You may be asking yourself, “Yet another release from the barely-adult, Albuquerque-native mastermind, Zach Condon?” although probably not using the same wording. Maybe, “Wait, um…didn’t Beirut just release an EP?” Well, either way, consider yourself correct. The guy is on a fucking roll, man. To drop a highly notable full length LP and two EPs in less than a year is, to say the least, quite impressive. And from a band such as Beirut, and Condon with previously-released electronic and doo-wop albums under his belt, it is unpredictable just what the kid will come up with next. The Lon Gisland EP provided us fans with a continuation of Gulag Orkestar, with its Eastern European-influenced instrumentation and crooning. With Pompeii, on the other hand, the two tracks were recorded prior to the LP, and perhaps one might consider it to be a prelude, in preparation for the big release on Ba-Da Bing Records. Whether or not the three albums sound chronologically consecutive, eh…sure.

Tracklisting:
1. Fountains and Tramways (4:01)
2. Napoleon on the Bellerophon (3:31)

The first track is layered with programmed, synthesized keys and a drum machine, with horns introduced towards the end. Against Condon’s vocals, it almost sounds droning and what could be a possible knock-off of Ian Curtis, but with his own spin on things. It is far from a post-punk song, not even remotely, but Condon’s style of singing with this relatively more up-tempo beat does not work in his favor. The second track, “Napoleon on the Bellerophon,” however, acts more like a catalyst for Gulag, embracing the Balkan folk music he had encountered and was clearly impacted by during his stay in Europe, with the use of the piano, accordion, horns, and the like. While “Fountains and Tramways” seems so out of place in comparison, it is interesting to see how he went from point A to point B in his musical career, which leaves me and fellow fans anticipating what the new material will sound like.

» EP available at emusic.com

Written by: Sara Greene on April 7th, 2007 | Filed under Music Reviews