The original intention for Artifacts was a modest one. The aim was simply to re-release the long out-of-print 5-track 2007 EP Lon Gisland together with a few added B-sides and singles. This EP was a follow-up to the breakthrough release Gulag Orkestar, the first album performed by the full band.
However, the project grew as Condon decided to include an extra record’s-worth of music from his past and to include remixes and remastered versions of a selection of other songs.
Condon says ”I’ve gathered this EP from those years in which everything changed for me [ ……] I included everything that still moved me and had significance to the development of my sound.”
The finished double album therefore collects together Eps, singles, B-sides and early work – an impressive haul of 26 high quality songs in total and a generous playing time of an hour and a half. The impressive thing is that there are no obvious fillers.
The musical journey of Condon took him from his humble roots recording in his bedroom in New Mexico to the possibilities opened up by the New York indie scene. The distinctiveness of the Beirut sound derives from appropriating many other Eastern European flavours with trumpets and horns which make for what has been accurately dubbed a Balkan stomp; like a cross between Neutral Milk Hotel and the soundtracks of Emir Kusturica movies.
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The joyous melancholia that has become their stock in trade is immediately evident in Elephant Gun with black humour also apparent in tongue in cheek titles such as My Family’s Role in the World Revolution or Napoleon On The Bellerophon.
Other highlights are an early ukulele and mandolin-heavy b-side Transatlantique and an affectionate cover of Caetano Veloso’s O Leãozinho. The Long Island Sound from the original EP finds a lovely companion piece in the form of the never before released Fisher Island Sound. Dip in anywhere and you’ll find something to warm the heart and/or raise a smile.
Compilation albums like this are often designed for hardcore fans only but this one would make a fine introduction for anyone curious to discover what is so special about Zach Condon’s wonderful band.
Beirut’s website
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