it's taken me three days to get around to blogging about this album, because i'm still not entirely sure how i feel about it. unconventionally, i've listened to it in addition to other albums for the past 3 mornings in a row, trying to come to terms with what it delivers and how i receive it.
on morning one, i wasn't convinced by it. i distinctly recalled the notion that it was very similar to my first reaction to david byrne (now one of my favourites) i knew it was technically clever, but i just didn't get it. i thought it was a bit obvious - it reminded me of some bad movie soundtrack where our intrepid protagonist ventures into deep mysterious places of the unknown, totally condescending the listener or fictional viewer("look, we're in the east... they do things different here"). in fairness, i was in a pretty foul mood that morning of the first listen.
subsequent listens - and more considered thought - have revealed a different side. the comparison to david byrne is unavoidable to me, right down to the extent that i think zach condon's voice actually sounds very similar to byrne's in parts. but also in the "borrowing" from world music. beirut do it more obviously, but also in a more comprehensive, unified way. the album is fuelled by clear eastern european influences dominated by horns, jangly polka, wicked accordians, and eccentric strummed instruments (any number of them....) i think perhaps my initial feeling of being patronised was based on the fact that i really adore eastern europe and the balkans - areas that this album inextricably links itself to - and it seemed a bit of a "once over lightly" on an area so full of cultural, historical and musical depth.
that said, it's full of great, slightly eccentric sounds, and is a really good listen. like sufjan stevens, and david byrne before him, it's a slightly strange sound, but an intelligent one that has really grown on me.
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