Customer Reviews

Lon Gisland

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are one that loves to be surrounded by beauty, this it the album for you. It is the perfect mix of melodic vocals and fanciful instrumentals. The first listen is chaotic. The second listen is enlightening. The third unravels one's socks.

Beirut dazzled listeners with its shimmering debut "Gulag Orkestar," an enchanting mixture of pop, folk and bittersweet Balkan music.

And now to keep fans' attention, frontman Zach Condon is releasing the "Lon Gisland" EP, which continues the slightly angsty gypsy pop and colourful marches. It doesn't really take Beirut's music anywhere, but it's a glorious piece of work on its own.

It opens with a ukelele being strummed, before Condon begins singing mournfully that if he were young, "'I'd flee this town/I'd bury my dreams underground." An accordion and a dramatic blare of trumpets join in as he sings of wanting to escape and "take the big king down."

Things get cheerier with the next song, a colourful march full of sprightly brass and lots of drums. And then it's the middle ground with the more intimate, stripped-down flavour of "Scenic World," which sounds like gypsies on a laundry day.

"Long Island Sound" is kind of a disappointment, since it's basically just a sprawling trumpet tune with a few other instruments by the sidelines. Quite short, too. But it's more than made up for by the finale, the energetic and meditative "Carousels."

Beirut has a unique sound in its music -- warm and celebratory, yet melancholy and mellow. It's hard to believe that a musician as young as Condon could put such depth and passion into his music -- but there it is.

As with the full-length album, "Lon Gisland" overflows with smooth accordion, blares of well-worn brass, and rat-a-tat percussion, with the occasional flourish from tambourine or ukelele. It all melds together into a smooth summery sound.

Condon's lyrics are not as accomplished as the music itself, but they blend into the music very well. His smooth, strong vocals make up a great deal of the appeal, with a little wobble that adds vulnerability to his singing.

"Lon Gisland" is pretty short, but it will have to tide the fans over until the next full-length. Beautiful, bittersweet and utterly enchanting.

Finding out about Beirut was one of the best things to happen to me (musically) in 2007. And it was through "Lon Gisland" that I found out about this fascinating act. Beirut blends a lo-fi sound not unlike a group of East European gipsies with a folk feel like Sufjan Stevens with Zach Condon's voice coming across much like David Byrne. The result is an exquisite and upbeat, though short EP, that makes your heart pound with excitement making you want to jump, clap and laugh.

After "Lon Gisland", I went back to Beirut's "The Gulag Orkestar" and confirmed their quality. For the time being, this EP easily landed a spot among 2007's best releases. Here's hoping that Beirut continues to produce more music... soon. :)

To me this is Beirut's best work. I can listen to Elephant Gun repeatedly. After much searching, I have finally found new bands that I enjoy, and besides Beirut, I'd include Fanfarlo, Gadji Gadjo, and Le Fanfare du Belgistan.

Do get your hands on this ep. The album is great but the ep has some real standouts that are not on the album.

After listening to Lon Gisland, I would that Beirut is way overrated. It's hard to believe how boring and repetitive the songs are. There is no tension, no change, no drama. It sounds like the band is having fun, but since they're just playing the same thing over and over, I don't think that they are. Avoid this one.