Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend | I was prepared

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Vampire Weekend

	Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend Xl Recordings, 2008 average customer review:based on 139 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Glittering Joy

I don't consciously try to follow new music but am luckily sometimes accidentally exposed to it. That's what happened with Vampire Weekend. I was at the gym and heard "A-Punk" which I liked immediately. I went up to the counter and looked at the Sirius station. I wrote down the name of the band and downloaded the CD after seeing a few of their videos online. Overall, I'm extremely impressed. The album glides euphorically and features some truly beautiful highlights. My favorite songs are the aforementioned "A-Punk" along with "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "Walcott." The latter includes what I believe are mandolins and the sound is exquisite. This release has far more highs than lows. It's a consistent, strong album and I eagerly await their future work.

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I was prepared

I think the most telling thing I can say about this album is that I was thoroughly prepared not to like it after I read the band's self-described "upper west side soweto" sound. I was indignant - "How much arrogance," I thought, "can they possibly expect us to allow."

Well, these days I've been spending a lot of time eating my words. The songs are ridiculously catchy and artfully arranged. They're delightful. And, if that weren't enough, they cinched me by mentioning Mystic Seaport. Be still my heart. Oh, indie yacht club afro-pop...

Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend ****

This is seriously a melting pot of sounds. When I listen to this I hear Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, early Talking Heads, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, and most of all Elvis Costello. So while everyone is calling this a truly original sound, I know better, this is just a hodge-podge of world rhythms and eclectic sounds. But a damn good one.

I picture Vampire Weekend being really big for the duration of this album, than for the rest of their career having a home on the cool rock radio station that actually plays more than whats big, which is where they belong because they are way to talented for the mainstream.

Songs like the semi-wannabe-hit single 'A-Punk' 'Campus' and the Peter Gabriel name dropping 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa' are nothing short of genius if not trendy at the least. 'I Stand Corrected' could have been better in the way that Paul Simon's Graceland album was great but had even more potential, and 'The Kids Don't Stand A Chance' might be the best thing I have heard since Streetcore from The Mescaleros.

The Latin and African influence on the rythms as well as instrumentation is well recieved and refreshing. The over all is rather good with room for minor improvement on tighting the screws. Vampire Weekend's debut will remain in my stereo for quite a while.

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Pop Music with a Bite

There are some catchy tunes on this enjoyable album. It really is pop music with a bite to it. Check out A-Punk..hey, hey, hey...or M-79. This is a fun album.

Shelf life unknown

I don't quite know what to make of this stuff. Fun, light airy African/pop-influenced music made by the half-shaven (or unshaven), young-looking guys you see at 24-hour coffee establishments wearing sweaters and skinny jeans. I'm probably "supposed" to like it this year but by next year regard it as a passing fad. But do I actually like it?

The short answer is "yes." The long answer is "maybe," which may be why its taken me a while to offer my thoughts on it. Initially this is very appealing music, great stuff for parties and hanging out. It has the feel of Talking Heads without some of the quirkiness and polyrhythmic complexity, or Peter Gabriel (who is actually - and smartly - namechecked in one of the songs) without the heavy moodiness. But it has a sort of unquantifiable air of disposeableness about it too, as if its shelf life may expire at any time within the next year or so. The songs are fine on their own but all together are samey. There is one central idea here and, although it's clever and certainly well-executed, the impact is dulled as the band repeats it over and over. I am finding that these songs work better on mixes, split up amongst other things, rather than together in the album context. For me that's a warning sign. Not timeless stuff, but adequate for its purposes.

What I am wondering is what will happen next for this band. Where is there to go? They do one thing very well. Will they try two or three things on their next album? Focus more on songwriting than sound (that is what I'd probably suggest for these boys)? Do the same thing again and get lambasted by critics? Your guess is as good as mine. While it will be interesting, I have some doubts as to whether I'll even care by the time phase two is rolled out. Then again, I have been proven wrong plenty of times before...

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