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Vampire Weekend

post #1 of 58
1/28/08 at 12:49pm
Thread Starter 
Deserves the hype.

Good shit!
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post #2 of 58
1/28/08 at 1:19pm
Yeah, it's a very fun album. There's been so much hype building that when I downloaded it (or maybe the demo version of it?) a couple months ago, I figured I was behind-the-ball on a Summer 2007 release.

I've heard Paul Simon and David Byrne comparisons because of the "world music" influences, but it doesn't sound to me like they're borrowing from these guys as much as borrowing from the same South African sources Simon and Byrne often borrow from. The guitar tone especially reminds me of the stuff you hear on the Indestructible Beat of Soweto compilation.
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post #3 of 58
1/28/08 at 1:31pm
Thread Starter 
Exactly...I think Simon and Byrne were influenced by Afro-Pop while these guys are trying to sound like Afro-Pop. That they pull it off and bring their own uniqueness to it is quite the charge. I don't care if they're a bunch of Ivy League college boys. They've got my money...
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post #4 of 58
1/28/08 at 7:01pm
Thread Starter 
Exactly...I think Simon and Byrne were influenced by Afro-Pop while these guys are trying to sound like Afro-Pop. That they pull it off and bring their own uniqueness to it is quite the charge. I don't care if they're a bunch of Ivy League college boys. They've got my money...
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post #5 of 58
1/28/08 at 7:06pm
So, how many goth kids are picking this album up premised upon the title? Oh, how disappointed they must be! Streaks of mascara and eyeliner slowly trickling down their pale, pale cheeks.

(sorry. please proceed with serious discussion of the band's musical influences.)
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post #6 of 58
1/29/08 at 2:59am
I really liked it. But christ does it sound like the only music they've ever heard was from Wes Anderson movies. This could be the soundtrack to whatever he's doing next and it wouldn't sound any different than his other films.
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post #7 of 58
1/29/08 at 12:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miller View Post
I really liked it. But christ does it sound like the only music they've ever heard was from Wes Anderson movies. This could be the soundtrack to whatever he's doing next and it wouldn't sound any different than his other films.
They do have a streak that reminds me of the lighter British Invasion stuff from Rushmore, but, to my knowledge, Anderson's never really used any of the South African stuff that's pretty predominant in their sound.

Incidentally, they're covering similar territory that Islands also covers (indie-rock meets Paul Simon-style world music), but Vampire Weekend has stronger songs, IMO.
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post #8 of 58
1/29/08 at 1:43pm
I saw this band when they supported Jack Penate back in October and I absolutely adored them, I promptly ordered the album and was called out on being a hipster because apparently they're the biggest thing ever despite the fact I hadn't even heard of them until that gig.

I think the Wes Anderson thing comes from the woodwind stuff on A-Punk which sort of nicks the production style of Nico, I think it's a concious decision to try and ape that sound but the rest of the album , as Dave pointed out, as far more Afro Beatish. You could probably make a decent mix of Vampire Weekend and Fela Kuti if you really tried hard.
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post #9 of 58
1/29/08 at 2:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Incidentally, they're covering similar territory that Islands also covers (indie-rock meets Paul Simon-style world music), but Vampire Weekend has stronger songs, IMO.
Yeah, that's a good comparison. But while Islands mix Afro-Pop with hip hop, these guys mix it with a punkier sound to a nice effect. And I'd agree that for the most part, there songs are stronger.

I have much love for Islands, though.
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post #10 of 58
1/29/08 at 7:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
You could probably make a decent mix of Vampire Weekend and Fela Kuti if you really tried hard.
God Bless you for that. Believe it or not, mashups/mixes of Dear Catastrophe Waitress-era Belle and Sebastian and Fela Kuti work really well.

