Vampire Weekend Reviews

• SMART INDIE POP FOR A WEEKEND IN CAPE COD (3.8 stars)

  
  By A1OFTP2XE6JHLM on 2008-01-31
  A daunting task reviewing a disc that has already been hailed by many as the first important disc of 2008. Such is the case of the debut from Vampire Weekend, 4 Columbia students gone preppy-indie to catch the eyes and ears of David Byrne, Lou Reed and aging hipsters alike.
  
  It was a few months ago when I first read David Bryne's glowing review of their highly circulated CD-R, so naturally I was cautiously interested to say the least. Like with many other early-praised NYC bands (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Strokes, Clap Your Hands, The National, Interpol, MGMT), Vampire Weekend meet most of the expectations head on, and give us a few surprises in the process. The first of which is a pretty obvious nod to Afro-pop stylings as well as a love for Paul Simon and (naturally) later Talking Heads recordings.
  
  The first track is the lead single, Mansard Roof (google it). A track as studious as it sounds, with tight changes, nice lyrics, and crisp melodies, a perfect pop moment that would make fans of Belle and Sebastian squeal into their book bags. The band then up the ante with Oxford Comma, again, just as collegiate friendly, but with a little more bite to it. In it they even manage to drop a well-pronounced F-bomb and make it sound like the Queen's English. The overall result is my favorite track off the disc. The song A Punk (months already on itunes) continues the impressive string of songs at three now, A Punk carries a bit more Strokes flavor to it in its brevity and faster pacing, but its pace doesn't seem foreign at all. The Paul Simon-isms finally rear their head with the track Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. I immediately think of You Can Call Me Al, with that overbearing saxophone and stop-start melody. Even though that maybe be purely unfounded, I'm pretty sure others will hear what I'm talking about. Maybe it's the worldly guitar line, or it could be the vocal stop-start of the verses? After it's all said and done, it's nothing the hipsters won't be able to swallow. M79 brings in a harpsichord sounding synth as its calling card and does so without becoming annoying. Campus is another Stroke styled stroke, right down to the melancholy and wishful tone of the lyrics and for me another one of the better songs. A few more tracks that don't quite impress as much, fill the gaps until the album's closer, The Kids Don't Stand a Chance. The track adds a little bit of reggae into the repertoire but again, it isn't enough to turn me completely off. It just somehow works for these guys, call them lucky or smart, or both.
  
  If anything, the afro-pop, New England fashion sense (docksiders), and even the reggae, pump up the irony of this very collegiate group of boys and their appeal to fans of all types of music, especially indie music. It may be a stretch to say everyone will like some part of this record, but I found most of it pretty darn enjoyable and that in this day and age is getting more rare than not. So not a perfect record, but I'll agree with the masses in calling it the first important record in a very young 2008. Have fun trying to get into their upcoming tour, I have a feeling it's going to be quite popular
  
  

• catchy tracks but not all that memorable either

  
  By A2YJ1K8M0KPHMF on 2008-02-05
  I wanted to like this but the afro-pop-lite tracks will only stay with you for a few listens. It is indeed a great CD to play at a party. I would have prefered something more outlandish if they are going to do airy afro-pop (think the more complex beats of later Talking Heads or the campy lyrics of the B-52's). It will be interesting to see what the band does next. If they simply put out another CD like this, the same exact folks giving this CD 5 stars will give their next CD 2 stars.
  
  

• Wool over your eyes.

  
  By A19PPFERQ3JFDS on 2008-04-02
  I listen to too much contemporary music for my own good. Music generally evolves and mutates out of its immediate surroundings (Neutral Milk Hotel aside) and therefore it can be understood in a context of its own society.
  
  Maybe it's the hype machine. Maybe it's the sweaters not being emo enough. Maybe it's the prep garage rock aesthetic. But nothing in this record neither inspires me nor feels close to what I want to listen to, nor can I understand it. All the terms applied with the music, such as "yacht rock," "cape cod," "university brats," and "African" (whatever that means ) somehow exist as accurate assessments of the music and the culture. The songs are neither inspiring nor are accurate reflections of the generation, except that one small subculture in which they exist. I don't want to get into a note to note understanding of the music (that would inspire to much ranting), or even a song understanding. Singles such as "A-Punk" sound like a failed ska song, "Mansford Roof" best part is simply the sound of the keyboard. There's not a lot to this music (and there is no intention of there being a lot), so the more you dig, the more you will find references to the small world they exist in. I appreciate the calm and "cute" areas of indie pop, I really do. But in between baroque pop, Afro pop, and prep pop, it's hard for Vampire Weekend to even get the pop part of the music right.
  
  When our children look through our ipods and listen to "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," Vampire Weekend better hope it has the posterity of Rick Astley or Hall and Oates. If they can even barely reach that level of infamy, then the more power to them. I simply give two stars hoping that someday they'll put down their gimmicks and write three songs in a row that don't force me to hyperventilate.
  
