Image by Andrew Craig
Beirut brings the Balkans to Los Angeles
May 31, 2008, at the Wiltern
By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: June 2nd, 2008 | 11:05am
Is there a uniform for genius? It just seems that the more gnarled and countenance-obscuring one’s tresses are, the more brilliance pours from that mind. Albert Einstein, David Helfgott, Robert Smith — all enjoy a level of reverie that their tame-haired peers could only covet. Is it that mystery, that insular abandonment of conventional thought that lures us so to these luminaries? Do we secretly desire to peel back these human curtains and see what wizardry lies inside?
One couldn’t help but marvel Saturday night at another purveyor of the tussled look, Zach Condon of the sprawling indie outfit Beirut. At 22, the New Mexico native seems a modern-day Mozart, conducting an “orkestar” that delves heavily into Balkan and Parisian flavors. Some songs are melancholic beyond the average Gen-Y man, but Condon’s escalated adulthood (dropping out of school at 16 to travel Europe) gives him an edge, a world-weariness that makes for beautiful compositions.
And yet you look past the swelling crescendos and romanticized Boho tomes and you see the awkward adolescent. Condon can come off like one of those child prodigies who are remarkable at piano (or in his case, an array of horns) but they fidget in social situations. There he stood on the vast Wiltern stage with a grateful but wobbly grin, not quite sure what to make of the near-capacity crowd clamoring as if this were U2 at Madison Square Garden. Humbled or harried, one really couldn’t tell. Condon and his band mates were a stationary bunch, letting the music perform the theatrics for them (save for bassist Paul Collins, a scrappy fellow who danced like Grover from Sesame Street throughout the two encores of the evening.)
But what Condon and crew lacked in stage presence, they more than made up for in musicianship. Brass, strings, and sticks meshed seamlessly as they tackled tracks from last year’s highly lauded The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing) and Condon's breakout Gulag Orkestar (Ba Da Bing). Fan favorite “A Sunday Smile” was particularly gripping, prompting some audience members to waltz with their companions.
Both opening acts were impressive in their quirkiness. Devon Williams, as amusedly drunken as the singer and nearly nude drummer Allen Bleyle appeared, pulled off an appealing set that drew on early Britpop such as James. And the Brunettes were effervescent contenders for Belle and Sebastian’s twee crown. These Kiwis boasted songs about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and led the crowd in choreography akin to “Y.M.C.A.” Quite the cuddly yin to Condon’s mature yang.
Issue #34
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