I saw VW live last summer and had a blast. I'm a bit mixed on the album, however. The disc is fun but a little shallow on the song-writing end of the spectrum...I get the faint odor of late-90's ska-pop (RBF, Goldfinger, Skankin' Pickle (I kid, I kid)) off of the album and that makes me want to vomit. I can't wait to hear their next album though, hopefully they drop the gimmicks and move on with a sound built on stronger substance. Really fun group to see live...
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post #11 of 58
1/30/08 at 10:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattioli View Post
So, how many goth kids are picking this album up premised upon the title?
I had the image of goths in Hawaiian shirts while listening to the album.

I heard M79 (which is the cure to any bad days so far) and bought the album on the spot. I really don't know how it will turn out; if it's gonna be a good pop that will last (like Hissing Fauna) or will get too sweet and I'll grow bored of it.
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post #12 of 58
2/3/08 at 12:58pm
Yeah, I picked this one up yesterday while dicking around in Santa Monica, and it's a blast. Just infectiously good music from a helluva talented band.
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post #13 of 58
2/3/08 at 1:05pm
What's even crazier, is I've been recommended this from people with completely polar opposite music tastes. Everyone is digging this album. I got it yesterday, and now so am I.
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post #14 of 58
2/3/08 at 1:58pm
Thread Starter 
It's the type of album that everyone wants everyone to hear. That's how good it is...
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post #15 of 58
2/3/08 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parker View Post
It's the type of album that everyone wants everyone to hear. That's how good it is...
Exactly. At first I was like 'yay more hyperbole', but a quick listen reminded me that "oh shit, these guys are awesome."
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post #16 of 58
2/3/08 at 3:10pm
I think what sets it apart from previous hype bands (say, CYHSY) is that it's incredibly accessible. My mom would love this cd.
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post #17 of 58
2/19/08 at 12:18pm
Just picked this up over the weekend at Best Buy for a whopping 7.99. I remember my buddy recommending this cd to me and I'm absolutely loving it. I don't have the track listings in front of me but the second to last song just really blew me away. The lyrics themselves were great but the instrumentals just floored me.
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post #18 of 58
2/19/08 at 3:08pm
I cant tell if they are really good or not. The song Oxford Comma has many parts that sounds like Cornershop (which I truly hate). But the lead singer kinda sounds like the guy from Spoon (which isn't bad).

I would need to hear more songs before I bought this..
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post #19 of 58
2/19/08 at 3:17pm
Walcott is a song that everyone who I've played it to has loved, when I had the album on at work people kept asking what it was and then buying it off Amazon so it's definitely got some good hooks.
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post #20 of 58
3/14/08 at 8:03pm
Walcott is a wonderful song. (And on a mixtape, would be a nice segue into or from "Keep The Car Running." )Yes, I'm the asshole who finally picked this up. I need to listen to it again with headphones before making up my mind, but I dig.
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post #21 of 58
3/14/08 at 10:20pm
I want to shoot each of these guys right in their copy of Catcher In The Rye.

And for a band that wants to sound afro-pop, they really don't push any urge to dance.

It's a listenable record, but so smirky and boring I'm happy to forget it's even on.
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post #22 of 58
3/15/08 at 7:31am
I'm listening to them right now on iTunes. Great stuff, I really like these guys alot.
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post #23 of 58
3/15/08 at 2:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russ Fischer View Post
I want to shoot each of these guys right in their copy of Catcher In The Rye.

And for a band that wants to sound afro-pop, they really don't push any urge to dance.

It's a listenable record, but so smirky and boring I'm happy to forget it's even on.
I felt that way after maybe the first listen, but the record has grown on me. They remind me of nothing else more than Outlandos d'Amour-era Police (especially "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance") but with more of a focus on African influences rather than Jamaican ones.

