Lon Gisland - EP

Singer-songwriter Zach Condon, leader of Beirut, is still not yet of drinking age, but on his second release he shows himself far more than the one-trick pony his detractors warned about. The group has been included in articles depicting a supposed "new scene" of Balkan-inspired rock music, but the Eastern European influence is already starting to morph into something stranger and more original. The horns are delirious and remind the listener of Nino Rota's Fellini scores as much as the Hungarian group Muzsikas. For those not from the area, the EP's title reproduces the proper pronunciation of Long Island, an island in New York State located close to New York City, where Condon, a native of New Mexico, currently lives. This music is highly recommended to fans of the Decemberists who seek lyrics written from the heart rather than an eighteenth century thesaurus (ditto for Sufjan Stevens fans who've grown tired of that artist's cute, Wes Anderson-y gimmicks). Beirut were already one of the most promising bands in the country; they just inched themselves closer to fulfilling it with these five tunes.