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Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend Record Review
Vampire Weekend
- Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings) December 15th, 2007 -
by
Fred J.
Simani Buy From Strictly Discs
Ezra Koenig (vocals / guitar),
Rostam Batmanglij (keyboards / vocals), Chris Tomson (Drums),
and Chris Baio
(bass) met while attending Columbia University and formed
what is now known as Vampire Weekend.
The New York City band depicts their sound as “Upper
West Side Soweto”. These ten tales from the
preppy young boys with a taste for popular African music
and Western
Classical Music work tremendously well. In June 2007 the
New York Times wrote that "Even without an
album, Vampire Weekend have made one of the most impressive
debuts
of the year." VW should soon be blazing over the nearest
college campuses with a fury that will have everyone grooving
along to their own blend of Afro-pop flavored indie rock.
Ezra Koenig starts out their self titled album stating that he can “see
a
Mansard
roof through the trees” painting the picture of the Columbia campus and
its Empire style architecture. The song contains an arrangement of strings (keyboard)
and heavy reverb on the guitar: a match made in heaven. “A-Punk” (most
danceable) Koenig’s brilliant guitar work mixed with Batmanglij’s
ambient keyboard chords in the chorus, makes for one the finest tracks on the
album.
“ Who gives a fuck about an Oxford Comma”, states Koenig in an apathetically
spoken statement; he has seen those English dramas, diction dripping with disdain.
A
song
with a title about a comma used immediately before a grammatical conjunction
that precedes the last item in a list of three or more items and the song
is
brilliant.
In the song "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" (which references Congolese soukous
music), the beautiful bridge seems to be cut from the same fabric as Paul Simon’s Graceland and
flows perfectly within the confines of a jumpy, afro-pop four cord progression…it’s
the “hit”…one of those songs with a guitar hook that will never
leave your mind. Later on we move into the very danceable “Boston” which
has it’s typical 4/4 time Ramones style drum beat but done with ivy league
class; there is no monotony. Koenig croons” I’ve dreamed of Boston
all of my life”. Later on the song comes to an abrupt and morbid bridge
with only church organ and Koenig promising how he will put the morbid family
streak
to rest. “Campus” gives off imagery of the college campus in a love
song with its driving guitar lines almost mimicking Albert Hammond Jr. from The
Strokes,. Track seven, “One” has this bouncing beat which you can't
help but groove on. You will catch yourself singing “Blake’s got
a new face”. The song“ Bryn” opens with a beautiful south African
guitar line and the layered vocals from Koenig makes for a perfectly executed
track and one of my favorite songs on the album and possibly one of the best
I
have heard
in a
while.
The whole album holds up extremely well with "Walcott" the bouncing, piano tinged
song about getting out of "Cape Cod tonight" and finally ending with“The
Kids
Don’t
Stand
A Chance” a reggae flavored kiss goodbye which bookends this wonderful
album.