Little Beirut

Add Date: June 3

Artist: Little Beirut

Album: High Dive

Label: Self-released

Genre: Indie pop

Comments: No, this isn't Zach Condon's little brother; it's a band based around Portland duo Hamilton Sims and Edwin Paroissien. (Evidently, the elder President George Bush, upon being greeted by protesters on a trip to Portland, referred to the city as "Little Beirut," and the name is defiantly trumpeted by many residents.) High Dive is a fine debut, a pop rock record that is as catchy as it is well-crafted. Start with "She's a Martyr," "The Believers," and the politically-charged "Love During Wartime."