Beirut

Geography! Beirut is a young American’s fantasy about the Balkans; a young American who named his band after the capital of Lebanon. Zach Condon is a very young veteran. He was sixteen when he left school and started travelling around Europe. The story goes that in Paris he encountered the eastern European folk music of characters like Goran Bregovic and Boban Markovic. He also soaked up the influences of chansonniers like Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg and Yves Montand. Beirut made a strong start with ‘Nantes’. This song, on the second album ‘The Flying Club Cup’ (2007) became the Flemish alternative smash hit of 2007 with the help of Music For Life. What is remarkable is the wave of approval from Brazil, where young groups came up with southern-hemisphere adaptations of the songs. This phenomenon is known as Beirutando. On ‘The Rip Tide’ (2011), the latest European influences have been digested and Beirut sounds most like… Beirut. The album is counted worldwide among the best albums of 2011.