Mit seinen beiden Alben „Gulag Orkestar“ und „The Flying Club Cup“ gelang Zach Condon vor gut 15 Jahren, den Singer-Songwriter-Indie der Marke Conor Oberst mit osteuropäischen Einflüssen zu verbinden. In den folgenden Jahren erweiterte er seine Soundpalette mit Ideen aus aller Welt, von Mariachi bis World Music. Dementsprechend breit gefächert ist auch sein My Favourite Records! Auf der am Freitag erscheinenden Compilation „Artifacts“ zeichnet Condon nun den Werdegang von Beirut über viele Jahre nach.

* Your three favourite Punk singles/songs?

I don’t know! I don’t listen to punk. I loved some music that bordered at times on punk, bands like The Pixies. But I grew up dreading having to stand through entire punk shows in my home town just to get to hang out with some friends on the weekend. It almost turned me off of live music entirely. That and the confusing manifestos about individuality and anarchy and then the actual herd mentality of the music and scene. But I probably wouldn’t even be making music if it wasn’t for bands like The Ramones and The Sex Pistols democratizing the recording industry. I would never have picked up a four-track to record myself if those people hadn’t boldly declared you don’t have to have any credentials to write a song or play an instrument. But now that I think about it, folk musics around the world all knew that a long time ago anyway…

* A record that will make you dance?

I find random genres like Algerian Rai and Chaabi music, or classic Boom-bap hip hop will get me to bob my head the heaviest and move the most. Or dub like King Tubby…I guess those last two have slower tempos than most dance music. I don’t like to move to fast or frantic music.

* Your favourite song lyrics?

I think lyrics are usually over-rated! Music often can just get held down when things get too focused on the words. Music is more mysterious than that. That being said, I tend to like the incredible vulnerability and sometimes absurdity of the words in classic country songs. I also love Stephen Merrit’s (the Magnetic Fields) lyrics. He’s one of the greats. I love the beautiful and memorable melodies he writes and yet I also always find myself shaking my head when listening to what he’s singing, thinking to myself, „how the hell did he come up with that?“.

* The best “new” artist / band right now?

I’m quite pleased to hear some of the new Anadolu rock bands like Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek, Altin Gün and a few others. I’m also a fan of artists like Sufjan Stevens, and I even thought Tame Impala’s „Currents“ was a pretty incredible record. Mac Demarco is a new classic.

It makes me so happy to hear the return and appreciation of turkish music which is such a hugely important type of music, both as the meeting point of eastern and western scales as well as being it’s own beautiful ambiance and energy. Derya Yildirim and Grup Simsek, Altin Gun and others have stayed true to this music while having some fun with it… I love Sufjan for his absolutely achingly beautiful melodies and songs. I think when I first heard his music I actually thought, this is not for me, it’s not my style at all. it’s too quiet and polite or something. Then the first hook dug deep into me as he hit the chorus of the first song on the album „Michigan“, and I felt hypnotized and completely sucked in. You can’t ignore it if you actually listen. Tame Impala I used to ignore until I saw them play in Barcelona one year at the end of one of our tours. I heard the song, „Why Won’t They Talk To Me“ as I was walking across the festival grounds and I stopped in my tracks to listen to the entire rest of the set. When I got home I got a few of his records and realized that whatever Kevin Parker was doing, he was good at it. He had the gift. I haven’t kept up with his music since then though. Mac Demarco has the gift too. It’s almost hidden in some of his songs, until some subtle twitch of his vocal delivery will suddenly suck you deep into a type of melancholy in the middle of an otherwise silly or light sounding song.

* Sufjan Stevens, Bonnie Prince Billy or Bright Eyes – which one do you prefer and why?

I already talked about Sufjan, but I love Bonnie Prince Billy as well. I first heard „I See a Darkness“ in Brooklyn 2001, when I was fifteen, and it crept up my spine and gave me goosebumps. I think I’ve tried to listen to Bright Eyes a handful of times over the years and it always left me feeling blank and unmoved. I suppose I just don’t get it.

* Your favourite song about rebellion/revolution?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnGBJAnYA9E

„We are the Small Ax“ by Bob Marley perhaps? I like that message of chipping away at larger forces as a smaller force. Makes me think of the battle against depression. I tend to tune out music with such concrete political messages. That stuff is obviously important, but I feel like music is too sacred to me to bog it down with our daily struggles against our own worst natures in leadership and control. And I haven’t met many musicians who I would vote into office. I often wish art could be more liberated from politics.

* Your favourite song of last year?

I don’t really know what’s been released this year per se, but the songs I’ve been listening to the most recently are songs like „Demasiado Tarde“ by Los Tres Regalos. Beautiful old Mexican music full of harmony and fantastic vocals. „Gracias a la Vida“ by Violeta Parra from Chile is also quite haunting for me right now. „Shoplifters“ by Ivor Cutler too.

* Your favourite song about Berlin?

I like a lot of music that has been made here, like the old Dreigroschenoper era „Die Morität von Macki Messer“ Lotte Lenya recordings, or David Bowie’s „Berlin Trilogy“ albums. Songs specifically about Berlin are hard to choose from. I’ve written four or five myself long before I moved here. I like the vibe of Lou Reed’s „Berlin“. „Ich Habe noch einen Koffer In Berlin“ by Marlene Dietrich maybe? Hard to say.

* Your favourite movie about music – and why?

I’m more obsessed with soundtracks than movies about music perhaps. One of the most beautiful marriages of music and movies was „Werckmeister Harmonies“ from Bela Tarr. Any soundtrack music by Ennio Morricone. I actually can’t recall any movies about music that I’ve loved. I also think of Emir Kusturica’s film soundtracks for the beautiful balkan music in them, but they weren’t about the music either…

* The best song you’ve ever written / recorded?

I often think of „The Rip Tide“ first when asked such a question. I love the density of it, the long drawn-out melancholy melody, and the vocal parts feel natural, rich and sincere. Sonically I find it the most interesting at times. It’s rough but determined and I feel like it captured an atmosphere I meant to convey very well.

* Your favourite German song/record?

Difficult choice! I love „Visions of Blah“ from Thomas Fehlmann, I’ve listened to most every Kraftwerk record obsessively… one thing that comes to mind perhaps is Pole’s „3“, one of my favorite dub albums and general albums of all time. Another is Jan Jelinek’s „Loop-Finding-Jazz-Record“. Or Mouse on Mars‘ „Niun Niggung“. I think I will go put these on now that you’ve reminded me of them

* Your favourite record of all time?

That will probably always be „Pet Sounds“ from the Beach Boys. Or any compilation of their old hits, like „Endless Summer“.