Posted on: August 15, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Portland, Oregon’s Little Beirut are proud to announce the September release of their third full-length, “Fear of Heaven.” They would also like to announce the release of a video for the album’s first single and lead track, “Last Light,” which you can view on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxaYgYAUeik

Comprised of Hamilton Sims (vocals, guitar), Edwin Paroissien (guitar, vocals), Alex Inman (drums, vocals), and John Hulcher (bass), the quartet deliver a strong collection of pop songs with “Fear of Heaven.”

It’s a big, fat pop record, in the best way.

Lush with melodies and choruses you can sing along to in your car, Little Beirut¹s third album shows a band coming into its own. More raw and direct than 2008¹s critically-acclaimed High Dive, there¹s a swagger and confidence in its embrace of the elements that make you remember the song, not simply name check the influences. The Posies-esque guitar drive and Nada Surf reminiscent harmonies that marked the last effort have not been ditched, but the orchestration has been stripped down here making a confident statement and allowing the songs to shine through.

“One of the things I tell people when I give them the album is to expect it to be a pretty big fat pop record, because that¹s something that stands out here,” says Sims. “We¹re not avant garde, we¹re not trying to weird you out.”

It¹s clear from the first track that Little Beirut has built their foundation on a respect for the bands that elevated pop music beyond what¹s merely popular. These are songwriters who grew up on college radio listening to REM and the Smiths, and “Fear of Heaven” is filled with gorgeous potential hits devoid of any sense of irony or apology for what they are.

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