Noise Pop 2019: Helado Negro, Beirut play sold-out show on final weekend of festival
On the last Saturday of Noise Pop, the blissful tunes of Helado Negro and indie darlings Beirut permeated the Fox Theater in Oakland. Roberto Carlos Lange creates dreamlike tunes as Helado Negro, blending Latin influences with pop. By way of Miami, the Ecuadorian-American has had a penchant for combining experimental electronics with various instrumentations since 2009. There is a such a balmy lilt beneath beneath Lange's voice and works, and this trademark created a beautifully arranged live show of brass and strings. Though slightly stylistically removed from headliner Beirut, the billing made sense as a tableau of world sounds, with [...]
Ticket Giveaway: Beirut playing at the Greek Theater on October 10
Zach Condon and his band, Beirut, will bring their unique form of Balkan-influenced music to the Greek Theater in Berkeley on October 10. Beirut's first three albums were expansive affairs featuring songs crammed full of diverse instrumentation, including glockenspiels, sousaphones, and electric organs. Although influenced by the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel as well as traditional French and Roma musicians, Condon appeared to have Beirut heading in a more pop direction with the group's last album, 2011’s The Rip Tide, easily its most accessible release to date. However, after a four-year break, Condon and company have returned with a low-key affair in No No No, [...]