Gulag Orkestar

2006 studio album by Beirut

Gulag Orkestar

Studio album by

Beirut

Released| May 9, 2006
Genre| Balkan folk
Length| 37:25
Label| Ba Da Bing
Beirut chronology
|  | Gulag Orkestar
(2006)  | Lon Gisland
(2007)

|
|

Gulag Orkestar is the debut album of Beirut. It was recorded in 2005 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Gulag was a Soviet government agency administering criminal justice, while orkestar is the Serbo-Croatian word for "orchestra".

It is written in the booklet that the front and back photos were found in a library in Leipzig, torn out of a book. The original photographer was unknown to the creators of the album while it was recorded, but has since been discovered to be Sergey Chilikov.[1]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 80/100[2]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [3]
Entertainment Weekly| B+[4]
The Guardian| [5]
NME| 8/10[6]
The Observer| [7]
Pitchfork| 7.7/10[8]
Q| [9]
Rolling Stone| [10]
Uncut| [11]
The Village Voice| B+[12]

The album has received great critical acclaim and was later re-released to include the Lon Gisland EP.

As of 2009, sales in the United States have exceeded 79,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[13]

## Track listing

[edit]

Many song titles are named after toponyms in Europe, such as cities, states and neighborhoods. Prenzlauerberg is a locality in Berlin. Brandenburg and Rhineland are geographical areas in Germany. Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia.

All tracks are written by Zach Condon.

No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "The Gulag Orkestar"| 4:38
2.| "Prenzlauerberg"| 3:46
3.| "Brandenburg"| 3:38
4.| "Postcards from Italy"| 4:17
5.| "Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)"| 3:15
6.| "Rhineland (Heartland)"| 3:58
7.| "Scenic World"| 2:08
8.| "Bratislava"| 3:17
9.| "The Bunker"| 3:13
10.| "The Canals of Our City"| 2:21
11.| "After the Curtain"| 2:54
Total length:| 37:25

UK Version Bonus CD: Lon GislandNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Elephant Gun"| 5:48
2.| "My Family's Role in the World Revolution"| 2:07
3.| "Scenic World"| 2:53
4.| "The Long Island Sound"| 1:18
5.| "Carousels"| 4:23
Total length:| 16:29

* The EP's version of "Scenic World" differs from the first in that it has a slower, stronger sound and is entirely acoustic, with a violin and accordion replacing the original MIDI keyboard.

## Personnel

[edit]

Beirut

* Zach Condon \- vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, ukulele, percussion, mandolin, accordion, organ, piano, recording
* Heather Trost \- violin
* Jeremy Barnes \- percussion, accordion
* Perrin Cloutier \- cello
* Hari Ziznewski - clarinet

Additional personnel

* Alan Douches - mastering
* Josh Clark - recording, mixing
* Ben Goldberg - photography (all but cover and back)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Beirut's Condon Talks New LP, Obsession, Exhaustion". May 2007. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
2. ^ "Reviews for Gulag Orkestar by Beirut". Metacritic. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
3. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Gulag Orkestar – Beirut". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
4. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (May 26, 2006). "Gulag Orkestar". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
5. ^ Clarke, Betty (November 3, 2006). "Beirut, Gulag Orkestar". The Guardian. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
6. ^ "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". NME: 33. November 4, 2006.
7. ^ Mardles, Paul (October 15, 2006). "Beirut, Gulag Orkestar". The Observer. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
8. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (May 11, 2006). "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
9. ^ "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". Q (245): 141. December 2006.
10. ^ Gitlin, Lauren (August 11, 2006). "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 21, 2006. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
11. ^ "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". Uncut (112): 83. September 2006.
12. ^ Christgau, Robert (July 25, 2006). "Consumer Guide: History Lessons". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
13. ^ Ayers, Michael (February 2, 2009). "Indie rock band Beirut ventures south of the border". Reuters. Retrieved April 27, 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Beirut

Studio albums|

* Gulag Orkestar
* The Flying Club Cup
* The Rip Tide
* No No No
* Gallipoli
* Hadsel
* A Study of Losses

Compilation albums|

* Artifacts

EPs|

* Lon Gisland
* Pompeii
* Elephant Gun
* March of the Zapotec/Holland

Singles|

* "East Harlem"

Related|

* Alaska in Winter
* LNZNDRF

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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