No No No is a world away from its predecessor. That album shared some common ground with the rest of the Beirut catalogue in that at its heart was genuine, ramshackle charm; this new record, though, is an exercise in elegance and poise.
While a hopeful tone is central to both the music and lyrics, No No No is a portrait of a man putting on a brave face while piecing his life back together, and it's all the more engaging for it.
Strung out amidst languid peels of brass, graceful 70’s-style piano, and Condon’s silky, lost and found tenor, the beauty is soft, and fragile, but also fleet of foot, and highly engaging with it.
Nine sketches of heartbreak and hope played with a newfound ease, a short collection that yields greater returns with each listen.
No No No is a feel-good mean of the band's prior releases that should appeal to the Beirut loyal as well as serve as a fine representative for any potential admirers who've simply managed to miss them along the way.
Everything appears streamlined, with the entirety of the album unveiled in half an hour. Where the adage “less is more” could be evoked, here less feels like less.
It lacks the melodic heft out of which Beirut briefly built an empire, and doesn't demonstrate Condon searching for something else to fill that void.
It's an easy record to listen to all the way through, front to back, which is a rare thing. It's a very good Beirut album, but the hope remains that Condon has at least one great one in him.
'No, No, No' is as sweet but as filling as an after dinner mint, and sadly it's probably dinner this album should accompany.
While this new, more conventional approach may put some more long-term fans off, there are still some moments of heart-stopping beauty to be found on No No No.
Condon’s clearly aiming for a big pop record with ‘No No No’, and whilst he delivers on the title track and ‘Perth’, tracks like ‘Fener’, ‘At Once’ and ‘Pacheco’ sound like middling interludes - they never quite strike the same chord as the catchier tracks.
No No No is agreeable front to back, but it’s miles away from the youthful, heartfelt, inspired work of Beirut’s past.
Ostensibly their pop record, this brisk, 29-minute album album runs out of ideas in the first ten. Play it and forget it.
The 29-minute No No No doesn’t sand off Condon’s edges — they never existed to begin with — but it has fewer flavors than anything else he’s released under the Beirut name.
Here Condon seems to have stripped away his most intriguing tropes altogether.
I disagree with all the criticism for this record. It's a different course for the band to take but it certainly does not lack creativity or great compositions. The record is a subtle, graceful, and concise pop statement and a very refreshing listen altogether.
Underrated if you ask me. I love this new sunny, beachy sound, even if the album is a bit short and unambitious. I've listened to Beirut for a while and this definitely keeps up their winning streak for me.
Favorite tracks: No No No, Gibraltar, Perth, Pacheco
Beirut is slowly becoming a staple in my playlists and favorites lists because of their chill vibe and easy listenability. The crux of the problem with them isn't lack of skill or charm, but the simple fact the sum is never equal to its parts. They have about 4-6 fabulous songs deeply textured and nothing less than completely satisfying every album and then the other half tends to be inoffensive noodling on pianos with various horns and percussion instruments in the background. It's not exactly ... read more
Beirut is slowly becoming a staple in my playlists and favorites lists because of their chill vibe and easy listenability. The crux of the problem with them isn't lack of skill or charm, but the simple fact the sum is never equal to its parts. They have about 4-6 fabulous songs deeply textured and nothing less than completely satisfying every album and then the other half tends to be inoffensive noodling on pianos with various horns and percussion instruments in the background. It's not exactly ... read more
1 | Gibraltar 3:41 | 65 |
2 | No No No 2:50 | 68 |
3 | At Once 2:06 | 70 |
4 | August Holland 3:30 | 64 |
5 | As Needed 3:18 | 48 |
6 | Perth 3:37 | 64 |
7 | Pacheco 3:08 | 56 |
8 | Fener 3:28 | 64 |
9 | So Allowed 3:39 | 63 |
#21 | / | Loud and Quiet |
#22 | / | The Skinny |
#46 | / | Paste |
#52 | / | Under the Radar |
#91 | / | Piccadilly Records |