Comments on: Beirut Music Videos

Beirut Music Videos

Corduroy — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:15:43 -0800

The band Beirut released the Flying Club Cup on October 9th, and La Blogothèque has filmed unique, one take, on the spot, mostly public 'music videos' of each track.

1- Nantes 2- Sunday Smile 3- Guyamas Sonora 4- La Banlieue 5- Cliquot 6- The Penalty 7- La Fete 8- In the Mausoleum 9- Un Dernier Verre 10- Cherbourg 11- St. Apollonia 12- The Flying Club Cup (Some of the writing below the belows the videos is pretty effusive, but the music and videos are still impressive.) Here are a couple more traditional Beirut music videos. And here is one I like of Josè González by the same people.

By: billypilgrim

billypilgrim — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:42:36 -0800

I could listen to Beirut all day.

By: sleepy pete

sleepy pete — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:56:05 -0800

Nice post, Corduroy. I like Beirut's stuff, but around my house dude tends to be known as Morriseynikov. We went to see them play last year, but became too annoyed and left because it was too crowded and the people around us were too stupid to live. We did catch A Hawk and a Hacksaw, who were amazing.

By: deafmute

deafmute — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:58:14 -0800

You neglected to mention the two songs Beirut played live in Paris also for the excellent La Blogotheque. Great post. I love these videos.

By: treepour

treepour — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:03:35 -0800

Great stuff -- the videos and music are both wonderful. Thanks for the post!

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:09:26 -0800

+1 Takeaway Show -1 I CAN'T STAND HIS VOICE SOUNDS LIKE A SMARMY ASSHOLE AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY AHH. Anybody else feel similarly?

By: The Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:17:47 -0800

I say to this, yay. Yay!

By: The Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:21:40 -0800

No, wemayfreeze. Yay!

By: Mid

Mid — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:53:00 -0800

This is great.

By: squasha

squasha — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:57:21 -0800

Sorry, wemayfreeze, another yay! from the hinterlands of Japan....

By: andeles

andeles — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:02:23 -0800

This is great timing - I just bought the album a few days ago, and have been listening to it incessantly. Now I have music videos to go along with it! Yay!

By: dnial

dnial — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:31:53 -0800

Wow, the concert à emporter series is insanely good thank you!

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:33:08 -0800

Take Away Shows is the core website to look at, here. It's been linked on Mefi before, and should be again, until the end of time. Dozens of bands, great shows. Go look.

By: lazaruslong

lazaruslong — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:23:24 -0800

Love these guys. Thank you so much.

By: tmcw

tmcw — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:28:50 -0800

- Too tired to find the link, but there was a schtick where Zach had the first two videos done in Paris, wanted the French director to film the album videos, and then basically passed out from exhaustion and cancelled a ton of shows. Luckily he got better.

By: theiconoclast31

theiconoclast31 — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:34:37 -0800

And suddenly all the Beirut fans come out of the woodwork... myself included.

By: anifinder

anifinder — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:47:38 -0800

These videos are great, I had no idea Beirut had a new album out; just grabbed it off Amazon, thanks!

By: rollerball

rollerball — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 04:57:56 -0800

i can see what wemayfreeze means about the voice but i love them and the music so much that i like the voice. but i could see, finding it smarmy if i wasn't into them. That's how i feel about Decemberists' guy voice, it's like so snmug and self-satisfied that i can't listen to the music. also ok, is that McCarren park/tennis courts where they are playing in The Penalty? I used to play tennis there, it woulda been neat if beirut had been playing at the time! aw

By: statolith

statolith — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:32:37 -0800

I'm with you, wemayfreeze.

By: Corduroy

Corduroy — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 08:42:31 -0800

Thanks for the other links deafmute and LobsterMitten! I'm with rollerball on this. I've always really liked his voice, though I can definitely see why someone might not like it. But I think his voice is complimented very well by the style of music he plays, and the sort of drunk or dizzy persona he seems to put on in a lot of these videos (which is often accented by the spinning camera).

By: HotPatatta

HotPatatta — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 10:51:19 -0800

Love Beirut. They were in LA a few months ago and the opening act act was one of the members of his band. I think they are all in a few bands and each of the band members plays backup in the others' bands.

By: HotPatatta

HotPatatta — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 10:54:09 -0800

I never have time to find good music. Beirut was recommended to me by a friend. If I like Beirut and Jose Gonzalez, what else might I enjoy?

By: lazaruslong

lazaruslong — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:11:36 -0800

HotPatatta: You would probably really dig Devotchka.

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:06:31 -0800

What's the deal with this guy, anyway? He sounds like a Parisian poet fantasizing about gypsy folk groups in the Balkan, and he's from... Albuquerque. Disclaimer: I'm a fan. Also: some background on the advance release drama, from this thread.

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:08:01 -0800

Also, La Blogothèque's Take Away Shows are consistently good, IMO. See this stellar Arcade Fire one.

By: sparkletone

sparkletone — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 17:11:40 -0800

Just about all the Takeaway Shows are winners, but the Beirut stuff is a stand out. My favorite track both here and on the album is Cliquot, and I think I kinda prefer this version more. Mostly because I <3 Ed from Grizzly Bear.

By: naoko

naoko — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:57:39 -0800

Ooh, I LOVE Beirut. I get why some people don't like the guy's voice, but it doesn't bug me - listening to enough Neutral Milk Hotel probably makes you immune (and in general NMH seems like the most obvious influence for these guys, if you ask me).

By: naoko

naoko — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:59:34 -0800

(Love the "Morrisseynikov " comment though - I like Morrissey and I still find that totally hilarious.)

By: rottytooth

rottytooth — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:39:25 -0800

I like their sound a lot, but got bored of them pretty fast. They lack soul.