Beirut: Zach Condon (vocals, mandolin, ukulele, conch shell, accordion, trumpet, flugelhorn, French horn, euphonium, piano, Wurlitzer piano, organ, Farfisa, glockenspiel, percussion); Owen Pallett (vocals, violin, piano, celesta, harpsichord, organ, steel drum); Jason Poranski (guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Nick Petree (guitar, percussion, background vocals); Paul Collins (bouzouki); Jon Natchez (mandolin, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Heather Trost (violin, viola); Kristin Ferebee (violin); Perrin Cloutier (viola, cello, upright bass, background vocals); Kelly Pratt, Tracy Pratt (euphonium); Kendrick Strauch (piano); Griffin Rodriguez (background vocals); Luba B. Glade.
On THE FLYING CLUB CUP, Beirut's highly anticipated second full-length album, youthful musical mastermind Zach Condon outshines his lauded debut, GULAG ORKESTAR, by presenting elegant and dramatic songs that seem more at home in their vintage European accoutrements. While some tunes sound straight out of Yann Tiersen's AMELIE soundtrack, in particular the swaying "Forks and Knives (La Fete)," others carry a dramatic flair that nods to fellow indie-pop wunderkind Patrick Wolf, most notably the urgent "Guyamas Sonora."
Despite these and other comparisons (Calexico, Magnetic Fields, etc.), however, Condon manages to make CUP's swooning Francophilia both unique and timeless, burying his New Mexico roots so deep it would seem that he has to be from somewhere in the Old World. Although the record generally lacks snappy singles, the exception being the dynamic "Nantes," it works remarkably well as a whole, resulting in an engaging and enveloping listening experience that giddily soars over a mythical Europa.
