well this just makes perfect sense: violinist extraordinaire kishi bashi has chosen to cover beirut’s elevated classic “a sunday smile” and it’s just one of three covers that will serve as a b-side to three singles. hear “a sunday smile” below and keep an ear out for “this must be the place (naive melody)” by talking heads and “prologue / twilight” by ELO. yes, yes, and yes!!
listen:
- sunbear
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seems like ages ago we were first listening to “santa fe” from beirut’s the rip tide. that doesn’t however, dampen the lively spirit of the song or make stale it’s swelling horn section. check out the zach and crew performing the song on jay leno last night.
- sunbear
When Zach Condon first oom-pah-pah‘ed his Balkan way into the indie consciousness, he found himself a warm home, snuggled in between the baroque pop of The Decemberists and the sonic parade of Neutral Milk Hotel, comfortably nested into a scene where the Rhineland reigned supreme. Hailed for his muli-instrument prowess, firm grasp on Balkan folk and Gypsy music, and especially his age (the wunderkind was a mere nineteen at the release of his highly praised Gulag Orkestar), Condon’s band Beirut were as cutting edge as they were ethnographically eclectic. Now three albums into their career, Beirut have expanded beyond their niche musical stylings and with an exercised sense of restraint on The Rip Tide, they’ve created an album that’s more focused on flexing Condon’s songwriting muscle and less on geo-tagging musical genres. In support of that album, Beirut brought horns a plenty to Houston’s Warehouse Live this past Halloween night, their first return visit since their momentous performance at the grand Free Press Summerfest music festival. Hit the jump for the full recap.
- sunbear
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zach condon’s oddball accent bears no particular origin. one part morrissey, one part posh-pretention, the new mexico native brought his band beirut to letterman to perform the rip tide’s “santa fe” as well as rakishly flop his hair about.
- sunbear
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the boys of beirut brought horns-a-plenty to the late show with dave letterman last friday, performing the postcard-ready “east harlem” from their album the rip tide. check it out above.
- sunbear
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at a recent stop by new york radio station wfuv, the boys of beirut performed an intimate mini-set comprised solely of songs from their latest album, the ornate the rip tide.
catch “east harlem” up above and “goshen,” “port of call,” and “santa fe” at the link below.
watch:
- sunbear
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i have a soft spot for terriers, any size, so naturally in this new clip for beirut’s “santa fe,” from their album the rip tide, i was feeling the protagonist’s suicidal-grief over his once-best friend, till is saw the puppy eating a pizza. then i smiled again.
there’s also a terminal girlfriend in the vid, but you know – pizza eating dog.
the rip tide is out now.
- sunbear
gone for baroquers, beirut have their third lp, the rip tide, streaming on npr in its entirety before its august 30th release. balkan folk extravaganza, indeed, zach condon.
stream:
- sunbear
the latest single taken from beirut’s forthcoming album the rip tide (due august 30), “santa fe” is surely an ode to frontman zach condon’s hometown, though it doesn’t much explain anything in the way of his bizarre accent.
stream:
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- sunbear
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the national invite their beirut buddies on stage at a music festival in switzerland for a performance of “fake empire” from their 2007 album boxer.
- sunbear
The third annual Free Press Summerfest once again took over Houston’s Eleanor Tinsley Park, boasting one of its most diverse, if not unusual lineup to date. Soul-revival met with electric revival, heavy metal battled with Japanese garage rock, hippies and hipsters shared barbecue and beer, etc, all underneath the blistering Texas sun on a cloudless day. weworemasks was on hand, as always, to take part in the festivities, enjoy an act or two, and get down and dirty (and sweaty) with all of our lovely Houstonian brethren.
Hit the jump for a full recap with some awesome photos, more of which can be seen in our Summerfest Photo Gallery, here.
- sunbear + grizzly
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houston’s third annual free press summerfest went down this past weekend at eleanor tinsley park during one of the city’s blistering heatwaves. 100+ degree weather didn’t stop the rock, nor us weworemasks folk from getting in the pit documenting said rockage. hit the jump for all of our summerfest photos and expect a full recap to follow shortly.
photos are by weworemasks.
- sunbear/grizzly
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beirut just wrapped up a performance at yesterday’s 3rd annual summerfest here in houston, and of the wistfully earthy songs played was this new single “east harlem.” horns aplenty, await.
stream:
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- sunbear