A huge sigh of relief leaves my body at the same as any worries of this being ‘yet-another’ formulaic indie-pop release. Beirut’s album is fresh, different yet somehow so comforting. The album is started off with ‘Gibraltar’ a track heavy on the keys and, what I’m guessing, is a bongo drum.
Zach Condon’s vocals are Irish cream smooth (‘No No No’ is a fine example) and while singing along is the natural instinct, you’d never match his pitch. ‘At Once’ is a sexy trombone/trumpet infused number, ‘As Needed’ is a delicate instrumental number and ‘Perth’ is a track that teeters on the edge of ‘80s synth pop.
If there’s anything to fault it’s the track ‘August Holland’ which has me having flashbacks of all those cheesy rom-coms where after all the fighting and problems, love still finds a way, always. Perhaps my favourite on the album is one that I wouldn’t have expected myself. ‘So Allowed’ closes the album and it comes across as a slightly odd love song. There’s some beautiful instrumental pieces in the track but there’s always an element where they’re played slightly off kilter. It’s almost like the odd aunt of the family. I like it.
Out via 4AD
Reviewed by Amanda Sherring
