we saw: Secret Beirut Concert

"Just Another Night"

Last night Greenpoint luminary Zach Condon treated the neighborhood to a free show from the latest incarnation of Beirut at Coco66 on Greenpoint ave. A sort of warm up/drunken rehearsal show, the bar filled to capacity with ravenous onlookers. Having never seen Beirut live before, nor being the worlds biggest Beirut fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, which saw Zach and his stripped down band take on Flying Club Cup staples like "Nantes" and "Sunday Smile", as well as the always enjoyable Lon Gisland jam "Elephant Gun" and brand spanking new Dark Was the Night contribution "Mimizan."

Apparently, many in attendance thought the show was subpar, and, appropriately, are venting their frustrations in the comment section of Brooklyn Vegan (where else!). Truth be told, I had a great time and thought it was a phenomenal show. Hardly life changing but the vibe was jovial and the band treated the audience to a lengthy show, a lot longer than I expected it to be. Despite the angst expressed by many anonymous commenters, I'd like to thank Zach for treating the kind people of Greenpoint to a drunken night of musical revelry and reminding us that BV commenters are just a bunch of fucking wankers.

Oh, and anybody willing to sell their BAM tickets should get in touch with me. Thx.

Setlist
Nantes
Sunday Smile
The Shrew
Elephant Gun
The Concubine
La Javanaise (Serge Gainsbourg cover)
Postcard from Italy
Akara
Mimizan
After The Curtain
East Harlem
Cherbourg
Cocek

My Night With the Prostitute in Versailles
Wroclia

bobkast: #20: Tangled Wood Vines Twine

"Rosin Smells and Turpentine Smells From Eucalyptus and Pine"

Bitter tastes of twigs we chewed where tangled wood vines twine
Trees held us in on all four sides so thick we could not see
I could not see any wrong in you, and you saw none in me
- Woody Guthrie

Inspired by some of my favorite Woody Guthrie lyrics, and one of my favorite interpretations, "Bobkast #20: Tangled Wood Vines Twine" is a collection of live songs recorded around the world at legendary venues, radio stations, back seats, basements, theaters and beaches. A mellow treat for those adversely affected by day-light savings.

Bobkast #20: Tangled Wood Vines Twine
1. The Arcade Fire- Wake Up (Black Session, Paris, FR 2005)
2. Mazzy Star- Flowers in December (The Metro, Chicago, USA 1994)
3. Jeff Tweedy- Remember the Mountain Bed (Vic Theatre, Chicago, USA 2005)
4. My Morning Jacket- Touch Me I'm Going To Scream pt. 2 (Cab, London, UK 2008)
5. R.E.M.- Gardening At Night (Seattle, USA 1987)
6. Fleet Foxes- Blue Ridge Mountains (Nigel Godrich's Basement, UK 2008)
7. Beirut- The Penalty (Black Session, Paris, FR 2007)
8. Department of Eagles- Herring Bone (Daytrotter, Rock Island, USA 2008)
9. Grizzly Bear- He Hit Me (Daytrotter, Rock Island, USA 2007)
10. Beach House- Used to Be (Beach, Australia 2008)

Direct Download Bobkast #20: Tangled Wood Vines Twine

Check It: Beirut

"It's been a long time since I've seen you smile..."

So we're all a little sad that Beirut is on hiatus. But fear not! Pitchfork has optioned the Beirut- La Blogotheque collaboration "Cheap Magic Inside" for their One Week Only section, and I highly recommend cruising over and checking it out. The film was a special project in which each song from Beirut's sophomore album, The Flying Club Cup, was filmed somewhere in lovely Brooklyn, creating something of a companion piece to the album itself. And don't worry Beirut fans; something tells me Zach and Co. will be back soon enough...

Here's a different take of album standout "Nantes", though the Cheap Magic version is way cooler if you ask me...

#64.1 - Beirut - Nantes
by lablogotheque

juzt in: Beirut- The Flying Club Cup

"All I Wanted was the Best for Our Lives My Dear"

Beirut (aka Zach Condon) is quite the marvel. At 20 he helped resuscitate gypsy music. Now 21, and legally allowed to get hammered and belt Grizzly Bear's "Knife" in the States, he is on the verge of reinventing classical French pop by fusing it with ukulele based indie folk. His new record, The Flying Club Cup (out October 9th on Ba Da Bing!), builds on the grandiose arrangements of last years Gulag Orkestar while trading many (but not all) of his Balkan influences for a bevy of traditional Parisian sounds. In Zach's own words:

I was listening to a lot of Jacques Brel and French chanson music-- pop songs shrouded in big, glorious, over-the-top arrangements and all this drama-- and that was in some sense unfamiliar territory to me. So I started buying new instruments and relying on things I wasn't necessarily comfortable with, like French horns and euphoniums, carrying these big, epic big brass parts that I used to do all on trumpets, and working with accordion and organ instead of all ukulele-- very much throwing myself in the world of classical pop music, I guess you could say.

Like Gulag Orkester, much of the Flying Club Cup's theme and color are derived from an old photo Condon discovered. On Gulag Orkestar it was a photo of two Russian girls on a highway beside a car (see here). This time his inspiration was a "very bizarre 1910 photo...by Leon Gimpel. It's one of the first color photos ever made, at the World's Fair, and it...shows all these ancient hot air balloons about to take off in the middle of Paris."

After a few spins I've really taken to the first two tracks (if you dont count track 00). "Nantes" and "A Sunday Smile" (the first single) are quintessential Beirut, showcasing Condon's soaring voice and uber-romanticism, with lines like "It's been a long time, long time now/Since I've seen you smile" and "All I wanted was the best for our lives my dear/And You know my wishes are sincere." Take a listen below, and be sure to check out Zach's wine-wandering tour of Paris while crooning "Knife."

Beirut- Nantes
Beirut- A Sunday Smile