I think they certainly deserve another album or two before people pronounce ultimate judgment on them living up to the hype. There's tons of potential especially with Rostam's keyboard and string arrangements.
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post #24 of 58
3/15/08 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Micah Robinson View Post
I think they certainly deserve another album or two before people pronounce ultimate judgment on them living up to the hype.
I wish this could be a header or tagline for every music discussion on the web.
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post #25 of 58
3/15/08 at 7:53pm
I've never heard this band, but this seems like one of those bands where there's a seriously intimidating amount of hype that usually puts me off giving them a fair chance.
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post #26 of 58
3/15/08 at 8:08pm
I liked them a lot better when they were the English Beat.
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post #27 of 58
3/16/08 at 4:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Devildoubt View Post
I liked them a lot better when they were the English Beat.
Is there some other band named the English Beat, because the one I've heard doesn't sound like Vampire Weekend at all. Or is there another Vampire Weekend that's a British ska/soul band?
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post #28 of 58
3/16/08 at 5:10pm
I haven't heard the album yet, but after seeing them on SNL, I don't want to. No balls, no ass, and fairly uninteresting arrangements/songwriting. Also, the band looks like a bunch of prep school kids who wouldn't know life if it appeared to them in their 4th year at Hogwarts. Count me in as someone who doesn't get the hype at all.
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post #29 of 58
3/16/08 at 6:24pm
Yeah, I thought they were a joke band when I saw them on SNL. Matchstick linked me to a few of their better songs. I really like "The kids don't stand a chance" and "Oxford Comma" is pretty catchy. Other than that, I can take them or leave them. If they were playing on the radio I wouldn't change the station, but I wouldn't go out of my to listen to them either.
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post #30 of 58
3/16/08 at 9:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Is there some other band named the English Beat, because the one I've heard doesn't sound like Vampire Weekend at all. Or is there another Vampire Weekend that's a British ska/soul band?
It's just the vibe I got from them when I heard them. It's the whole General Public/English Beat thing.
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post #31 of 58
3/16/08 at 10:28pm
wow, this thread has no mention of the Strokes yet. Granted, I only heard the first single but I thought it was something new from the Strokes. I hope that single is not indicative of their hype because it's painfully bad.
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post #32 of 58
3/16/08 at 10:37pm
Vampire Weekend might sound more like The Strokes than they do Yanni or Immortal, but only barely.
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post #33 of 58
3/17/08 at 11:09am
As little as I hear the English Beat, I hear the Strokes even less.

The comparisons that make sense to me -

Paul Simon and David Byrne's experiments at melding American pop and African music
South African Soweto music
early Police (nice call, Micah!)
the lighter side of the British Invasion (the first time I heard "Mansard Roof," I thought they were going to break into "Concrete and Clay" by Unit 4 + 2, which further cements the theory that these guys really like their Wes Anderson soundtracks)

Criticizing them for lacking "balls" seems to be missing the point. It's like criticizing Belle and Sebastian or Magnetic Fields for lacking balls. Sometimes, balls aren't necessarily an asset in pop, because you end up with douchebag pop bands who unconvincingly try to rock - like Maroon Five, for instance.
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post #34 of 58
3/17/08 at 11:14am
But they wear sweater vests how can they play good music?
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post #35 of 58
3/17/08 at 11:56am
I'm just waiting for the comparisons to Masta Ace or Coheed and Cambria to start rolling in.
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post #36 of 58
3/17/08 at 4:09pm
I love that these guys become popular and everybody suddenly hates them.
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post #37 of 58
3/17/08 at 4:28pm
Listened to some of their stuff for the first time yesterday and count me as unimpressed. Maybe if I'd heard their music a couple of months ago before the hoopla, I might be cooler with it. Right now, I'm kinda shrugging my shoulders saying "That's it?"
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post #38 of 58
3/17/08 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
I love that these guys become popular and everybody suddenly hates them.
Wel, who actually knew who they were before they became popular? Apparently they are a NYC band and the first time I heard them was on SNL last week. I will admit though, that I didn't particularly dislike them based on the SNL performance. But recently finding out that all the members of the band went to Columbia University makes this NYU girl's claws come out. HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
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post #39 of 58
3/17/08 at 4:32pm
Maybe I missed the way the hype worked on these guys, but the hype I heard was more "Hey, this is a really good, fun CD" and less "this is the CD that changes everything!". If it was the latter, I'd understand the disappointment. But, they're just so easy to listen to that I guess I don't get the...not backlash, but rejection, I guess.

