Beirut: Elephant Gun | NPR MUSIC FRONT ROW

How does a band return from a recording hiatus that could have permanently displaced it from the audience's eye? If you are Zach Condon and Beirut, you just go about your business and pick up where you left off three years earlier. The group's First Listen Live show at Brooklyn's intimate Bell House on a rainy September night, a concert debuting many of the songs from the brand new No No No, its first album since 2011, showed that Beirut works through its obstacles. Maybe it helps when the initial idea behind a band is ahead of the curve to begin with, no?
When Condon's Beirut first came to prominence in 2006, it emerged from Santa Fe with a fully conceived, pan-global folk sound unlike any indie sensibilities popular on the day. Zach's trumpet and flugelhorn playing was informed by local Mexican mariachi horns, his engagement with the Roma brass bands of the Balkans, and modal jazz changes via a percolating bossa nova; he favored timeless instruments (ukuleles, accordions) and images, to the rush of the modern; and the songs his quavering tenor delivered, also traveled the old continents. Live, the group grew into a formidable sextet, heavy on keyboards, horns and harmony, a world onto themselves.
At the Bell House, Beirut ran down its entire career before a sold-out audience, and the songs from No No No, the band's fourth studio, fit snuggly alongside the older material, even as it heralded directions new and familiar. "Perth," for instance, featured a touch of the Memphis soul energy, with Ben Lanz's trombone adding a brassy bump; "Fener," a song about a neighborhood in Istanbul, is built around the motorik beat interplay between Aaron Arntz's keyboards and Nick Petree's drums, before dropping down into a great g-funk slink, guided by Condon's Moog. So seemingly apart from Beirut's musical environment, yet, here they were, a natural part of it, making the audience sway endlessly. The hiatus, it seems, simply made full hearts grow fonder. -- PIOTR ORLOV
Director: Mito Habe-Evans; Producer: Saidah Blount; Videographers: Mito Habe-Evans, Lani Milton, Christopher Farber, A.J. Wilhelm; Audio Engineers: Josh Rogosin; Special Thanks: The Bell House; Executive Producer: Anya Grundmann

[@Julia-qk3by]

My first love was a voice, when I first heard Elephant gun and Nantes, fell in love completely, years later I'm here seeing the face of the voice, still in love.

[@jeremypohl3399]

This is my favorite song by them. Not my favorite version though.

[@emaronin]

Try Postcards from Italy...

[@diogokaiss.]

ainda in love!?

[@bootsfarrow]

Me too

[@claudiojunior8630]

One of the best songs in the world 💙

[@leonardocamppos]

I agree! ❤

[@chocomousses]

Yesss

[@jameslewis3433]

Yes

[@athreska]

Impossível não recordar de Capitu e Bentinho!

[@felipecosta9647]

"Agora, por que é que nenhuma dessas caprichosas me fez esquecer a primeira amada do meu coração? Talvez porque nenhuma tinha os olhos de ressaca, nem os de cigana oblíqua e dissimulada."

[@diegoleaogamer4661]

10 anos que ouso essa música é ela me dá as mesmas sensações do primeiro dia. Euforia....alegria..saudades...melancolia se misturam..

[@leonardocamppos]

Há mais de 10 anos que ela continua sendo minha música preferida...tenho as mesmas sensações!!! 😍😍😍

[@franciscomeira2928]

O mesmo comigo... O solo de trompete é arrebatador.

[@kingcortes8692]

Sinto o mesmo...🎶❤

[@JuniorOliveira-ky1wx]

Essa música me faz ter milhares de emoções e sentimentos a 10 anos . Acreditem todos dias quando acordo é vou tomar banho para sair para o trabalho a 10 anos escutando . Cd . Pendrive, agora no celular tecnologia avançam e meu amor pela música continua o mesmo

[@catianequadros719]

Eu a mesma coisa, acompanho o trabalho do Zach Condon até hje ❤️

[@danielafcosta]

Não me canso de ouvir e sentir esta música há tantos anos e ela ainda mexe com o corpo e alma da gente.

[@invaderzim4900]

Tem alguma coisa nela que mexe com a gente msm. É um mix de música circense com aquelas coisas meio celtas... Só sei que mexe com nossos sentimentos mais profundos...

[@isabeloliveira829]

É tudo perfeito: harmonia, instrumental, melodia Apaixonada desde a minissérie Capitu

[@lala-cg8xq]

saudade, beirut

[@danydmenezes]

Tive o privilégio de vê-los em Boston. Show intimo e maravilhoso. Que saudade!

