With Beirut’s fourth full-length album, Zach Condon tries to steer away from other influences and return to his normal self. No No No represents a new beginning for Condon but it doesn’t quite show us where this new journey will lead, just that Beirut’s style is changing.
Beirut’s previous albums had influences ranging from Eastern European roots in Gulag Orkestar to French panache in The Flying Club Cub. This vast ethno influence set Condon apart from his indie rock counterparts yet No No No presents itself as very skeletal compared to his formative albums.
In an interview with NPR, Condon admits that the last four years was a time of creative despair and exhaustion. After being hospitalized in Sydney, Condon found solace in writing new music that was more subtle and implicit rather than orchestral and direct.
No No No begins with ‘Gibraltar’, an upbeat song with rhythmic bongos. The hopeful rhythm carries on through to the title track but quickly slumps down to indolent patterns with songs like ‘At Once’ and ‘As Needed’, both lacking inspiration. At first listen, the album leaves listeners unsatisfied with Condon’s underdeveloped ideas and bare-bones melodies. However after a few plays listeners begin to realize that the sparse brass and percussion notes are a nice change to the usual Beirut fanfare we are used to. Think of The Smiths but with more instrumental flair.
After four years, Beirut has dropped some exotic influence to uncover Condon’s true self. With only nine songs totalling 30 minutes, No No No is not so much an LP as it is a window into Condon’s developing creative mind.
