Gulag Orkestar is the debut album of Beirut. It was recorded in 2005 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Gulag was a Soviet government agency administering criminal justice, while orkestar is the Serbo-Croatian word for "orchestra".

Gulag Orkestar
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 9, 2006
GenreBalkan folk
Length37:25
LabelBa Da Bing
Beirut chronology
Gulag Orkestar
(2006)
Lon Gisland
(2007)

It is written in the booklet that the front and back photos were found in a library in Leipzig, torn out of a book. The original photographer was unknown to the creators of the album while it was recorded, but has since been discovered to be Sergey Chilikov.[1]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
The Guardian     [5]
NME8/10[6]
The Observer     [7]
Pitchfork7.7/10[8]
Q     [9]
Rolling Stone     [10]
Uncut     [11]
The Village VoiceB+[12]

The album has received great critical acclaim and was later re-released to include the Lon Gisland EP.

As of 2009, sales in the United States have exceeded 79,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[13]

Track listing

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Many song titles are named after toponyms in Europe, such as cities, states and neighborhoods. Prenzlauerberg is a locality in Berlin. Brandenburg and Rhineland are geographical areas in Germany. Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia.

All tracks are written by Zach Condon

No.TitleLength
1."The Gulag Orkestar"4:38
2."Prenzlauerberg"3:46
3."Brandenburg"3:38
4."Postcards from Italy"4:17
5."Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)"3:15
6."Rhineland (Heartland)"3:58
7."Scenic World"2:08
8."Bratislava"3:17
9."The Bunker"3:13
10."The Canals of Our City"2:21
11."After the Curtain"2:54
Total length:37:25
UK Version Bonus CD: Lon Gisland
No.TitleLength
1."Elephant Gun"5:48
2."My Family's Role in the World Revolution"2:07
3."Scenic World"2:53
4."The Long Island Sound"1:18
5."Carousels"4:23
Total length:16:29
  • The EP's version of "Scenic World" differs from the first in that it has a slower, stronger sound and is entirely acoustic, with a violin and accordion replacing the original MIDI keyboard.

Personnel

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Beirut
Additional personnel
  • Alan Douches - mastering
  • Josh Clark - recording, mixing
  • Ben Goldberg - photography (all cover)

References

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  1. ^ "Beirut's Condon Talks New LP, Obsession, Exhaustion". May 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-09. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  2. ^ "Reviews for Gulag Orkestar by Beirut". Metacritic. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  3. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Gulag Orkestar – Beirut". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  4. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (May 26, 2006). "Gulag Orkestar". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  5. ^ Clarke, Betty (November 3, 2006). "Beirut, Gulag Orkestar". The Guardian. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  6. ^ "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". NME: 33. November 4, 2006.
  7. ^ Mardles, Paul (October 15, 2006). "Beirut, Gulag Orkestar". The Observer. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  8. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (May 11, 2006). "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  9. ^ "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". Q (245): 141. December 2006.
  10. ^ Gitlin, Lauren (August 11, 2006). "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 21, 2006. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  11. ^ "Beirut: Gulag Orkestar". Uncut (112): 83. September 2006.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (July 25, 2006). "Consumer Guide: History Lessons". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  13. ^ Ayers, Michael (2 February 2009). "Indie rock band Beirut ventures south of the border". Reuters. Retrieved 27 April 2019.