Little Beirut – Fear of Heaven (Independent)
I can’t quite remember what it was that attracted me to this band in the first place. I must have been struck by something at the time (yes, okay, it could have been a brick to the head) but I was not ready for this straight-to-the-jugular indie pop record. There are some truly devastating numbers amongst these dozen tracks, and those that aren’t are fairly devastating.

I tried to decipher the cover art, comprising of a small deer that appears to have an explosive device strapped to it, until you notice the illuminated neon ring above the deer’s head, which is connected to this device. However, after many intriguing thoughts I found I could not share any of them, as not one made any real sense at all. I mention this because it is the exact opposite of the music, which tells you without question, here is some great pop music, so it’s best to open your ears, heart and mind and enjoy!

Picking out any highlights is the difficult bit. Perhaps the slower “Tallulah, How Long” might be a neck in front, or maybe the anthemic “True Swords”, which provides a deep, layered sound - a ‘centrepiece’ that anchors the album. Or there is “Cosmic Waitress”, a superb no-nonsense 3-minute pulverising pop song, whilst the following track, “Nadia” is a heavenly piece of music that has floated down to Earth for this very moment.

Little Beirut play their music with a collective pulse, and are able to make it surge, to almost swamp the listener with the sheer majesty of it all. Best to listen to it, then, with your water-wings in place, a lifebuoy close by, and aware that you are going to experience something musically equivalent to a very big wave. Stay safe, and take it one tune at a time. You have been warned!
www.myspace.com/littlebeirut
Kev A.

LITTLE BEIRUT – LAST NIGHT

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