No No No: A New Album By Beirut

After a four year hiatus, Beirut is back with a fifth album “No, No, No”: a sketchbook of simple chord progressions, detailed by preppy melodies.

Beirut was formed by Zack Condon, the bands front-man, as a solo project. At the time of its inception, Condon was a high-school dropout living in New Mexico. Beirut seems to focus on cultural diversity song and title. Everything from the band name, to the tracks it produces are based off of cities scattered throughout the world.

Earlier records had been entirely dictated by Condon. He had recorded everything from brass to rhythm before releasing the songs for the rest of the band to play. “No, No, No” is the first to feature artistic influence from all of its members, giving the album a playful edge.

“No, No, No” came shortly after Condon was hospitalized after having a mental breakdown while on tour in Australia. The tour was cut short, and Condon began to seriously consider throwing in the towel. He began therapeutically jamming with his band-mates. Soon after, he gave birth to “No, No, No”.

“No, No, No” is waltzy and minimalistic. With easy lyrics and a few basic chords, it allows the listener to enjoy its soundscapes without feeling like an intruder.

Rhythmic piano is accompanied by a plethora of happy sounding wind and brass instruments, while Condon’s soothing voice gives unexpected life to his melancholy lyrics.

Upon first listen I wasn’t too impressed, but by the end of the day I found myself humming the melody to the title track. It was all downhill from there, by the end of the week I was having Condon cravings.

The album doesn’t demand too much of its listener; it’s relatively simple and straitforward. The lyrics allow room for the listener’s personal experience to live within the soundscapes it creates.