That being said, Russ' "Catcher in the Rye" comment cracked me up.
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post #40 of 58
3/17/08 at 4:38pm
What, exactly, is "the hoopla" declaring on their behalf, though? That's what I don't get.

The name has gotten thrown around a lot, but I've yet to hear anyone claim that they're redefining music or that they've created an epic masterpiece. It's a really modest album that sounds like it was built from some simple demos. This is an unassuming, fun, catchy debut album from a young band and, as such, it succeeds very well.

EDIT: Or what LD said.

As Matchstick said, people seem more put off by their clothes than their music. I had no idea what they looked like until SNL and still don't really care.
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post #41 of 58
3/17/08 at 4:41pm
Was digging it for a bit, but I threw my stereo out the window when I saw the lead singer wearing a Lacoste polo. Fucking terrible album.
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post #42 of 58
3/17/08 at 4:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Micah Robinson View Post
I felt that way after maybe the first listen, but the record has grown on me...There's tons of potential especially with Rostam's keyboard and string arrangements.
My first couple listens were based on a few low-key mentions, and it was the afro-beat thing that got me to listen. Didn't do anything, and then the Pitchfork review and subsequent furor surprised me and suggested I should listen again. But further review has left me cold. I'll check their next record and see.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Criticizing them for lacking "balls" seems to be missing the point. It's like criticizing Belle and Sebastian or Magnetic Fields for lacking balls.
I wouldn't have said 'balls', but I would say they lack tension, which for some people amounts to the same thing. B&S and MF both have tension in the music, as does early Police (in spades) and Paul Simon's Graceland.

If anything on the Vampire Weekend record had a glimmer of the play between beat and melody you hear in even in the song 'Graceland' I'd probably be into it. The basic tension between the kick drum beat and bassline in that song eclipses everything on the VW disc.
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post #43 of 58
3/17/08 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russ Fischer View Post
If anything on the Vampire Weekend record had a glimmer of the play between beat and melody you hear in even in the song 'Graceland' I'd probably be into it. The basic tension between the kick drum beat and bassline in that song eclipses everything on the VW disc.
I see what you're saying, but I think the key to enjoying it might be to approach it from less of a proficiency angle.

Simon had some of the best musicians money can buy playing on Graceland. Vampire Weekend sounds like the (I know people are going to misinterpret this) punk/DIY version of that. It doesn't have the tension and studio gloss that Graceland has, because achieving that kind of musicianship would be impossible for a bunch of young, relatively inexperienced guys with a budget. Instead, it aspires to a charming, playful looseness via exuberant performance and hooks.
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post #44 of 58
3/17/08 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
I see what you're saying, but I think the key to enjoying it might be to approach it from less of a proficiency angle.

Simon had some of the best musicians money can buy playing on Graceland. Vampire Weekend sounds like the (I know people are going to misinterpret this) punk/DIY version of that. It doesn't have the tension and studio gloss that Graceland has, because achieving that kind of musicianship would be impossible for a bunch of young, relatively inexperienced guys with a budget. Instead, it aspires to a charming, playful looseness via exuberant performance and hooks.
That's pretty much the response I expected, and it's a fair one. But I'm no real Paul Simon fan (I've never owned Graceland or, I think, any of his/S&G's records) and hearing VW just makes me want to listen to him.

So it's tricky for them to be so directly aiming for a sound they don't have the chops to do particularly well. (Versus, say, early Police, who were more than adept enough to pull it off.) For me, VW's shortcomings flatten out any hooks that might remain more sharp if they were working closer to their skillset.

I fully respect their attempt and don't begrudge them any success, but unless they release a Bends to this Pablo Honey, I'll remain nonplussed.
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post #45 of 58
3/17/08 at 5:59pm
I'm thinking the follow-up won't be able to deliver, actually. Amateurism works to their advantage on the debut, and any attempts to make themselves sound more professional could spell a big drop in the energy.

