CHUD.com Community › Forums › MUSIC › Music › Vampire Weekend
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Vampire Weekend - Page 2

post #51 of 58
3/22/08 at 11:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
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).
Just because they don't contain as much "gravitas" as some of the bands you mentioned (why does good music always have to be "serious" music?) doesn't mean they warrant comparison with two terribly shitty bands that (as far as I'm concerned) never had a quality single/album in the first place.

I really hate how we're setting the band up to fail after one album. People have got the knives and forks out already? Sure, they might not to be able to live up to their debut...but announcing that the band will be unable to grow or maintain any kind of substance on future records based solely on their one current album? That's nothing but reactionary nonsense.

And if other music blogs are comparing them to Arcade Fire or Broken Social Scene, they're just moronic. Nothing in common at all.

edit: That said, on the negative side...I've heard they're seriously lacking live. I'll find out for myself in July.
Reply
post #52 of 58
4/3/08 at 12:43pm
Discovered this CD last week (exclusive of CHUD - gotta spend more time in the Music Forums). Second time through and I'm hooked. Fun lyrics, catchy, earworm music.

There seem to be a lot of detractors in this thread. To paraphrase the Pope, I might not know music, but I know what I like.
Reply
post #53 of 58
4/3/08 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parker View Post
Just because they don't contain as much "gravitas" as some of the bands you mentioned (why does good music always have to be "serious" music?) doesn't mean they warrant comparison with two terribly shitty bands that (as far as I'm concerned) never had a quality single/album in the first place.
The first album by the Darkness has hooks for miles if you can get past the image. They're actually a pretty good comparison point for Vampire Weekend in this sense.

I didn't say anything about good music having to be serious. Obviously, I don't believe this or I wouldn't be praising Vampire Weekend's debut. No, my point is that rock acts that only exist to be fun tend to have a shorter shelf life than those that have the ambition to resonate on more than one level.

Quote:
I really hate how we're setting the band up to fail after one album. People have got the knives and forks out already? Sure, they might not to be able to live up to their debut...but announcing that the band will be unable to grow or maintain any kind of substance on future records based solely on their one current album? That's nothing but reactionary nonsense.
I like the first album, but my gut tells me that their second album isn't going to be very different from it. I'm not sure why this is such a controversial statement.

Quote:
And if other music blogs are comparing them to Arcade Fire or Broken Social Scene, they're just moronic. Nothing in common at all.
Except for the fact that they came out of nowhere and made their name largely on the basis of music blog hype. No, they have nothing in common musically with those other bands. But Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene don't either, really, and you still heard comparisons on occasion - if nothing else, they're big bands with a lot of ambition, and people expected them to continue to deliver on subsequent albums. They showed promise beyond what was demonstrated on their respective breakthroughs. Vampire Weekend doesn't have that "career band" buzz for a reason - their music is modest and, unless they change in a pretty big way, there's not a whole lot else they can do with the style they've established.

I'm enjoying the album for what it is, regardless of what happens next. This is hardly a slam on the band.
Reply
post #54 of 58
4/3/08 at 7:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post

Except for the fact that they came out of nowhere and made their name largely on the basis of music blog hype.
But that's virtually every new band. You could be saying the same thing at Los Campesinos, Black Kids, or any Pitchfork-approved overnight sensation. And, to use Arcade Fire as an example, I'd argue that their overall sound hasn't changed that dramatically. They've become more complex and have focused on subsequent grander arrangements. But fans want some level of consistency from a band mixed in with experimentation and growth.

In general, I totally agree with what you're saying. I'd compare Vampire Weekend with two very different bands: Belle and Sebastian and The Strokes. They could develop over time and keep their sound consistent while experimenting with other types of song-structures and arrangements (the former) or they could run their sound into the ground and peter out after two competent albums (the later).

What you're saying isn't controversial and I could see either option happening. I just hate the projection because it assumes the worst in a band. It implies that you've made up your mind beforehand and that kind of undermines the quality of their first record. It's as if you're saying "you like it" with ear marks attached in case they fall out of fashion with the cool kids.

I know that's not actually what you're doing, of course. But I'd rather take the band on an album by album basis rather than play fortune teller. If their second album sounds the same, I'll be disappointed But I'm not going to assume the worst. And I'm a pessimist!
Reply
post #55 of 58
4/4/08 at 12:17pm
I think I'm just being pragmatic. My enjoyment of Vampire Weekend is very "in the moment." With great bands, I'll obsess over lyrics and structure, try to figure out why the songs work the way they do, anxiously await new output. Vampire Weekend is catchy and fun while I'm listening to it, and, in my experience, bands like this just don't have much staying power. I'm not trying to be some prophet of doom here, though, and I'll be very happy to be proven wrong.

I consider Los Campesinos and Black Kids to be in the exact same boat. Fun bands that exist in the moment, but don't necessarily show promise for the future. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Some of the best music ever is "disposable" pop.
Reply
post #56 of 58
4/7/08 at 10:29pm
Can someone explain this lyric for me?
I suck at unraveling subtext

Mansard Roof

I see a mansard roof through the trees
I see a salty message written in the eaves
The ground beneath my feet
The hot garbage and concrete
And now the tops of buildings, I can see them too

The Argentines collapse in defeat
The admiralty surveys the remnants of the fleet
The ground beneath their feet
Is a nautically-mapped sheet
As thin as paper
While it slips away from view
Reply
post #57 of 58
4/7/08 at 10:51pm
I assume it refers to the 'war' over the Falkland Islands back in the early 80's.

I could be wrong...
Reply
post #58 of 58
4/8/08 at 10:15am
Are they british?
That was my first thought too.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Music
CHUD.com Community › Forums › MUSIC › Music › Vampire Weekend