This NY four-piece draw on their diverse backgrounds and interests, experimenting with African guitar music, the Western classical canon, hazy memories of Cape Cod summers, winters in upper Manhattan, and reggaeton. "Equal parts shruggy New York indie strumming and groovy Afro-pop, Vampire Weekend's organ-and-drum runs highlight narratives about relationships, punctuation, and sometimes both" - Spin. Named "Hot New Kids" in Rolling Stone's "Hot" issue. Vinyl contains MP3 coupon.
It would take a lot for Vampire Weekend's debut to rise above the stench of privileged hype that surrounds it. A bunch of kids who formed the band in their Columbia dorm room borrow wholesale from Afrobeat and angular '80s stuff, and they quickly become an online buzz band before releasing a single album? Thankfully the record, and the band, are great fun: playful, pop-wise, and smart enough to pull their shtick off with aplomb. Organ and drums are often the focal point of the music, bringing to mind a goofier, happier Clinic (if that group's record-collecting habits were more scattershot). On the excellently named (and better sounding) "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," Vampire Weekend asks, "Does it feel so unnatural / To Peter Gabriel too?," immediately disarming--with self-aware brazenness--any criticism of their pomo/postcolonialist borrowing of "ethnic" music. It's clear that these dudes have not only inherited the nerd-rock omnivore's mantle from the Talking Heads, they've actually and already improved upon it. --Mike McGonigal
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Yeah, I used to like it too....:
I/m not going to say I loved this band and grew out of it.
I/m not going to say I/m embarassed about liking them.
That/s because what it is, isn/t that this is a bad band,
or a bad album, or they don/t lack talent, it/s just that
you won/t listen to them after a while.
Just like people get sick of most things after a while.
Except, you/ll get sick of them a lot sooner.
Of course, if you haven/t heard this album,
please listen to it. It/s great.
The songs... more info
A breath of fresh air:
This is the most talented and original sounding band I've heard all year, if not the last several. Unlike most other albums that have me hooked on the first play, this one gets better each time I hear it. Each time, a different song stands out in my mind, but Oxford Comma is probably my favorite. Mansard Roof is a great beginning to this album, and I dare anyone to listen to A-Punk and sit entirely still. This is great stuff and I expect more great stuff from them in the future. I've finally given in and... more info
TWANGY FUN:
I don't usually listen to music like this (Metal is my poison of choice), but after hearing a song or two from this band on my girlfriend's iPod I was convinced that I had to investigate this band further. What appeals most to me about this band is that the music is FUN. You can tell these guys are just jamming out and if a song hits #1, great, and if not, oh well. Alot of the guitar and piano (?) parts sound really simple, yet they're amazingly catchy. I love the twangy guitars in "A-Punk",... more info
Vampire Weekend:
I stumbled across a track of theirs on Starbuck's radio, and liked the sound. The CD didn't disappoint. A driving beat and funky instrumentals. Different.
