Singled Out: A Sunday Smile by Beirut

There is no mistaking that familiar voice sailing along the swells of brassy, golden horns. The mouth it originates from moves swiftly, dragging out the last syllables of select words, or are those really words? They're more like sounds, cries of emotion that can't be tied down by wholly confining pre-established vocabulary, but freely delivers its message through its sheer volume and it lifts even the heaviest of hearts. We hear it fed through a megaphone, an audio trick that we've heard before, making his voice sound even more foreign and faraway than it already is.

The lone voice belongs to of course, Zach Condon, the one who brought us last year, The Gulag Orkestra, an album that for most of us ventured into unfamiliar territory that was filled with the hearty sounds of Balkan brass orchestras and made trumpets more than just mere solo decorations within songs, but centered the particular brass instrument in the spotlight and most likely inspired a mousy haired youngster out there to leave the finger-blistering guitar in the closet for a shiny, promising trumpet along with a much needed spit cup.

And yes this is one of the new songs off of the October 9th-slated album, The Flying Club Cup and it's called "A Sunday Smile". You may have heard it already from watching the Take Away Show presented by La Blogothèque, which Zach Condon preformed with one of his musical influences, The Kocani Orkestra. Without them, The Gulag Orkestra would probably never have existed, seeding its gypsy sounds within Condon, but this time for the new album, the seed was planted by the late musician and lyricist Jacques Brel.

From start to finish the song plays out like a circus affair, a towering Jack in the Box with the handle winding round and round, accordions squeezing the summer air and stretching to reveal a painted design like a flag unfurled caught in a breeze. The album is said to be the result of French influences both culturally and musically and the visual inspiration for Condon this time around was the photograph that is now gracing the cover of the album.

Beirut right now is somewhere in Brooklyn rehearsing for their upcoming tour that will hit off at Brooklyn's Masonic Temple on Sept. 20th, following two more New York dates and making their way to the somewhat major American cities before leaving on a jet plane to spend November in Europe.

I confess, I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am about The Flying Club Cup. The only thing that could possibly be better than the new album releasing, would be seeing Beirut themselves on Sept. 24th at the Wordless Music Series in New York at the Society for Ethical Culture venue.

If you're even doubting if it's worth to see them live, oh which is surely a crime, you had better watch the Take Away Show that features Condon with The Kocani Orkestra playing the reprise of "Siki Siki Baba" (scroll to the last video) and then you'll wish you were there just like I do every time I watch it and that whatever you did on July 30th, 2007 would never have topped standing in the Parisian venue, La Flèche d'Or and being part of the audience that happily sang and swayed as one. And if you are already convinced, you had better watch it anyways. It's the best live show footage I've seen in years, Vincent Moon is a mad hand-holding cameraman genuis!

Stream + Download + Purchase:

A Sunday Smile | Beirut

Links:

» Beirut's Official Site
» Pre-Order The Flying Club Cup
» Beirut's Official MySpace
» Beirut's Tour Dates
» La Blogothèque presents: #60.9-60.10 Beirut + The Koncani Orkestra playing "A Sunday Smile" (video)
» La Blogothèque presents: #60.1 Beirut + The Kocani Orkestra playing "Siki Siki Baba" reprise (video)
» YouTube: Zach Condon singing "Knife" by Grizzly Bear (video)
» The Kocani Orkestra's Official Site
» Wikipedia: Jacques Brel

~anne

Camera Crowd's Best of 2006

This year for music has been F-A-N-tastic: long-time favorites two-stepped back into the music world again. (look: Cat Power, Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens...) On the other hand, new favorites settled so quickly into our ears that we're almost scared to wonder if 2007 can top this year.

Okay, so we couldn't figure out who would get to write on these four albums, since we both loved them immensely and we mean immensely. To the point where Anne called dibs on all four of them, but realizing that wasn't exactly fair. We decided to rest assured that you knew who these four were and decided to not fistfight over googletalk about who gets to write about comeback Chan Marshall, Austin favorite indie pop Voxtrot, Jenny Lewis's first solo album or Voxtrot-keyboardist Jared Van Fleet's solo EP. Although it would be interesting to see how that would go over.

Camera Crowd's Picks
(Not in any order)

The Greatest Cat Power

Living Proof - Cat Power



Rabbit Fur Coat Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins

Rise Up with Fists - Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins




Falls Sparrow House

foxes (sighing like a furnace) - Sparrow House






Your Biggest Fan Voxtrot

Trouble - Voxtrot



Anne's Picks


Lightness Peter and the Wolf
Some bloggers have touched on Peter and the Wolf, but too few haven't even mentioned Red Hunter's first official release Lightness. This album revolves around Hunter's seemingly hundred-year old voice is full of wisdom and comes off as if its owner has traveled every corner of the world and sat down to tell stories, which is of course in the form of the songs. Ooooh along, listeners!

