1 comments June 10, 2008

Beirut Disco


At only 22 years of age, the prodigious (and disturbingly talented) Zach Condon has already released two albums.

Better known to the world at large as Beirut, Condon's music is an enchanting blend of folk-pop, heavily influenced by Eastern European folk and balkan gypsy music. Despite his youth, and the fact that he grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, his music has an unmistakable old country feel, and a maturity that belies his tender years.

His music is boisterous and romantic, the kind of thing you might imagine yourself listening to in the Mediterranean somewhere, late at night, under the stars, seated round a large table with a gaggle of strangers made fast friends through a day of drinking and revelry.

Suffice it to say, it's not the kind of thing you would expect to hear in a club.

Until now.

DJs Fredo & Thang, from the Gameplayer label, have released a mash-up called "Beirut Disco".

Dub inflected beats and snatches of spoken french are woven through swathes of organ and Beirut's slightly nasal vocals to create some kind of gypsy folk electronica hybrid.

It's Beirut gone urban.

And whether in a club, or sitting on a terrace drinking a beer, Beirut Disco is the perfect accompaniment to the heat and bluster of summer.



2 comments June 6, 2008

Baltic Fleet


What starts out like Elastica before morphing into Interpol by way of Joy Division?

It's not a trick question, and okay, I'm doing those annoying reductive comparisons again, but really, Baltic Fleet have to be heard to be believed.

And trust me, I'm not slighting the band in the least. Anything that starts out like Elastica before morphing into Interpol by way of Joy Division has me from the get-go.

When I say 'the band' I really mean Paul Fleming, keyboard player for Echo and The Bunnymen. Baltic Fleet is his baby.

He apparently wrote the album when he was on tour with the Bunnymen, trying to capture, in music, what inspired him in each city around the world.

While Baltic Fleet is a new discovery for me, a quick listen to the myspace page suggests to me that the band (ie, Fleming) is going to be huge.

He certainly deserves to be.

One of my favourite songs (out of an already incredibly strong line up) is "3 Dollar Dress".

It's hypnotic and savage -- a driving slice of indie rock heaven.

And what's more, it starts out like Elastica, before morphing into Interpol, by way of Joy Division...

Here's "3 Dollar Dress":



[Baltic Fleet - MySpace] [blow up records]

0 comments June 5, 2008

Liam Sullivan and Kelly OMG Shoes


I love Liam and everything he does. (And ah-hem [cough] may I just say? What a cutie.)

So, in celebration of Liam and the more than 16 million views Kelly and "OMG Shoes" has had on YouTube: Let's play it again!



And plus Weezer are pwning all your pork and beans with mustachios and YouTube stars:



OMG. Shoez, betch!