While it may sound like an entire Balkan orchestra playing modern songs as mournful ballads and upbeat marches, Beirut’s first album, Gulag Orkestar, is largely the work of one 22-year-old Santa Fe, New Mexico native, Zach Condon, and was almost completely recorded at home. Horns, violins, cello, ukuleles, mandolins, glockenspiels, drums, tambourines, congas, organs, pianos, clarinets and accordions (no guitars on this album!) all build and break the melodies under Condon’s deep-voiced crooner vocals, swaying to the Eastern European beats that sound like they’re being brought to you by a 10-member ensemble.

Though young, Condon already has a few albums under his belt. He recorded under the name The Real People when he was fifteen, which was an electronic record admittedly fashioned after his love of The Magnetic Fields. At sixteen, he recorded an entire doo-wop album that was inspired by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. Condon was a straight-A student until he dropped out at the age of 16 to travel Europe in a drunken haze, cavorting and partying with the locals wherever he ended up. It was during one of these evenings that he was first exposed to Balkan gypsy music (notably including the Boban Markovic Orkestar), blasting from the upstairs apartment. Condon went upstairs to see what exactly he was hearing, and ended up staying up all night with the Serbian artists, going through albums country by country, note for note. This new album is the direct result of what he learned that night.

Most of the tracks on Gulag Orkestar were recorded on Pro Tools while skipping school in Albuquerque, but this past winter, Condon moved to Brooklyn and booked time at Sea Side Studios in Park Slope. He was joined by Jeremy Barnes and heather trost of A Hawk and a Hacksaw, who added percussion over what was originally done with drum machines, and some beautiful violin overlays. The resulting record sounds like a Neutral Milk Hotel from behind The Iron Curtain, a glorious and emotional sweep of music both shocking in its emotional content as well as the astounding logistical feat of this having all been pulled off.

Zach Condon now fronts a full band, which at times varies in the number of members, from 6-10.

His first official music video was for the song “Elephant Gun”. The video was directed by Alma Har’el.

Live, Beirut’s shifting roster generally consists of Condon accompanied by Perrin Cloutier (cello/accordion), Jason Poranski (guitar/mandolin/ukulele), Nick Petree (drums), Kristin Ferebee (violin), Paul Collins (organ/keys/tambourine/ukulele), Jon Natchez (baritone sax/mandolin/glockenspiel), and Kelly Pratt (trumpet/euphonium).

According to the band’s official website, Condon was “briefly hospitalized for extreme exhaustion” in November 2006, resulting in the cancellation of the rest of the tour. The band resumed performing live in March 2007.

In June 2007 they played the Glastonbury Festival’s Jazz and World Stage, and were widely considered one of the best acts of the festival.

Beirut’s second album, The Flying Club Cup, was released on October 9, 2007.

Albums

* Gulag Orkestar (May 9, 2006)
* The Flying Club Cup (October 9, 2007)

EPs

* Lon Gisland (January 30, 2007)
* Pompeii EP (February 28, 2007)
* Elephant Gun EP (June 25, 2007)