Beirut The Flying Club Cup by: Justin Pearsall Tue:23-Oct-07 Label: 4AD Year: 2007 WB rating 81 out of 100

A year since releasing his critically acclaimed debut LP, Gulag Orkestar, Zack Condon, the brain’s trust behind Beirut, returns with The Flying Club Cup. It’s an album that doesn’t completely unveil the behind-the-Berlin-Wall mystique of Condon’s songwriting, but suggests that beneath his Eastern-infused melodrama lies a songwriting talent and lyrical nous worthy of the critical fanfare.

On The Flying Club Cup Condon’s musical strength is still drawn from the exotic instrumentation that made Gulag Orkestar such a revelation. But while trumpets, accordion and ukuleles continue to define the Beirut soundscape, added flourishes of strings, piano and sampled sound recordings heighten both the drama and the melodrama in the band’s sound. Even on debut there was little reason to doubt the authenticity of Condon’s art and although The Flying Club Cup embraces the wall-of-sound production of the West, the instrumentation, the odds-and-ends percussion and the singer’s deep croon ensure that the traditional feel of Beirut’s music remains – Condon’s voice is a particular revelation, his deep croon belies his 21 years and is in some ways analogous to the despair of old Delta Blues singers.

If instrumentally and production wise Condon has made small, but vital, steps, then it is in tone and concept where The Flying Club Cup has taken its giant leap forward. Opening with an 18 second trumpet teaser appropriately entitled ‘A Call to Arms’, the record is clearly a more thematic work. Yet, while Condon has stated that he created the album as a homage to the history, culture, fashion and music of the French, the introspective nature of the lyricism and his world-weary tone hark back to the bleak times of a Communist-run Soviet Union – you can almost picture the impoverished wearing their heavy coats and ushankas, lining the streets for hot soup and bread, the Beirut band their gloomy soundtrack.

Overall The Flying Club Cup is a great album with many highlights – ‘Nantes’ and the haunting ‘A Sunday Smile’ are particular standouts – and for many it may be one of the year’s best. However, the Eastern influence of Beirut's music is still his greatest point of differentiation from the rest of the indie rock crowd. And while The Flying Club Cup has seen Condon hone, widen and personalise his sound and songwriting skills, it is his reliance on this Eastern differential that also serves as a ceiling to his ability to create a truly classic album.

For Beirut to turn his back on a sound that is uniquely and undeniably his own would be crazy and there is undoubtedly still mileage and a chance to perfect this genre before critics begin to question his versatility. With all his talents, the stability and familiarity of a solid working band and his now proven ability to forge the thematic backdrop seemingly essential to classic records, Condon’s last challenge is simply in finding a way to stay true to his own sound while creating a depth of material versatile enough to captivate the full length of a 10-track plus LP. As it is only a case of “too much of a good thing” that limits The Flying Club Cup’s potential.