Vampire Weekend Debut Album
Originally published on movmnt.com, January 14, 2009 · by Movmnt Magazine · archived copy
Upper West Side indie-rock darlings, Vampire Weekend, more than live up to the hype on their fetching self-titled debut. This catchy collection of upbeat tunes about grammar, architecture, and campus life, unabashedly appropriates everything from Afro-pop and New Wave, to Chamber music. Owing as much to Paul Simon as they do Talking Heads, Vampire Weekend manages to sound fresh, yet familiar at the same time. Led by Ezra Koenig, these four former Columbia University students have garnered much attention as of late, even before the official release of a proper album. Now with Vampire Weekend, they have a chance to back up the buzz.
The most straightforward Afro-pop song on the album, hit single “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” manages to name drop Peter Gabriel, Louis Vuitton, and the United Colors of Benetton in about as many lines. Quirky and contagious, “Oxford Comma” is an obscure lesson in grammar that aggressively begs the question “Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?” While third single “A-Punk” is a radio-ready ska inflected throwback that the band recently performed on Saturday Night Live with understated cool.
With a rise to fame reminiscent of New York buzz band of the past, The Strokes, one might ask, are Vampire Weekend too good to be true? While The Strokes subsequent releases never lived up to the hype of their debut, it remains to be seen if Vampire Weekend can withstand the test of time. At the moment though, they are the “it” band to beat, and after repeated listens, Vampire Weekend still sounds fresh and effortless.
W. Westley
First published on movmnt.com, January 14, 2009 · movmnt magazine