2006 debut album from Beirut. Originally a solo project from Santa Fe-based musician Zach Condon, Beirut would expand to a full band, with Gulag Orkestar being their critically-acclaimed debut. Most of the album was hatched in Condon's bedroom and later put together layer by layer with help from his friends Jeremy Barnes (of Neutral Milk Hotel) and Heather Trost, who would later become contributors to the band. The resulting sound fuses Balkan Folk and traditional European music with an indie twist. Official 2019 reissue on Beirut's own Pompeii imprint, 11 tracks in all.

• black vinyl pressing
• music label: Pompeii 2019

reviewed by TKB 12/2014