As much as I like the album, the style feels too insubstantial to rest a career on, and I don't get the impression these guys are going to have the ambition, talent, or incentive to reinvent themselves substantially on the second release. But I find this to be true of most "fun" bands. I think this is why, despite a similar hype being driven by indie blogs, you're not hearing that Vampire Weekend is the next Arcade Fire or the next Broken Social Scene. Most bands who are in it for the long haul have some gravitas (even outwardly pop bands, like the Shins, White Stripes, New Pornographers). Most bands who are only fun release a great album or single, then hit a pretty sharp decline in either quality or audience (The Darkness, Electric Six).

But the way I see it, this doesn't take away from the initial achievement of that one great album/single.
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post #46 of 58
3/17/08 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyarz View Post
Was digging it for a bit, but I threw my stereo out the window when I saw the lead singer wearing a Lacoste polo. Fucking terrible album.
If we were to throw CDs out the window because of the wardrobe choices of the artists, there wouldn't be a lot of musicians left now, would it?
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post #47 of 58
3/17/08 at 6:15pm
What is wrong with wearing sweaters?
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post #48 of 58
3/17/08 at 7:30pm
Quote:
As much as I like the album, the style feels too insubstantial to rest a career on, and I don't get the impression these guys are going to have the ambition, talent, or incentive to reinvent themselves substantially on the second release.
I agree with this. I've read interviews and the band sounds more than happy to stagnate right where they are, right now. Almost arrogant about it, even. Granted, they're 4 rich kids from Columbia University, they're going to be arrogant, period, and that's sorta part of their charm. At least for me; these are guys I'd be sneering at normally, and they know it, and they don't really care, they just wanna do their riff on Peter Gabriel/David Byrne/Paul Simon and make money.

As far as the hype goes, I got in right under the wire, and it does make a difference how it's presented to you. They're a good band, and they write really fun, laid back music. Like if Jimmy Buffett had a dick. It was never presented to me as a game-changer of an album, just a good one with a sound that hasn't been heard in awhile in pop music. And as such, it delivered, mostly. Blake's Got a New Face and I Stand Corrected are automatic skips at this point, and Bryn is annoying, as well. I have a feeling if they do try to branch out musically, it'll be in those directions.
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post #49 of 58
3/22/08 at 12:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
Criticizing them for lacking "balls" seems to be missing the point. It's like criticizing Belle and Sebastian or Magnetic Fields for lacking balls. Sometimes, balls aren't necessarily an asset in pop, because you end up with douchebag pop bands who unconvincingly try to rock - like Maroon Five, for instance.
Yeah, I suppose the point of my post wasn't to blast them for specifically lacking balls, but to say that if sex and music are inextricably tied together on some sub intellectual level, then these guys don't have it. Or whatever they have, I don't want. Hence the inclusion of ass also. Let's not forget how important ass is to music.

Now I haven't heard the album, so I can't say if the music can appeal to those higher brain functions that don't involve fucking, but the song they played on SNL lacked passion to me. And their look, as ultimately superficial as it may be, reinforced how slight and not urgent their sound was. I wouldn't have even brought it up if the music grabbed me. That said, I'd be willing to give the album a fair shake if the rock/pop fundamentals are really there (stuff like songwriting, arrangements, rhythms, etc.) It usually takes a few listens for a band's finer points to wear well on me.
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post #50 of 58
3/22/08 at 3:00am
These guys are great. Like it was said earlier, it'd be hard to base a whole career off of this style, but it works here. Quite well too.

I've been hearing a grievance against the album saying that it doesn't allow for a catharsis or grand closing, but I don't really know if that's legitimate. Seems to me like this is tightly-knit, economic album and there's not much in the way of wasted space - I don't think it needs a sweeping number. I heard that same complaint about Sean Lennon's Friendly Fire and it may hold weight there, but certainly not here.

Also, this nonsense about them being Ivy League rich kids who don't keep it real needs to stop. I'm not talking about this thread per se, but I've been reading that a lot lately.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB
But the way I see it, this doesn't take away from the initial achievement of that one great album/single.
No matter what he does, NaS still has Illmatic!
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