Beirut - Gulag Orkestar (2006)

Beirut's strangely-exotic music has slowly crept its way into my consciousness over the past few months, and now has me firmly in its grasp. It is a sound as unique as it is compelling, featuring all manner of instruments, including mandolin, accordion and trumpet.
The opening track of the album - The Gulag Orkestar - introduces us to a sound that seems neither of this time nor this place, and immediately sets the tone for what is to follow: a whimsical, often boisterous melange of sounds that wouldn't seem out of place, should they be spilling from an old-time Eastern European tavern. No small feat, for a group hailing from Santa Fe, NM.
The trumpet and accordion, coupled with dense, rythmic percussion, feature heavily in a number of the album's songs, while calmer moments, such as the rather lovely Postcards From Italy benefit with the accompaniement of mandolin, ukele and clarinet. The drama of the songs is only bolstered by the baroque vocals of the groups lyricist, founder and mutli-instrumentalist, Zach Condon. Condon, who was only nineteen when this album was recorded, is more-or-less a one mand band on Gulag Orkestar, which, considering the quality of the album, is quite an achievemet.
One of the greatest things that music offers us, is the ability to transport us out of our everyday experience. Beirut's music takes the listener on a journey not only to distant lands, but also to distant times. Without doubt, spending one's days toiling in the gulag would be far from ideal (read Alexandr Solzhenitsyn's One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich if you don't know why), yet if your days were soundtracked by music such as Beirut's, perhaps it may not be all bad.

Check Out: http://myspace.com/beruit