Like many of Beirut’s albums, understanding how ‘Hadsel’ was conceived and recorded is important, but only gets you so far. After a ruthless touring schedule and the pandemic Zach Condon, Beirut’s front and often only man, withdrew to a Norwegian church to assemble the follow up to 2019’s ‘Gallipoli’. Despite its reverent, deep organ mingling with weaving Nordic choruses throughout, ‘Hadsel’ emerges as a mostly joyful and surprisingly spirited album.
Condon’s primary instrument is his sonorous baritone, which he often replicates and mirrors here to build counterpoint and harmony. That said, the lyrics are subtle and often indistinguishable as he mutates his voice to resemble a French horn or a bass clarinet. This blends impressively well with his arrangements.
Songs feel full of meaning as the vocal lines arch and soar — you seem to know exactly what he means by the third time the chorus of So Many Plans pushes through. “We had so many plans / This had to end, this had to end,” he sings. It's powerful stuff.
The record's cross rhythms and castanets, frequently recalling a calypso, are an unexpected delight within its otherwise melancholic textures, while Island Life and Baion openly court Latin American beats.
Such virtuosic stylings point to the maturity of the creator. Condon, a one-time wunderkind offering somewhat ersatz impressions of Balkan brass and mariachi, long ago blossomed into a musical auteur. Beirut is in full flow.
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