Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend attracted an avalanche of buzz in advance of their full-length debut, thanks to a combination of blog overexposure, steady touring and a tendency to be in the right place at the right time. No less an authority than David Byrne thinks the NYC quartet's danceable, hipster-friendly tunes recall early-era Talking Heads (he meant this as an observation, not a recrimination).

All the advance hype and subsequent backlash will probably undermine the momentum of the actual album, a debut that's largely entertaining from start to finish. Like Franz Ferdinand, Vampire Weekend suffer somewhat as expectations rise; anyone looking for something loftier than a good time will have to look elsewhere. But sharp hooks and memorable melodies abound. They're hardly the first musical pilgrims to pilfer from Afro-pop, but their execution is unusually deft, as heard on the infectious "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" (which has been kicking around online for ages). The so-called "world" elements—particularly the driving percussion—work seamlessly alongside their angular guitars and snappy vocals.

In the cutthroat indie world that has romanticized Pabst Blue Ribbon and fake vintage T-shirts, Vampire Weekend's Columbia pedigrees, preppy stage presentation and numerous lyrical references to Cape Cod all seem practically antagonistic. The immensely catchy "Oxford Comma" really is about oxford commas—in some vague manner, anyway. Frontman Ezra Koening plays up the pomp, his vocals tinged with self-conscious snark. But Vampire Weekend wisely never sacrifice their charm, despite an occasional grating dud like "One (Blake's Got A New Face)." The hype got it right this time around.

—Adam McKibbin
02.07.08

With the Internet able to build up or tear down artists almost as soon as they start practicing, the advance word and intense scrutiny doesn't always do a band any favors. By the time they've got a full-length album ready to go, the trend-spotters are already several Hot New Bands past them. Vampire Weekend started generating buzz in 2006 -- not long after they formed -- but their self-titled debut album didn't arrive until early 2008. Vampire Weekend also has just a handful of songs that haven't been floating around the 'Net, which may disappoint the kind of people who like to post "First!" on message boards. This doesn't make those songs any less charming, however -- in fact, the band has spent the last year and a half making them even more charming, perfecting the culture collision of indie-, chamber-, and Afro-pop they call "Upper West Side Soweto" by making that unique hybrid of sounds feel completely effortless. So, Vampire Weekend ends up being a more or less official validation of the long-building buzz around the band, served up in packaging that uses the Futura typeface almost as stylishly as Wes Anderson. At times, the album sounds like someone trying to turn a Wes Anderson movie back into music (it's no surprise that the band's keyboardist also writes film scores); there's a similarly precious yet adventurous feel here, as well as a kindred eye and ear for detail. Everything is concise, concentrated, distilled, vivid; Vampire Weekend's world is extremely specific and meticulously crafted, and Vampire Weekend often feels like a concept album about preppy guys who grew up with classical music and recently got really into world music. Amazingly, instead of being alienating, the band's quirks are utterly winning. Scholarly grammar ("Oxford Comma") and architecture ("Mansard Roof") are springboards for songs with impulsive melodies, tricky rhythms, and syncopated basslines. Strings and harpsichords brush up against African-inspired chants on "M79," and lilting Afro-pop guitars and a skanking beat give way to Mellotrons on "A-Punk." It's a given that a band that's this high concept has hyper-literate lyrics: the singer's name is the very writerly Ezra Koenig, and you almost expect to see footnotes in the album's liner notes. Once again, though, Vampire Weekend's words are evocative instead of gimmicky. The irresistible "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" rhymes "Louis Vuitton" with "reggaeton" and "Benneton" and name-drops Peter Gabriel (though it's clear the band spent more time with Paul Simon's Graceland) without feeling contrived. "Campus" is another standout, with lines like "I see you walking across the campus...how am I supposed to pretend I never want to see you again?" throwing listeners into college life no matter what their age. Koenig has a boyish, hopeful quality to his voice that completes Vampire Weekend, especially on bittersweet but irrepressible songs like "I Stand Corrected" and album closer "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance." Fully realized debut albums like Vampire Weekend come along once in a great while, and these songs show that this band is smart, but not too smart for their own good. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide