Who would have thought it? Nobody, that's who. The last time African music enjoyed any meaningful dalliance with the Western mainstream it was under Paul Simon's patronage with his peerless 1986 album Graceland. That's if you don't count Damon Albarn's extra curricular indulgences (which you don't). The last place we expected it to turn up again was from four New York kids who otherwise might have been found fiddling with their fringes in dorm rooms waiting for the Albert Hammond Jr. tour to hit town. Even by the obscure standards US indie has set itself over the last few years (see TV on the Radio and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) Vampire Weekend offer up a witch's brew of audacity. That alone would be sufficient to garner infamy and a rep for experimentation, but they also hang from this rebellion of form a stream of alt-tunefulness so efficient and unabashed it would make The Strokes' first album blush. Thus, the piping reggae organ and sun-kissed swagger of "Oxford Comma" is given a heartbeat by tight lo-fi garage drums and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" lilts along with cheerful tribal rhythms and crisp African guitar, bound by ascending psychedelic vocals. And that's not to mention the mad strings that make listening to "M79" like watching Ski Sunday on hallucinogens. Their advanced rhythmical awareness even makes more standard indie rampages "I Stand Corrected" and "Walcott" less standard. Which is about the length of it; Vampire Weekend, making the standard much less standard. --James Berry
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: ? Comment: This is pretty much a representation of what would happen if you gave a bunch of small children some musical instruments and left them alone for an hour with tape recorder running. Absolutely unbeleivably drab repetitive dross. Customer Rating: Summary: Short, snappy, witty, happy Comment: I caught onto Vampire Weekend a little late, thanks to an Amazon reccomendation. Very glad I got there in the end! This is a very, very good CD that makes it into the 5 star rating thanks to the strength of the best of the songs, rather than the entire body of work which would Vampire Weekendstill have got it a 4. First couple of plays I wasted time playing 'spot the influence'. That was untimately futile as, other than the obvious Paul Simon Graceland influence on a couple of tracks, these songs are very good in their own right. What does the inspiration matter as long as the songs are INSPIRED? I read a press review comparing them to Madness which I consider to be VERY misleading. The Mads are a kind of musical comedy act, while these guys have a sense of humour but are seriously good. Favourite tracks are 'Oxford Comma', 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa', 'One' (Blake's got a new face)and 'Walcott'. Customer Rating: Summary: Magical and Uplifting Comment: This is a great album and I can't resist its charms. My toe starts tapping, my head starts nodding and before I know it I'm singing along. It's life-affirming, good fun and a necessary addition to anyone's collection. God, 2008 has been a memorable year for music! Customer Rating: Summary: Refreshing and wonderful Comment: Vampire Weekend are that breath of fresh air needed this year. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a stale year but an injection of witty, literate and cheery music makes the world go round. A group of graduates whom met whilst studying at Columbia University, their music is an insight into the community they lived in.
Now to somehow sum up the sound they conjured up in their dorm rooms. It is difficult not to mention the African vibe. How Paul Simon sounded in his Graceland recording years, you could expect this to be his and Badly Drawn Boy's love child. Full of reggae organs and tribal drums, on "Mansford Roof" especially, this light and optimistically charged album is wonderful to listen to.
On "Oxford Comma" little nods to this heritage come from with lyrics "Why would I lie you must call me Al", which is witty, clever and a little obscure. On another track, "Feels so un-natural, Peter Garbriel too" gives another hint to the music echoing around the dorm. I love this intellect on record, which is where I draw the Badly Drawn Boy link from.
The aforementioned "Mansford Roof", "Oxford Comma" and "A-Punk" are outstandingly good. The album doesn't rest on a song for too long either, most 2:30-3:30 in length, keeping the listener engaged and aware of the rush of influences that await. On "A-Punk" the Strokes can be heard in the bass and guitar, not the first or last time comparisons to the Strokes can be heard.
The album continues with possible the most obvious Graceland track "Cape Code Kwassa Kwassa", before spinning off on a string quartet led "M79". The album is full of hits - "One", "I Stand Corrected" and "Walcott" see this album out as strongly as it began.
The album is wonderful in it's inventiveness, the bold choice of tracks and influences and the courage to release such a statement to the blinkered masses. This is what new music should be about and why music can be such a inspiration. Customer Rating: Summary: Ghoulishly good debut from Vampire Weekend. Comment: I bought this album on the stength of the track Oxford Comma which was kooky and kitsch and retro sounding. It's also the track which most people will know them best for.
When I listened to this album, I realised I had heard a few other tracks too, such as A-Punk and Mansard Roof. The video for this song in particular is gloriously tongue in cheek and a nod to the late 60s/early 70s.
For those who write Vampire Weekend off as another middle-class white male band trying to be Indie, well that they may be but they sound unique and their lyrics are witty and intelligent and this album is a very impressive debut.
Buy this record if you like quirky, intelligent music with an indie twist. Highly listenable and enjoyable.