[@ligiarodrigues1011]

Quando ouço essa música sinto vontade de sair dançando 💃💓💙

[@natalijabee]

Zach Condon is genius, I so love his music 💜💫

[@catianequadros719]

Em pleno 2022 eu aqui apreciando essa obra maravilhosa ❤️🇧🇷 Minha música preferida Que compôs parte da trilha da série sobre meu livro favorito ❤️

[@joshsolano4993]

Listening from Costa Rica ❤

[@brayanjesuscruzmendez14]

I love Beirut ❤️🇲🇽 Forever

[@carlinhacastro1230]

😍Eu sou completamente apaixonada

[@Unhrs]

Canção da minha vida! A mais linda do universo!

[@loivaduarte9450]

Capitu e Bentinho

[@geissonf.oliveira9071]

Obrigado pela essa canção e essa voz dos céus ....

Maluco, quanto brasileiro ahaha

[@annemacedocantora]

Rastros de Capitu

[@clcabral6243]

Essa música é uma obra clássica como a de Bethoven, Strauss, Shopin... Ela vai ser para sempre como todas as obras importantes da história é um prazer ser contemporâneo desses grupo Beirut!

[@zaidabanksnyc]

My beloved Zach ❤

[@mazzaseixas]

Amo!!

[@ayannacamillasantos8576]

Simplesmente apaixonada! ❤🥰

[@invaderzim4900]

I'm trying play it on ukulele. Great song!!!! Great job!

[@Diegoix5ks]

Se um dia adaptarem novamente no Brasil D.Casmurro do Machado de Assis para o cinema ou serie sem Elephante Gunn de Beirute não sera a mesma coisa ! Tambem enterrei meus sonhos aos 15 anos com essa música ! 😢🐘

[@farlcarl1]

The horns 🤤

[@saintblue]

Ah my favorite song of all time. I don't think it will ever change.

[@EmmaMcCarthy-wz4oh]

Beirut makes life worth living

[@TaylorElizabethAllen]

Wow

[@killthemasters]

why are they so underestimated

[@jaysong6495]

Paloma Gavioli I know right??? they are so amazing!

[@purpledancingseal3509]

are hey underestimated?

[@lczp]

PurpleDancingSeal ! They really aren't, in fact they're one of the most successful alternative bands I know...

[@purpledancingseal3509]

I agree, although I wish more of my friends would listen to them and appreciate them! (;

[@mahmoudsayed7622]

Life is not Fair !!

[@mirianrodrigues2422]

Top❤

[@KoalaSapiente1981]

This version is simply wonderful.

[@purpledancingseal3509]

It didn't seem as powerful as it usually is here. Maybe it's just me

[@vipelere]

the mastering is not good ... the engineers fault, not the band's ...

[@summerinspringville-hill]

It’s not in the same key.

[@cacioamado1219]

Não conheço música mais linda ;)

[@arivaldobrito3134]

Linda melodia!

[@ry-yu9qq]

why don't they sing anymore?

[@tiagomantovani2468]

👏👏❣️❣️❣️

[@miacardoso8216]

😍

[@esp522]

What instrument is he playing? Is like a 6 strings ukulele?

[@Nimlothful]

yep. C and A strings are doubled

[@oscarsalazar7658]

You have the titles on "Elephant Gun" and "Scenic world" mixed. Other than that it's great. I get to see them later this month in Oakland.

[@purpledancingseal3509]

lucky....I would literally be crying if I got to go!

[@JamieMadrox16]

❤

[@brunocaldas90]

💌❣️

[@adaxmoonyt3792]

What is the name of the last song?

[@Bollweevil_Bill]

No No No, off their latest album.

[@adaxmoonyt3792]

@@Bollweevil_Bill thank you!!!

[@crisgp4504]

Gomu gomu no elephant gun

[@erikkramer5931]

This is elephant gun u guys messed up

[@manelgomezolives965]

es cosa mia o la voz del cantante se parece mucho a rufus wainwright?

[@diegovargasdev]

What model of ukulele instrument are you using?

[@Anderson_Muller99]

Capitu

[@igor13112000]

I love Elephant Gun, it's my favorite music and always will be

[@leonardocamppos]

My favorite music too! ❤

[@mbecerra2010]

Lovely ride through sounds of bliss.

[@xOzymandiasx]

Espero algún día regresen a México ❤

[@Rosa_angela93]

Capitu ❤

[@suzanapaulino1675]

Simplesmente linda ❤❤❤.

[@laurentohannessian9948]

i am french......and i like sound.....voices.....alls

[@Sublime_37]

I think this was a great album to have in Chicago at that time we were there, and whenever they first released Nantes. 🙏🏽

[@moisesalves8510]

Aplausos!!!👏👏👏👏👏

[@darrylwiggins4799]

I stumbled onto to the great Zachary Condon by accident 12 years ago and never looked back.The man and his band are visionaries.

[@weeklyclose5322]

this is Beirut