Beirut, the globetrotting indie-pop band that began as the solo project of Zach Condon, has announced Artifacts, a double-album collection of unreleased tracks, EPs, and B-sides tracing Beirut’s evolution all the way back to a 14-year-old Condon’s earliest recordings. “When the decision came to re-release this collection, I found myself digging through hard drives looking for something extra to add to the compilation,” Condon explains. “What started as a few extra unreleased tracks from my formative recording years quickly grew into an entire extra records-worth of music from my past, and a larger project of remixing and remastering everything I found for good measure.”
Alongside the announcement, Condon has shared “Fisher Island Sound,” an unreleased track from Artifacts‘ Misfits section. “This song was written while staying in band member Ben Lanz’s old family cottage on the coast of Connecticut, on the Fisher Island Sound,” Condon says. “I played with the lines for years before trying to record versions of it in Brooklyn with the band. Perrin Cloutier had taught himself how to play a new button accordion beautifully, and the band was really sounding their best. I however, struggled in those years to put vocals on the songs and ended up scrapping a lot of the music from that era in this part of the collection due to fear, stress and self-doubt. I’ve come to rediscover some of these old songs in a different light since then, but they do remain a heavy reminder of unsteady times.”
Listen to “Fisher Island Sound” and check out Artifacts‘ full tracklist below.
TRACKLIST:
SIDE A – Lon Gisland, Transatlantique, O Leãozinho
01 “Elephant Gun”
02 “My Family’s Role In The World Revolution”
03 “Scenic World”
04 “The Long Island Sound”
05 “Carousels”
06 “Transatantique”
07 “O Leãozinho”
SIDE B – The Misfits
08 “Autumn Tall Tales”
09 “Fyodor Dormant”
10 “Poisoning Claude”
11 “Bercy”
12 “Your Sails”
13 “Irrlichter”
SIDE C – New Directions and Early Works
14 “Sicily”
15 “Now I’m Gone”
16 “Napoleon On The Bellerophon”
17 “Interior of a Dutch House”
18 “Fountains and Tramways”
19 “Hot Air Balloon”
SIDE D – The B-Sides
20 “Fisher Island Sound”
21 “So Slowly”
22 “Die Treue zum Ursprung”
23 “The Crossing”
24 “Zagora”
25 “Le Phare Du Cap Bon”
26 “Babylon”
Artifacts is out 1/28 via Pompeii Records. Pre-order it here.
