Beirut
by Jessica Suarez, posted August 21, 2006
Zach Condon, the 20-year-old singer/songwriter behind Balkan pop orchestra Beirut, played his first two sold-out New York shows this summer. In the two months between those two performaces, Condon hasn't really grown into his powerful, plaintive voice-- all back vowels and Morrissey-like histrionics. Rather, he's gathered a 10-piece band that can support him, because it takes a full string and brass section to tether down his sighing, somersaulting vocals.
Condon wrote his debut album, Gulag Orkestar, mostly alone in his bedroom in Santa Fe, somehow capturing the sounds and textures of Eastern Europe after spending just few months overseas. Here he talks about that trip to Europe, the process he used to recreate a Balkan orchestra, and his improving live shows.
Pitchfork: Was growing up in Santa Fe boring?
Zach Condon: I'm sure that's every adolescent's complaint about their home town. When a city is unstimulating, you get pretty isolated. That's probably why I did what I did.
