No No No

For this Beirut album, Zach Condon began a new approach, starting from scratch in Fall 2014 with nothing but an open mind and the musical camaraderie of bandmates Paul Collins (bass) and Nick Petree (drums). For two full months they hammered away daily, creating the foundations for what would evolve into No No No (as well as countless songs that would carpet the cutting room floor).

With winter approaching, he booked two weeks at a studio that, by sheer chance and unbeknownst to him, was located a few blocks from his home. This proximity would prove crucial, as the two weeks of recording turned out to overlap with some of the worst winter weather in NYC history - it was one of the coldest and snowiest on record - a fitting climax to the events of the past four years.

With his band by his side, No No No suddenly began to take shape, creating an exponentially productive excitement. Those two weeks in the studio, with blizzard after blizzard raging outside, resulted in Condon's most vibrant and spirited record to date. On past records, Condon composed mostly on his own, electronically, building on sounds and arrangements with ProTools. This time around, the songs were constructed live, in the moment, by the band, and are more concert-ready than ever as a result. The band was significantly stripped down: guitar, piano, bass, and drums formed the bulk of the arrangements as opposed to the more obscure instruments for which he was initially known. No No No opens with a sort of tribal drum beat, quickly giving way to a more western/modern snare sound and drum machine - a subtle wink at Beirut's own musical transformation.

There's a caffeinated exuberated throughout the entirety of the record. The opening songs are particularly upbeat and awake, reflective of Condon's newfound clarity, so much so in fact, that the fifth song, the instrumental breather 'As Needed' is exactly that - a necessary intermission. The second half picks up where it left off, with effervescent percussion across pop songs, often led by bubbly piano lines that showcase Condon's development as a pianist.

If the darkest hour is right before the dawn, Condon's dawn is the brightest point in his still-young career. He's found his true artistic identity as a songwriter - one that greatly abandons many of the formulas for which he was first known. The songwriter within Condon has always been there, albeit sonically veiled on past records. It's never been presented so prominently, and finds Beirut on its most stable and convincing footing yet