Last Minute Plans: Beirut

By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 26, 2011 9:00PM

Need a little aural pick-me-up after a long Monday? Good news - Chicagoist fav Zach Condon, a.k.a Beirut (a.k.a. the finest Balkan-inspired folk purveyor ever to blast out of New Mexico) brings his eclectic live show to the Congress Theater tonight in support of his fantastic latest offering, The Rip Tide.

As our intrepid ex-honcho Marcus Gilmer noted in his triumphant return review of the band's third full-length, Condon and company are no longer living exclusively in pop interpretations of Eastern European song constructions and instrumentation. Instead, it's a true pop record with flourishes of traditional Balkan rhythms and melodies, and ratcheting up the accessibility is what makes the album and obvious candidate for multiple spins in one sitting. As Marcus pointed out, The Rip Tide is an "all killer, no filler" gem and one that places Condon at the cusp of indie rock royalty.

Beirut plays tonight at the Congress Theater with Laetitia Sadier, $35, 6:30pm