A Study of Losses

by Beirut

A Study of Losses cover art

Originally commissioned for a Swedish circus, 'A Study of Losses' is a work of wide-ranging chamber folk inspired by German author Judith Schalansky’s book on disappearance and impermanence. The album's eighteen tracks, including seven instrumental interludes named after lunar seas, explore these themes with a sound that blends acoustic and synthetic textures, drawing on Renaissance and medieval folk traditions. Zach Condon’s multi-instrumental performance is complemented by string quartet arrangements, creating a predominantly melancholy and tender work that meditates on lost treasures, extinct species, and the process of aging.

Genres

  • Chamber Pop
  • Chamber Folk
  • Indie Folk

Tracklist

  1. Disappearances and Losses
  2. Forest Encyclopedia
  3. Oceanus Procellarum
  4. Villa Sacchetti
  5. Mare Crisium
  6. Garbo's Face
  7. Mare Imbrium
  8. Tuanaki Atoll
  9. Mare Serinitatis
  10. Guericke's Unicorn
  11. Mare Humorum
  12. Sappho's Poems
  13. Ghost Train
  14. Caspian Tiger
  15. Mani's 7 Books
  16. Moon Voyager
  17. Mare Nectaris
  18. Mare Tranquillitatis