Beirut : Gulag Orkestar

  Heather Trost - Violin
  Perrin Cloutier - Cello
  Zach Condon - Organ, Mandolin, Percussion, Piano, Trumpet, Accordion, Ukulele, Vocals

The best album to come out of Albuquerque since the Shins decamped for the Pacific Northwest, the debut album by Beirut (aka New Mexico-born 19-year-old singer/songwriter Zach Condon ) bears an immediate resemblance both to Denver's DeVotchKa and the current passions of the Athens, GA, crowd formerly associated with the Elephant 6 stable. Like DeVotchKa, Condon is heavily influenced by Eastern European folk music and, to a lesser extent, the mariachi trumpets and Latin rhythms of the desert Southwest: the songs on Gulag Orkestar are lousy with mandolins and similarly plinky members of the string instrument family, accordions, horns, and hand percussion clearly played with dramatic in-studio arm flourishes. But like the Athens folks (some of whom appear here in a supporting role, most notably A Hawk and a Hacksaw's Jeremy Barnes ), Condon isn't interested in mere approximations of traditional forms. Condon and friends use the folk instruments primarily as really cool-sounding textures, exotic backdrops for Condon's melodic indie folk tunes and impressionistic lyrics. The lyrics, it must be said, are the album's most obvious flaw, clearly the work of a young, romantically inclined teen who has never been to Europe but has seen a lot of foreign art films about, like, Gypsies 'n' stuff. Ignore the clunky lyrics -- easy enough to do since Condon is an unexpectedly appealing singer with a rich, mellifluous voice that, no kidding, recalls the great bel canto crooners of the pre- rock era (along with a little Nick Cave ) -- and Gulag Orkestar is an infinitely more appealing album. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

Only 19 and already a (blog) superstar, Zach Condon, a.k.a. Beirut, is one Web phenom worth the praise. His debut album, Gulag Orkestar, is a mix of Eastern European whimsy and old-fashioned indie-rock wailing. This Internet exclusive predates the material on that album, and its production is a bit ''home demo,'' but the chintzy drum-machine beat, yodel-y background vocals, and muted trumpet are charming all the same. Condon sounds well beyond his teens, as his Rufus Wainwright-type croon hints at many a bewildered hangover. Download the track for free courtesy of Beirut's site.