The Highway - Peter and the Wolf

Gulag Orkestra Beirut
A breath of fresh air and lifts the listener out of troubles and into the cobblestone European scenery. There is plenty to sing and dance along to and youngster Zach Condon is the tour guide around the place providing a warm golden trumpet sound to melt anyone's heart.


After the Curtain - Beirut

The Life Pursuit Belle and Sebastian
Hello, polished version of Belle and Sebastian. For longtime, B&S fans this may sound fatal and a sure sign of disappointment, but relax it only means a new direction for this catchy Scottish band. This album introduces Stuart Murdoch flexing his voice into new places making the listener think twice during "Sukie in the Graveyard" and double-checking it wasn't a David Bowie song lost in the mix. Lively electric guitar solos and in-the-gut drums rolls the album forward while hooking onto your pants to throw you in the passenger seat along for the ride into the new horizon.

Sukie In The Graveyard - Belle and Sebastian


Charlie's Picks

5:55 Charlotte Gainsbourg
Having influences from her world famous father Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte easily infuses together a feeling of calmness and rush in this album. With help from the band electronic pop band Air, listening to Charlotte Gainsbourg's 5:55 is like going on a short drive while cars blur by and slowing down time, creating this tiny moment of peace.

5 55 - Charlotte Gainsbourg

Show Your Bones Yeah Yeah Yeahs
A lot of people I know counted out Show Your Bones because it brought out a totally different sound compared to Fever To Tell. This time around, Karen O and the gang provides us with a much softer sound, not the Yeah Yeah Yeahs we know. And was this a bad idea? Absolutely not! Give this album a couple of listens and it'll reveal the other side of YYY's we weren't familiar with. The softer side that still packs a powerful punch.

Cheated Hearts - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Ys Joanna Newsom
It's pronounced (ees) and it was on a lot of bloggers favourite list. Joanna Newsom and Ys lived up to the hype of many bloggers and critics. It's nothing but praise for this 55 minute beautifully painted canvas of music. I just hope, with 2007 right in the corner, bloggers and critics would focus more on her music rather than what she wears on her shows. I recommend getting into Milk-Eyed Mender first before getting your hands and ears on a copy of Ys.

Cosmia - Joanna Newsom


love, Team Camera Crowd
(Anne and Charlie)

Camera Crowd Holiday Gift Guide

Christmas is only two weeks away and if you still don't know what to get your friends or what to do with that $10 bucks you have left, don't panic. Here at the Camera Crowd, we've come up with some neat gift ideas, ones that won't burn your wallet, a couple that will, and several that will go towards a good cause. Also just because we link to one store, does not mean you can't shop around. So if you let out a humbug at the price, shop around before that perfect gift is officially off your list.

Finally, sometimes the best gift you can give to someone isn't something tangible that you can get with a swipe of a credit card. Spend some money here and there, but most importantly spend time with the people you love. Cheesy yes, but this part is easily forgotten when people are agonizing over finding that "perfect gift".

Let's start off with some picks and a few random things we thought were cool.

Charlie's Picks:

CD's:

Voxtrot : Raised By Wolves
Your Biggest Fan just came out but Voxtrot's first EP, Raised By Wolves is by far my favourite out of all them. All five tracks are just loveable. If you're planning a 25 minute party for yourself anytime in the future, then this CD that started it all is a must.

Raised By Wolves - Voxtrot

Buy Me

Phoenix : It's Never Been Like That
This Parisian quartet can easily explode and be the next "it" band. I got a first taste of Phoenix two years ago after seeing Lost in Translation. They have a "perfect for radio" sound, so get to know Phoenix before the teeny boppers take over.

Long Distance Call - Phoenix

Buy Me


Oh No! Oh My! : Oh No! Oh My!
Another band from good ol' Austin. Oh No! Oh My! will have you singing, whistling, and head bobbing. Seriously! A bird outside my room tweeted along with the the tunes of "Walk In The Park." I had to stop the song cause it was just getting creepy.

I Have No Sister - Oh No! Oh My!

Buy Me



Dvd:

Amelie
You know I love my French flicks, and this is just one of them. Played by my favourite actress, Audrey Tautou, Amelie goes on a quirky mission to make everyone happy and at the same time chasing true love.
Buy Me



Jeux d'enfants ( Love me if you dare) English Title
It's another French movie, starring the beautiful Marion Cotillard. It started out as a harmless game between a boy and a girl, as time passed by, the dares get tougher and began torturing their lives. It's a crazy adventure from beginning to the twisty end.
Buy Me


The Simpsons on DVD (any season available right now; 1-9)
The Simpsons is by far my favourite sitcom out there. It's one of the longest sitcom still running up to this day, I remember seeing the first episodes of The Simpsons when I was around 8. Classic man, classic.
Buy Me



Anne's Picks

CD's:

Beirut: Gulag Orkestra
Hearing this, makes me feel like I'm walking down the cobblestone paths of Europe and a group of troubadours are playing on the sidewalk with every possible instrument you could imagine. You can't help but to have fun to sing, dance and clap along to.

