Beirut’s second album, Lon Gisland is a warm breeze to be had on these cold winter days. If you had the opportunity to hear their first release, then you should expect to be blessed with much of the same — accordions uncoiling well-arranged notes, horns swelling and calming, sometimes even standing on their own as solo achievements and a percussion section that always carries on with little emotion but just the right amount of rhythm to keep the cacophony of sounds flowing. Vocals prepared in a way that just seem to hover and change with the breeze created by the brass. Sure, there could be less of an airy squall to the mix, but if removed it’d probably lose the last lo-fi charm that was a carryover from Gulag Orkestar. The arrangements are still lacking in the kind of depth you’d expect from a band that churns out this style of music with the multitude of instruments that are being played. But this release leaves me anxious for the next release when they develop that element of their sound into something that will detour the voices from the sidelines that want to compare Beirut to the Neutral Milk Hotel and cast them out as rip offs. Call it what you will — Balkan, Gypsy or even a Neutral Milk Hotel rip-off, but do it with some hesitancy because these guys will produce something in the very near future that is more than likely going to make you second guess the premature comparisons.

There is so much potential for Zach Condon and whichever cast of accomplices he chooses to join him on what all music lovers hope and wish to be a long career (or, at least the pursuit thereof.) His lyrics are youthful, and by that I do mean that they do come off a bit immature and fragile, but who cares? If you’ve read any other review about either one of Beirut’s releases, I’m sure you will have been well educated as to Zach Condon’s tender age (20-ish) being a factor when it comes to the lyric writing. Who cares? This music is devoted to the clear breezy afternoons when it’s warm enough to swim but cold enough to cuddle. This is the music that you’ve been waiting for to pop the cork off that bottle of fine red wine and just kick back. It does appear to be a bit bombastic sometimes and cool and refined at others but you should enjoy the plethora of sounds, the foreign tinge and the melodies – I guarantee you the next artist on your iPod won’t sound anything like it, unless it’s Trio Mopmu.