you'll never get nothing of mine

Everyone says this Zach Condon fellow sounds very European. This is partially true, but only because I can imagine Flying Cub Club as an alternative soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. Aside from that, I think everything but the trumpets sounds much more Islamic than Jacques Brel-esque. Seriously, have you ever heard chanted Islamic prayers? They have that same sort of streaming, pained, barely pronounced quality. I realize that makes Beirut seem markedly less pretentious but that can only be a good thing. Nothing so sullen should sound so pretentious.

Luckily, Flying Cup Club is much less pretentious than Gulag Orkestar, doesn't try so hard to be In The Aeroplane Over the Sea, and actually reminds me quite a bit of Stephin Merritt's early work (which, coming from me, is a huge compliment). The richness of that voice, the delicate use of synth, the carnivalesque accordian, the quietness and sadness mingle to produce something that I can't quite put my finger on, but that makes me feel like I did the first time I heard the Magnetic Fields on a mix tape in the seventh grade. My friend Eli says listening to Beirut makes him feel really good. It doesn't make me feel good at all, just very real and grounded, which I suppose is ironic given how dreamy Condon's voice and general style are.

Anyways, back to work. I can't believe how busy I am these days.