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AV Club interviews Zach Condon of Beirut

Beirut’s gorgeous, lush chamber pop blew away critics when the band—the heart of which is singer/songwriter Zach Condon—debuted in 2006 with Gulag Orkestar. Hailed widely as a fresh folk voice, the Eastern European flair that showed on on that record was a hint of the international taste Condon would exhibit on future records, including 2007’s The Flying Cup Club. A recent interview with the A.V. Club reveals   that Condon has been keeping busy, working on a sountrack for a film that’s unfortunately been scrapped. It’s also proved to be a further exploration of that international taste, as Condon traveled to Oaxaca to record with a Mexican marching band.

There was certainly a cultural exchange that went with the experience. Besides trying crickets—apparently a local specialty—Condon realized that more than a mere language barrier separate him from the band. Music is an international language, right? Not quite. His sense of melody wasn’t always the same as there’s, and vice versa. There were times when they couldn’t try things at all because a musical experiment would get lost in translation. And there were times when things just clicked.

If you haven’t had the chance to hear Beirut live, you should consider getting concert tickets. Beirut tickets can be purchased at StubHub.com.