Nine years ago, Beirut (aka Zach Condon) exploded onto the indie scene with Gulag Orkestar, an album that was all-too-appropriate for where indie was at this moment in time. His heavy Balkan influences and folk orchestras lent him an incredibly unique sound along with his crooning voice that distinguished him from other indie acts at the time. His songwriting was stellar, and Gulag Orkestar and his next album, The Flying Club Cup, helped his fame and success rise meteorically. Indeed, Beirut was one of my first forays into the ‘indie folk’ genre, and what stood out to me was his use of unique instruments and brilliant composition. After these first two albums, Beirut experimented with folktronica, a promising sound that hinted at a new but somehow familiar direction Beirut would take. His 2011 album, The Rip Tide, seemed to turn away from that, however, and instead focused on a few core set of instrument to craft that album’s sound.
Four years later, Beirut has returned to the music game with latest album No No No. In recent interviews, Condon talks about how his newfound love has propelled him to make this album. Previously, he had been on a downward spiral: from being hospitalized due to exhaustion to facing writer’s block. It’s reassuring to hear that he’s back to music and songwriting, a place where he clearly takes solace and is at ease. One of Condon’s motives when making out this album was a theme of simplicity and a “not too serious” sense. Upon hearing No No No, Condon has succeeded at this motive. However, it creates a feeling that this record is a bit too barebones.
Gone are the wonderfully European orchestras and glockenspiels; they are replaced with a core of piano, horns, drums, and Condon’s familiar croon. While this may be more representative of today’s music, the songwriting seems to have taken a step back in complexity. Beirut’s previous work always instilled a sense of nostalgic storytelling–also absent from No No No. The 9-track album is a brief affair, only running for 29 minutes, which is a bit of a disappointment after four years of silence.
The record feels incomplete in places, but that isn’t to say there aren’t any good tracks on here. The clear standout is “Perth”, a bouncy, upbeat song with infectious melodies. Album opener “Gibraltar” is also a strong track with an interesting use of tribal drums. The lyrics, however, are less than average. On the first single, “No No No”, Condon doesn’t stray much from the simplistic chorus: “Don’t know the first thing about who you are/My heart is waiting, taken in from the start/ If we don’t go now, we won’t get very far” is repeated over the entirety of the track.
VERDICT:
6.0 / 10.0
No No No is a simple and safe record. It’s not hard to listen to nor does it try to recapture what made Beirut so popular nearly a decade ago. It may just be the fact that Zach Condon has made this record as a transitional period; it had been four years since his latest foray and this record feels more like an EP than an LP. It’s a disappointing departure from what made Beirut so distinguishable in the past.
Eminent Press 