beirut
Album Review: Snakeskin –‘We Live In Sand’: Enlightening, intense dream pop from the ever impressive Beirut duo.
Lebanese, electronic dream pop duo Snakeskin don’t so much shed layers from release to release, they harden their resolve, reinforcing their messaging into songs which are even more powerful and defining. Formed by singer-songwriter Julia Sabra, of alt-rock/experimental scene stalwarts Postcards, and Fadi Tabbal, founder/producer at Beirut’s irreplaceable Tunefork studios, Snakeskin’s soundscape first emerged in …
Album Review: Yara Asmar – ‘everyone I love is sleeping and i love them so so much’ : Extraordinary electro-acoustic stories crafted from simple things.
Tinkering, testing, tuning and transforming, Yara Asmar is a restlessly inquisitive multi-instrumentalist. Since her debut release on Hive Mind, ‘Home Recordings 2018-2021’ the Beirut- based musician has used music boxes and metallophones, accordion and toy pianos to sculpt her sonic narrative. It’s not Art Ensemble avant or Cage-ist experimentalism powering her practice though, the pull …
Album Review: SANAM –‘Sametou Sawtan’: Absorbing, ambitious free rock fusion from the peerless Lebanese six-piece.
It takes a singular vision to bring something new to the post rock table these days, loud/quiet trajectories and obtuse time signatures have long been overplayed, but Lebanese sextet SANAM definitely are a band that deliver that much needed fresh perspective. The group’s members (Sandy Chamoun /vocals, Antonio Hajj /bass, Farah Kaddour/buzuq, Anthony Sahyoun/ guitar …
Album Review: Prefaces – ‘Acqua Marina’: Cinematic surf rock and dream-state instrumentals from the singular Beirut trio.
If you thought the limits of surf-rock had been reached by Gitkin or Ribot or Khruangbin then the Beirut trio Prefaces have other ideas. Formed around the mercurial and prolific multi-instrumentalist Charif Megarbane, convener of the Cosmic Analogue Ensemble and more, with Fender expressionist Salim Naffah plus drumming dynamo Pascal Semerdjian from the mighty Sanam, …
Album Review: Charbel Haber, Nicolás Jaar and Sary Moussa- ‘Crashing waves…’: A breath-taking electro-acoustic journey which reaches beyond the moment.
Disseminating experimental/alternative music from the myriad of vibrant scenes across the SWANA region to the wider world has been Ruptured Music’s generous undertaking for over fifteen years. Its creative source keeps giving and its curational insight keeps providing. Enter amongst the label’s significant June releases, the poignantly titled ‘Crashing waves dance to the rhythm set …
Meet: Zach Condon / Beirut ahead of his new album A Study of Losses and European dates
After a prolific yet challenging few years, Zach Condon returns with A Study of Losses, the most expansive Beirut album to date. Commissioned as a soundtrack for a Swedish acrobatic stage show, the 18-track odyssey explores themes of disappearance, preservation, and impermanence—taking inspiration from lost civilizations, extinct species, and fading memories. Blending indie pop, chamber …
Track: Beiruts New Single ‘Guericke’s Unicorn’ is a Synth-Pop Gem, Heralding an Ambitious Album
Beirut’s latest single, Guericke’s Unicorn, is a bubbling, harmony-soaked synth-pop track that showcases Zach Condon’s trademark yearning vocals. It has a hopeful yet slightly wistful nature, striking a delicate balance between melancholy and optimism. Deliciously melodic and immediately attractive, the song is an intriguing outlier on the upcoming album A Study of Losses, hinting at …
Album Review : Yara Asmar-‘synth waltzes and accordion laments’ : an electro-acoustic journey of deep emotion and rippling beauty.
Here’s a little booster for the difficult days ahead. Lebanese multi-instrumentalist and puppeteer Yara Asmar once again ushers in those intimate, close-knit vibes we so need with her new release ‘synth waltzes and accordion laments’ on the irrepressible Hive Mind Records. It was last September when we were gifted the tiny gem of her ‘Home …
Track/Video : Lebanese multi-instrumentalist Yara Asmar announces emotional new album ‘synth waltzes and accordion laments’ with the rippling beauty of ‘come back later’.
Autumn is the perfect time to encounter experimental musician Yara Asmar’s drifting music. Last September we were gifted the tiny gem of her ‘Home Recordings 2018 – 2021’ cassette, a soundtrack of detailed exquisite portraits from the Beirut streets and houses around her. The tunes had a warm glow, an illusive presence made real by …
Album review: Beirut – ‘Artifacts’: a masterful and beautiful voyage through Zach Condon’s early years in EPs, Bs and offcuts
MISSION CREEP. One of those pseudo-economic terms that make the decent among us go “eeep”, defined in dictionary terms as “a gradual shift in objectives, often resulting in an unplanned long-term commitment.” We’ve all seen it happen: something which starts to sprawl out of control in a Mandelbrot set of projects within projects within projects …