Vampire Weekend - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
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

Product Description
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.

Customer Reviews: Read 135 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

SMART INDIE POP FOR A WEEKEND IN CAPE COD (3.8 stars) January 31, 2008
59 out of 72 found this review helpful

A daunting task reviewing a disc that has already been hailed by many as the first important disc of 2008. Such is the case of the debut from Vampire Weekend, 4 Columbia students gone preppy-indie to catch the eyes and ears of David Byrne, Lou Reed and aging hipsters alike.

It was a few months ago when I first read David Bryne's glowing review of their highly circulated CD-R, so naturally I was cautiously interested to say the least. Like with many other early-praised NYC bands (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Strokes, Clap Your Hands, The National, Interpol, MGMT), Vampire Weekend meet most of the expectations head on, and give us a few surprises in the process. The first of which is a pretty obvious nod to Afro-pop stylings as well as a love for Paul Simon and (naturally) later Talking Heads recordings.

The first track is the lead single, Mansard Roof (google it). A track as studious as it sounds, with tight changes, nice lyrics, and crisp melodies, a perfect pop moment that would make fans of Belle and Sebastian squeal into their book bags. The band then up the ante with Oxford Comma, again, just as collegiate friendly, but with a little more bite to it. In it they even manage to drop a well-pronounced F-bomb and make it sound like the Queen's English. The overall result is my favorite track off the disc. The song A Punk (months already on itunes) continues the impressive string of songs at three now, A Punk carries a bit more Strokes flavor to it in its brevity and faster pacing, but its pace doesn't seem foreign at all. The Paul Simon-isms finally rear their head with the track Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. I immediately think of You Can Call Me Al, with that overbearing saxophone and stop-start melody. Even though that maybe be purely unfounded, I'm pretty sure others will hear what I'm talking about. Maybe it's the worldly guitar line, or it could be the vocal stop-start of the verses? After it's all said and done, it's nothing the hipsters won't be able to swallow. M79 brings in a harpsichord sounding synth as its calling card and does so without becoming annoying. Campus is another Stroke styled stroke, right down to the melancholy and wishful tone of the lyrics and for me another one of the better songs. A few more tracks that don't quite impress as much, fill the gaps until the album's closer, The Kids Don't Stand a Chance. The track adds a little bit of reggae into the repertoire but again, it isn't enough to turn me completely off. It just somehow works for these guys, call them lucky or smart, or both.

If anything, the afro-pop, New England fashion sense (docksiders), and even the reggae, pump up the irony of this very collegiate group of boys and their appeal to fans of all types of music, especially indie music. It may be a stretch to say everyone will like some part of this record, but I found most of it pretty darn enjoyable and that in this day and age is getting more rare than not. So not a perfect record, but I'll agree with the masses in calling it the first important record in a very young 2008. Have fun trying to get into their upcoming tour, I have a feeling it's going to be quite popular

3 out of 5 stars

catchy tracks but not all that memorable either February 5, 2008
45 out of 75 found this review helpful

I wanted to like this but the afro-pop-lite tracks will only stay with you for a few listens. It is indeed a great CD to play at a party. I would have prefered something more outlandish if they are going to do airy afro-pop (think the more complex beats of later Talking Heads or the campy lyrics of the B-52's). It will be interesting to see what the band does next. If they simply put out another CD like this, the same exact folks giving this CD 5 stars will give their next CD 2 stars.

2 out of 5 stars

Wool over your eyes. April 2, 2008
42 out of 80 found this review helpful

I listen to too much contemporary music for my own good. Music generally evolves and mutates out of its immediate surroundings (Neutral Milk Hotel aside) and therefore it can be understood in a context of its own society.

Maybe it's the hype machine. Maybe it's the sweaters not being emo enough. Maybe it's the prep garage rock aesthetic. But nothing in this record neither inspires me nor feels close to what I want to listen to, nor can I understand it. All the terms applied with the music, such as "yacht rock," "cape cod," "university brats," and "African" (whatever that means ) somehow exist as accurate assessments of the music and the culture. The songs are neither inspiring nor are accurate reflections of the generation, except that one small subculture in which they exist. I don't want to get into a note to note understanding of the music (that would inspire to much ranting), or even a song understanding. Singles such as "A-Punk" sound like a failed ska song, "Mansford Roof" best part is simply the sound of the keyboard. There's not a lot to this music (and there is no intention of there being a lot), so the more you dig, the more you will find references to the small world they exist in. I appreciate the calm and "cute" areas of indie pop, I really do. But in between baroque pop, Afro pop, and prep pop, it's hard for Vampire Weekend to even get the pop part of the music right.

When our children look through our ipods and listen to "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," Vampire Weekend better hope it has the posterity of Rick Astley or Hall and Oates. If they can even barely reach that level of infamy, then the more power to them. I simply give two stars hoping that someday they'll put down their gimmicks and write three songs in a row that don't force me to hyperventilate.

1 out of 5 stars

A Waste of Money - Extremely Disappointed February 27, 2008
20 out of 31 found this review helpful

I haven't been this disappointed in a new CD in a long time. I've read almost nothing but rave reviews about these guys, but I don't get it. It is extremely shallow pop music with very little recognizable "African beat" that has been so hyped up in everything I've read. Every song sounds alike....this is trite, bubblegum pap as far as I'm concerned, and I am generally very flexible in my musical tastes.

1 out of 5 stars

Nothing Here March 8, 2008
20 out of 42 found this review helpful

Been a long time since we've had a disc this over-hyped with so little to back it up. I keep wanting to find something memorable on the CD, but it just isn't there. Thankfully, Vampire Weekend will be forgotten very soon and we'll get back to music that means something.

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