Beirut is a band enraptured with the sound of the vagabond. Led by American multi-instrumentalist Zach Condon, many of their albums are homages to travels abroad. The Flying Club Cup devoted each song to a different town in France and held a distinctly old European sound. March of the Zapotec brought in sound from Mexico.
Beirut incorporates horns of all types and the accordion from their very first songs, making for a uniquely Eastern European sound.

Condon told New York Magazine that “One of the reasons I named the band after that city was the fact that it’s seen a lot of conflict. It’s not a political position. I worried about that from the beginning. But it was such a catchy name. I mean, if things go down that are truly horrible, I’ll change it. But not now. It’s still a good analogy for my music. I haven’t been to Beirut, but I imagine it as this chic urban city surrounded by the ancient Christian and Muslim worlds. The place where things collide”.