Wednesday, August 23, 2006

The inevitable bandwagon-jumping Beirut post


OK, so Beirut isn’t the hot news on the blogs any more. Although it’s a few months since I picked up the debut album and liked it, I’ve never got round to doing a post. Maybe because everyone else was. Maybe because I didn’t have anything new to say. Well now I do. It seems that Zach Condon (for he is Beirut) has signed to 4AD. He’s still on Ba Da Bing in the US, but he’s on the legendary UK indie label everywhere else.

Of course this news is of no consequence to all the British hipsters who rushed out and bought Gulag Orkestar on import, but still, nice to see that it’ll be more widely available in this country.
Interesting also to see 4AD turning from being the label of choice for classic English indie, into something of a home for fine American artists (TV on the Radio, Celebration, Mountain Goats, The Late Cord, M Ward). I can only say I approve.

The other good news for UK-people is that Zach’s bringing his dreamy Eastern European gypsy-styled music over here later in the year supporting Calexico, along with Beirut collaborators Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost, who will also be playing as A Hawk and a Hacksaw. After seeing both the 'Hawks' and Tuscon’s finest recently, I know that’ll be a great show.

UK tour dates are:

OCT 31 Gateshead Sage
NOV 01 Glasgow ABC 1
NOV 02 Dublin Olympia
NOV 03 Liverpool Academy
NOV 04 Sheffield Octagon
NOV 05 London Camden Roundhouse

Download: Beirut – Prenzlauerberg
Download: Beirut – The Bunker

Buy Gulag Orkestar.

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