I love Beirut. I love this album.
Lots of critics have ripped on No No No, saying it is too melancholy, or too simple. Gosh, who hasn't had a melancholy day, or needed some simplicity after a tough time in their life? I love this album not because it's his best album to date (The Rip Tide is my favorite), but because this album is the best representation of his current emotionalI love Beirut. I love this album.
Lots of critics have ripped on No No No, saying it is too melancholy, or too simple. Gosh, who hasn't had a melancholy day, or needed some simplicity after a tough time in their life? I love this album not because it's his best album to date (The Rip Tide is my favorite), but because this album is the best representation of his current emotional state. One that I think we can all identify with from time to time.
The album opens up with Gibraltar, a simple piano melody and upbeat tempo. This song is missing the trademark brass arrangements, but it still sounds very Beirut. I've been hearing it on the radio some, and it fits right in with other alternative pop/rock.
After Gibraltar is the title track, No No No. This track opens up with some electronic bouncy melody, a la "Scenic World," but ditches it after the intro. I wish it would have stuck around, I liked it a lot. The chorus brings back the brass arrangements we all love.
Fener is my favorite track on the album. It's a much different sound than what we are used to from Beirut, but in a great way. Some hints of psychedelic pop mixed in with the piano and brass from earlier in the album. As Needed is another interesting track - an instrumental with lots of strings, which brings Andrew Bird to mind.
Pacheco is my least favorite track. The tempo is rather somber. However, I don't hate it. I just wish it had a little more life.
What I liked even less is the production quality on this album. Overall, I find it to be very raw, a demo mix at best. There's very few electronic effects (outside of basic reverb/compression), which could have brought a new twist to this album. The stereo field is mostly very narrow - the vocals usually stay dead center with very few moments of harmony/overdubbing. I would also say the mix is very dark. The piano, Rhodes, brass, baritone vocals, and dull snare drum all mash together in the 300-500 Hz range to create a rather mushy/muddy sound. There's not much contrast in the tone/timbre between all of the instruments. Mixing is always a matter of taste, but I suppose my tastes prefer a wider sonic band.
Overall, I really enjoy this album, though few others seem to feel the same way. I would love to hear more from Beirut in the near future!… Expand