Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend | OVERRATED???

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Vampire Weekend

	Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend Xl Recordings, 2008 average customer review:based on 143 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Surprised!!

I am really surprised about this band. I didn't know it (in Spain they are not known), but I bought the Cd because was one of my Amazon Recommendations. The sound is great and from the beginning with "Perfect Roof" until the end of the album with "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" the tunes are great, "refreshing"

OVERRATED???

what band has made such a perfect pop rock cd in years? these guys are genious. you negative reviewers need to go somewhere else with your time.

4.5 Stars... Fantastic Debut Album

Vampire Weekend built quite a buzz via the internet and in their native New York in 2007, and their debut album was hugely anticipated. The question was whether the album could possibly live up to the pre-release hype and expectations.

On "Vampire Weekend" (11 tracks; 34 min.), the band immediately crashes in with a great "Mansard Roof" (lasting all of 2 min.), and immediately moves on to "Oxford Comma", another great song. But the best is yet to follow, first on "A-Punk", another very short, but irresitable upbeat ska-flavored track, with a delicious bridge that features Mellotron (or so it sounds) and a thumping bass. After that comes "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", with sounds lifted straight from Paul Simon's "Graceland" and irreverent lyrics (on being attrached to a particular girl: "But this feels so unnatural/Peter Gabriel too", haha!). Incidentally all of these first 4 tracks were a single in either the US and/or the UK, and as a bloc it makes for a perfect opening of this album. After that, things are a bit less urgent, although the music remains fab. Other highlights include "Campus" (with great lines like "Then I see you/You're walking cross the campus/Cruel professor/Studying romances/How am I supposed to pretend/I never wanna see you again"), "One (Blake's Got a New Face)" and the album closer "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance". In all, this is a terrific collection of songs. The band makes its point, and moves on to the next song, and before you know it, you find yourself playing this again and again. Just terrific, and this is sure to make my "top albums of the year" list later this year.

I hadn't seen Vanpire Weekend in concert yet, until I caught them at Bonnaroo this past weekend, and for some reason it didn't connect. The band sounded "off" for some reason. Or maybe it was the massive crowd that outsized the band's sound. I'll be seeing them again later this year at the Monolith Festival (a much smaller setting than Bonnaroo) and I'll be very interested to see how the band performs there. Meanwhile, their debut album is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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No Graceland, But Still Fun

No, Vampire Weekend is no Graceland, but then what is? It's just not fair to compare the first album from an indie band with a big-budget production from a master of pop songwriting in his prime collaborating with some of the top musicians in Africa! Taken on its own terms, Vampire Weekend is a good effort that sometimes rises above the ordinary "indie" sound of the band's peers. When you average the brilliance of tracks like "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" with the same-old-stuff of tracks like "Walcott", you're left with a solid album that's still well worth a listen.

Lyrically, Vampire Weekend might better be compared to Andrew Bird's recent work, with words chosen more for their sound than their meaning. Overall, I'm left more with the impression of a fun party album in the tradition of the B-52's than the enduring poetry of a Paul Simon masterwork. A bit disappointing, but still OK.

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Not Great, But Promising

Vampire Weekend is made up of 4 Columbia University graduates that have self-produced this world music influenced debut album. Their sound is made up of clean, sparkly guitars, syncopated rhythms, canned harpsichord electronic keyboard sounds and strident vocals. The lyrics are somewhat naive and the sound is quite humorous, and instantly infectious. This band has seen a lot of success due to this album which is great since they have a lot of potential. However, I think that the band doesn't nearly live up to their potential. The songs are short, simple and predictable, all of them being structured very similarly. Many of the albums 11 cuts clock in under 3 minutes and the whole playing time of the album is just over half an hour (34 minutes to be exact). The songs that are longer than 4 minutes are really 3 minute songs with unnecessary repeats. While the band has a great sound, there is a lot of work that needs to be done with this group if they want to be really great. Step 1: Hone song-writing skills. The band will benefit from writing longer, better structured songs and expanding their musical vocabulary. Step 2: Get some experience. A few more years of life will get the band writing much better lyrics. Frankly, sometimes these guys seem like their still in college. Step 3: Write a lot more material. The next record need more volume. I get angry to have to pay 10 bucks for barely half an hour's worth of music. And Step 4: Work with a really good producer. This group needs someone who can really refine the infectious sound they've created. While this album surely won't make my top ten list for this year, but this band is headed in the right direction and if they develop like I think they will, maybe their next record will make my top ten list in a few years.

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