an incredible piece of work at such a young age, but the fact that The Joys of Losing Weight actually rivals most contemporary releases in the maturity of the sound and overall production.
– Irina Dvalidze, Multimedia Editor
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: andrew bird, Animal Collective, Bat for Lashes, Beirut, breakfast at sullimay's, Common, Dan Deacon, Dirty Projectors, Eminem, Grizzly Bear, Matt + Kim, Wilco, Yo La Tengo
My grandmother hasn’t acknowledged the existence of an album since Frank Sinatra’s Nice ‘n’ Easy. Thus, the idea of her listening to the latest from Beirut, Common or Yo La Tengo isn’t just comical — it’s downright ridiculous. It’s also the concept behind Breakfast at Sulimay’s, a video blog/online television series that you (and your grandma) are gonna want to check out, if you haven’t already.
From the corner of what appears to be a B-grade suburban diner, three lovable senior citizens don headphones, jam to the latest from the likes of Andrew Bird, Matt & Kim and Bat for Lashes, and deliver their ruling on the tracks.
My grandmother would surely grimace and pronounce that Dan Deacon’s “Snookered” was in headache-inducing poor taste.
Joe, Ann and Bill are totally down, though — they love Dan Deacon! They love Eminem! And of the latest from Grizzly Bear, they say:
“Is this… English?”
Priceless! Youth is wasted on the young.
– Caitlin Dewey
Filed under: Editor Picks, Emerging Artists | Tags: Beirut, Kill Rock Stars, MGMT, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
I’m always skeptical when I think I’ve found an emerging artist, because someone usually responds in capital letters, “YOU LOSER, THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOREVER.” Well these guys are new to me, so deal with it.
I present to you, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down. They just released their new tour dates on their MySpace. It was sent to me in a press release from Kill Rock Stars Records.
Listen to their tracks, and tell me they’re not fun to listen to. It’s all in the vocals for me. I’m trying to think of who they remind me of. Their instrumental ensemble is brass like Beirut, but the vocals sound like the guys from MGMT, roughly. Try it out.
–Jett Wells, Co-Reviews Editor
Filed under: Free 4 All | Tags: Beirut, Dan Deacon, Daniel Johnston, Lady GaGa, Max Tundra, Vivian Girls
A website that gives away free music that’s legal and portable? No way! Don’t get too excited, but this new site, Free Music Archive, gives away free live tracks from selected new artists, like Vivian Girls and Max Tundra. The whole site is funded by the the New York State Music Fund, according to the SPIN article.
The music is provided by three major independent radio stations based in Seattle, Portland and Jersey City, and the basic idea is to create a blog version of these radio stations, except no commercials, you pick the song and you get to keep it.
Don’t be scared off by the word “live,” because these tracks have quality sound, and it’s hard to tell if the recording is live at all.
There’s one catch though; you’re not going to find big mainstream acts on this site. There’s not going to be any Lady Gaga or Beirut, but you can get some quality tracks from Daniel Johnston and Dan Deacon. Not a bad consolation prize.
The number of available songs will certainly grow, and there’s plenty of artists on the site you’ve never even heard of. One mini-flaw in the format is that there’s no super-advanced sorting system. You basically just pick a song, listen and decide if you like it. I love the idea because it forces you to discover new groups while getting to keep the music in return. I’m sure this site is going to start a wave of other non-profit projects like this later. It’ll get interesting when more radio stations get involved.
–Jett Wells, Co-Reviews Editor
Filed under: Scene Around Town | Tags: A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Balkan, Balkan Beat Box, Beirut, DeVotchKa, DJ Joro Boro, etnoteck, Redhouse, Syracuse
I began paying more attention to a genre, which thanks to Zach Condon has received quite a bit of recognition over the years since he formed the band Beirut.
The genre is known as Balkan music, which derived its name from the Balkan countries located in the Southeastern region of Europe. It is labeled as a subgenre of world music or more contemporarily as “gypsy folk”; over time however, the genre has branched out from its traditional roots, infusing itself with modern day techno, indie-pop and even reggaeton, creating a new genre of its own called “Neo-Balkan music.”
Beirut incorporates many elements of brass into their music (refer to the first album Gulag Orkestar). Other artists whose works clearly emerged from Balkan music are A Hawk and A Hacksaw and DeVotchKa.
If you want to get a feel of Balkan music, visit the Redhouse Arts Center in downtown Syracuse for the “XAYC: Shotgun Block Party.” This free event is being held on May 2nd at the Redhouse consists of an exhibit and installation created by Bulgarian visiting artist Daniela Kostova as well as a dance party with DJ Joro Boro.
Boro mixes “etnoteck” a genre, which name-implied, is based on culturally diverse music: gypsy dance hall, Balkan gitano brass, Arab turbo dub, resistance ska, grind bhangra, outer latino, favela freak funk. He is most prominently known for works in collaboration with popular bands such as Gogol Bordello and Balkan Beat Box. XAYC exposes authenticity as mutation and artists Daniela Kostova and Joro De Boro are serving it to you in an art form with a smile, a drink and a dance.
- Carmen Hui
St. Vincent, a.k.a Annie Clark, sounds so much like Zachary Condon from Beirut, I’m starting to think they’re related.
St. Vincent has such a calming folksy sound just Condon, except St. Vincent likes to play around with distorted guitar, which is awesome in my book.
Of course, I discovered this little lady on Pitchfork, and then I checked out her MySpace. You learn to your delight, she employs some interesting electronic sounds in her ballads. My favorite hits on her page are “The Strangers” and “Now Now.”
She’s not flashy, but she’s enchanting when she starts to yodle in her songs.
—-Jett Wells, Co-Reviews Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Zac Condon, Beirut, Realpeople, The Magnetic Fields
For those of you who thought Zac Condon couldn’t get any more random, the poster boy of indie folk noir just pulled a couple more tricks from his tailored sleeve – like a Mexican funeral band and an alter-ego, for starters.
Condon’s [aka Beirut's, aka Realpeople's] latest EP, “March of the Zapotec/Holland,” is a scizophrenic wonder in two distinct parts.
On disk one, “March of the Zapotec,” Condon busts out a 19-piece Oaxacan funeral band for five warm, brassy, panoramic tracks. The sound is best described by its musician’s ratios: one part quavering, Condonic gypsy waltzes, and 19 parts straight-up Mexicana.
Disk two, “Holland,” veers into totally different territory: think baritone vocals bubbling over layers of Magnetic-Fields-esque electronica and ’80s synth-pop.
The whole concept sounds crazy — a little comical, even. But serious props are owed to Zac Condon… only he/Beirut/Realpeople could make so many gimmicks so memorable!
- Caitlin Dewey, front-of-book editor