Postcards From Italy | Beirut

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Sparrow House: Falls [EP]
Sit back and take a breather this holiday to Sparrow House's soothing debut EP, you deserve it. To the lone guitar on "When I am Gone" and "Last Fall" to the a fuller lush sound of "You Sang Along" and "Blindfold Waltz", this is the cure to those bad days. Curious? Read our lengthier post on Sparrow House and Falls.

Foxes (sighing like a Furnace) | Sparrow House

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Sufjan Stevens: Songs for Christmas [box set]

I hope you've heard about Sufjan's box set by now, if not you probably either live under a rock or just woke up from a coma. Aside from all of that, don't feel embarassed, but do treat yourself to the Christmas covers and new Christmas favorites that Sufjan Stevens presents in five volumes. Stream the whole thing here!

{We will have a post soon with more downloads and information on to learn how to win one!}

Put The Lights On The Tree | Sufjan Stevens

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DVD's:

The Office: Season Two
Michael Scott, the "best boss in the world", is in charge of Dunder Mifflin, a paper company based in Scranton, PA. Although, this already sounds too dull to be a TV show, it really isn't, thanks to the power-hungry, though harmless Dwight and down-to-earth Jim who pulls pranks on him. Pam is the receptionist who assists Jim in the mischief of annoying Dwight to his wits. Through all that we have Michael Scott and his antics trying to make his employees think he is funny and a good boss. This is shot documentary style or some call it mockumentary and there are parts where you have a character who just talks to the camera. This is not slapstick humor, where someone gets hit with a wrench, this is subtle humor that lasts in the long run.

Buy Me


A Charlie Brown Christmas
There is nothing that beats this Christmas classic. It offers something to all ages. When I was younger I'd enjoy it for the animated characters and songs and now I also discover the subjects they touch on too: the question of whether consumerism has "consumed" us with the tin-colored Christmas trees. The lonely neglected tree that Charlie Brown brought to his friends. Make some hot chocolate and feel like a kid again.




Buy Me


Almost Famous
Possibly my favorite movie of all time. William Miller is a 15 year old outcast growing up under the wings of a protective mother gets thrust into the world of rock 'n' roll writing for Creem magazine and soon Rolling Stone magazine. The movie was based on the director, Cameron Crowe's own life as a teenager writing for Rolling Stone. This coming of age story will make you feel every emotion possible and will shuttle William and the viewer through the '70s when rock 'n' roll was on the edge of falling into the jaws of money machines.


Buy Me

Camera Crowd's Picks:



Holga
The cool thing about the Holga is that you don't have to be a great photographer and the pictures that will come out will look pretty amazing. This is for casual photographers and also a lot of seasoned photographers love it too. It's plastic and is easy to carry around, each with a neat color wheel to tint the photo if you'd like! Every Holga is different; light leaks and scratches enhance the individuality of every Holga. Learn more about Holga and just look at some of these!



Buy Me


Yellow Bird Project Tee Shirt
Get a name crossed off your list and help out, cool huh? Not only that but these tee shirts are designed by some of our favorite bands: Rilo Kiley, Stars, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Devendra Banhart and more! It's called the Yellow Bird Project and it's a nonprofit organization working to raise awareness of the charities and the bands that design the tees. The bands themselves choose which charity the money goes towards and all the shirts are printed on American Apparel.

Buy Me



Filter Magazine Subscription
The gift that keeps on giving, well at least for one year. Give a magazine gift subscription, they may not be "wowed" on Christmas Day, but they will thank you for the rest of the 364 days when they don't have to go out and buy it themselves. Instead, it will just arrive in their mailbox all ready to read with the morning cereal. Also the Filter magazines that are bought in Barnes & Nobles and any other bookstores don't have the sampler that is included every issue for the subscribers and who does not want a nice mix CD once in awhile? For the people who like to keep up with music, movies and all good stuff like that.

Buy Me



Poketo Wallet
Durable vinyl wallets that has unique designs on them that can fit in your pocket! They hold coins, bills and credit cards, the usual stuff is now organized in a neat two-fold wallet that the owner just can't stop showing it off.


Buy Me/more designs

Flickr Pro account
For the avid photographers and also to the ones who don't want to resize every single photo they take to fit the 100mb limit. Unlike the limit of having only 200 photos uploaded onto a free Flickr account, people with pro-account has unlimited storage and no monthly limit. Also unlimited photosets, ad-free browsing, permanent archiving of all the photos you upload and the ability to replace a photo. Convinced yet?

Buy Me

~Charlie and Anne (team cameracrowd)