On the trail of Gypsy Balkan-Folk in Beirut...
Second Extras? No Thanks.
Beirut(Originally published from Metro)
There is so much about 20-year-old Zach Condon that appears, quite frankly, unbelievable.
At the age of 15 he recorded an album of mournful electro-pop. By his next birthday he’d recorded an entire album of doo-wop songs inspired by Frankie Lymon the Teenagers. Not long after that he was dropping out of school, trekking across Europe and being blown away by ancient folk music.
Some internet bloggers, though, are having none of it. They suggest Condon’s a fantasist who never left his bedroom in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“There is one bit of inaccuracy,” says Condon, “I was 17 going on 18 when I was travelling across Europe.
What I think it is they mix up is that they want this big, fantastical story of this big voyage through Europe, of soul searching and finding this music. That part is definitely true as well, but I don’t feel like pushing the romantic aspect of it”.
Even so, without such travels Condon wouldn’t have been gripped by Balkan-Gypsy folk music, in particular the Boban Markovi?
Orchestra, and wouldn’t have styled such inspirational music, either. He began writing in this genre upon returning to Albuquerque. And in an incredible twist of fate, hometown musician Jeremy Barnes, from Neutral Milk Hotel and A Hawk And A Hacksaw, and another traveling convert to European folk, offered personal assistance.
“The coincidence was bizarre,” says Jeremy Barnes, “I was asked to perform a show in Albuquerque, as I’d never actually performed there, and was looking for like-minded musicians to support me, so Zak was suggested. I ended up agreeing to play drums on his record”.
Under the moniker of Beirut, Condon assembled Gulag Orkestar quickly and cheaply.
It was an immediate underground sensation. After all, it’s not often a collection of Balkan folk stompers poleaxes the indie firmament. Condon’s spartan but tunefully pretty songs, and powerfully mesmirising voice, casts a hazy spell via battered accordions, violins and tinny ukuleles.
Tracks such as Postcards From Italy, a wonderful lovelorn masterwork in the mould of Rufus Wainwright, and Scenic World, a nod to Condon’s love of Magnetic Fields, are brimming with remarkable clarity and beauty.
Yet for all the subtle musical hybrids, Gulag Orkestar isn’t entirely unprecedented. There’s a similar brassy drama in places to Arcade Fire’s touchstones, Neutral Milk Hotel (not helped by Barnes presence).
And despite the fierce bidding war in the UK (they’ve signed to 4AD), Gulag Orkestar isn’t quite a stone cold underground classic, either. Condon’s lyrics and teen-angst concerns don’t match the maturity of his compositional skills. Nevertheless, it’s still a huge achievement and a year’s highlight.
“The first time I was aware that the album was taking off was through the internet,” says Condon, explaining the album’s quick ascension. “Before that I never took the internet seriously until it started to work for me. Since then, it’s been unstoppable.
”
Why should this be the case? Why should sea-shanty-esque folk and Bavarian beer music be a big hit with tastemakers? It can’t all be down to boredom with The Killers, can it?
“You always get clusters of bands following a similar sound,” says Condon, “and I think there is boredom with that 1980s Anglo-rock guitar sound. It’s reached the point where anything remotely different will be quickly picked up.”
“I also think people appreciate the beauty of this music in the same way we did when we first heard it,” says Barnes.
“Of course, there’s romanticism about ancient music that gives it a special, otherworldly aura.”
Nevertheless, neither Beirut nor A Hawk And A Hacksaw panders to self-conscious novelty or quirkiness. The highly accomplished caliber of their live performances shows a serious commitment to their chosen field.
“Except that wasn’t about finding the right technically gifted musicians,” says Condon, “most of Beirut consist of friends. Basically we’re all amateurs, but who just accidentally sound amazing.”
Extras Where did it all go wrong?
Last year Extras, the comedy series by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, suggested the pair were not ‘one trick ponies’. Although not as exceptional or insightful as the rightly sainted Office, it contained more than enough observational brilliance to warrant further garlands. With the second Extras series, it seems ‘where did it all go wrong’ is the fitting response.
Firstly, Gervais and Merchant chartered Andy Millman’s ascension far too quickly. After all, in The Office it took two series and two Christmas specials before there was a glimmer of good news for David Brent. So by giving Millman the fame and fortune he so desperately craved for by the end of Series One, it ripped out the heart and pathos of Extras original premise.
Ideally, another series of demeaning extra work and put downs from Greg would have worked better.
In episode one, though, the changed format seemed very promising indeed. Millman’s When the Whistle Blows sitcom – easily the highlight of the whole series – captured the queasy trash of downmarket sitcoms.
Although it had the feel of Frank Skinner’s terrifyingly banal Shane, it was actually based on Simon Nye’s Hardware, featuring former Office star Martin Freeman (who shamefully implied it was better than The Office). Millman’s Ray character is basically an impersonation of Ken ‘Reg Holdsworth’ Morley, who also starred (mostly silently, actually) in Hardware too. Millman’s descent into corrosive, what-am-I-doing doubt suggested that Gervais and Merchant were scaling new heights of quiet drama.
Alas it wasn’t to be.
By the series end, something odd had happened. Millman was no longer expressing loathing for his sitcom, but appeared comfortable with its very existence.
And for a show that had been widely regarded as a bad joke in episodes 1, 2 and 3, why was Millman feted by other celebrities at the end? Even Jonathan Ross wouldn’t want to hang out with someone who’d created something as awful as When The Whistle Blows. But then, like so much about this series, Extras 2 said more about the life of Ricky Gervais than Andy Millman; and none more so than the almost gratuitous use of ‘celebrity’ cameos throughout the series.
The appearance of Robert De Niro at the end of episode six, for instance, was simply to show off that - hey -we can pull big names. It’s doubtful whether they can do so again.
Whereas in Series One Gervais and Merchant had Ross Kemp saying to the camera ‘I’m not a very good actor’, in Extras 2 they gave everyone either an easy ride or bore no resemblance to their personas.
Who could be a better target than David Bowie? ‘So David, how much cocaine were you taking when you believed you could act?’ ‘Are you going to play Laughing Gnome for us’ etc etc.
While critics thought Gervais and Merchants send up of Chris Martin was ‘genius’, it actually let him off the hook far too easily. No doubt the endless flow of cameos was supposed to lend ‘authenticity’ to the celeb-caked world at the BBC. In fact, it merely stretched the bounds of believability and compounded predictability, too.
Yet the biggest flaw of Extras 2 was the diminishing role for Ashley Jensen’s Maggie Jacobs. It’s noticeable on their DVDs that Gervais is not exactly generous about their co-stars. Jacobs was easily the star of Extras 1 (she has the awards to prove it); so it’s not too fanciful to suggest that maybe Gervais and Merchant didn’t want her to be bigger than they are.
How else do we explain that Merchant’s Darren Lamb (admittedly a funny enough character) seemed to dominate so many scenes? Or that there were hardly any stand-alone scenes featuring Jensen's Maggie? To downplay such a gifted actress, and beautifully observed character, back-fired spectacularly on the programmes appeal.
Aside from this, there was also a sense that Gervais and Merchant hadn’t worked hard enough on the script. There were too many gags merely repeated from Series One and not enough heart. Thankfully, there isn’t to be another series of Extras.
There is no doubt Gervais and Merchant are highly talented enough to pull off comedy gold again. This time, Extras 2 simply wasn’t it.
News RSS