  
  

• A Waste of Money - Extremely Disappointed

  
  By A2083P28HVC2R2 on 2008-02-27
  I haven't been this disappointed in a new CD in a long time. I've read almost nothing but rave reviews about these guys, but I don't get it. It is extremely shallow pop music with very little recognizable "African beat" that has been so hyped up in everything I've read. Every song sounds alike....this is trite, bubblegum pap as far as I'm concerned, and I am generally very flexible in my musical tastes.
  
  

• Nothing Here

  
  By A3LBXBGKU4HDTA on 2008-03-08
  Been a long time since we've had a disc this over-hyped with so little to back it up. I keep wanting to find something memorable on the CD, but it just isn't there. Thankfully, Vampire Weekend will be forgotten very soon and we'll get back to music that means something.
  
  
• Unbelievable
  By A1GHJH2MJMT2VC on 2008-03-12
  It's really amazing to me that this band is getting famous. It's not surprising that they get positive press, since the press is beholden to the industry, which essentially picks it's next "big hits" and then makes it happen through monopoly of distribution and advertising. But it's shocking that people choose to listen to this when there's so much great music being made these days, let alone the original stuff that paved the way back when these fools' trust funds were still in diapers.
  
  Check out Paul Simon! These brats apparently did, although all they (barely) managed to steal was the sound, they got none of the subtlety or depth. How could they? They have nothing to sing or write or play about, they went to college and now they're famous.
  
  This band is terrible - there's nothing there, folks. They can barely play their instruments, the songs are monotonous, and the albums have no character. The vocals are whiny and the lyrics are devoid of substance. "Is your bed made? / Is your sweater on? / Do you want to / Like you know I do?" Boo.
  
  Vampire Weekend is not an "Indie" band, they are a product of the industry, without which they would probably be in law school or at an investment bank and no one they went to school with would even remember their band. If you like their music search a little more and find the really creative stuff - it's there waiting for those who seek it!
  
  
• wimpy wimpy wimpy (and NOTHING like Graceland!)
  By A1CBWIOEDH5PNP on 2008-02-11
  Seriously the most overrated cd I've heard in years. This is about as gutless as rock gets. I had it on shuffle play for a good week with the Whigs, Drive By Truckers, Feist and M.I.A. (to give you an example of what else I'm listening to...Replacements are my all time favorite band, Archers of Loaf would be second, so you know where I'm coming from), and seriously the chick in Feist could kick the butts of everyone in Vampire Weekend with one arm tied behind her back. Tired songs, embarassing lyrics (no, really...EMBARASSING), hideously annoying keyboards, and the worst use of violins this side of a Celine Dion record. THIS IS NOT ROCK AND ROLL. And really, when I think of great pop (Nick Lowe's JESUS OF COOL), it doesn't even have the guts to compare. (It's like bad music that would be playing at a children's party that makes you want to kill yourself.) Really...buy the first CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH, or the new STEVE EARLE, or if you really need to spend money pick up a copy of IN THE AREOPLANE OVER THE SEA (if you don't have it)...just please do yourself a favor and avoid falling into the "hipster-lemming" trap by avoiding this.
  
  Post script, written after their SNL appearance: again, trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they "bring it" live. They don't. In fact, it only solidified the argument that there's no substance here, whatsoever.
  
  One other thing...to those comparing this to Paul Simon's miraculous GRACELAND. Are you out of your mind? Have you heard GRACELAND? This cd is nothing like GRACELAND in any way shape or form. Not to mention the silence been the tracks on that historic album has more musical complexity and originality than the best tunes on this cd. And I don't mean it's not like comparing apples to oranges, it's like comparing apples to week-old dog poop. To anyone out there considering this disc, DO NOT BUY IT THINKING IT'S LIKE GRACELAND...you will be horribly disappointed.
  
  
• "Trendy" defined
  By A2CEIVPX763WBQ on 2008-03-15
  
  What is trendy? It's the latest, greatest, big thing. A few years from now, though, you look back (or in this case, listen), and it's just not that great.
  
  These guys are riding a huge wave of hype right now, which is great for them. I really tried to give them a chance. I listened again and again, but in the end, it's recycled Talking Heads and Paul Simon.
  
  VW's music is OK on the surface, but there's just not much meat on the bones here. To all the diehard fans, I ask: Are you familiar with Talking Heads' and Paul Simon's catalogs? If you answer yes, and still enjoy VW, we have a respectful difference in opinion. If you answer no, then dig into these catalogs, and tell me who's the real deal, and who are the posers.
  
  From those who understand what I'm getting at, I'm counting on getting some helpful votes for this review. To those who don't, well, I'd be willing to bet they're among the crowd who aren't familiar with Talkng Heads and Paul Simon.
  
  
• Cracker Reggae That Sucks!
  By A2WC9RE79VKWVO on 2008-03-10
  This is STUPID MUSIC by well educated people. I can't believe the press are touting this band the Next great Indie band. This CD sucks! This is just bad music that's marketed very well. I wish I could give this disk 1/64th of a star but I can't so here's a one start review.
  
  
• Addictive at first...
  By A2YK18FEUOT4B3 on 2008-01-30
  ....but after a few months (had this since Sept) the songs grow tiring and tedious. A really fun band that are having a moment, but in the grand scheme of things, the songs lack a bit of heart and don't really have the depth to stand the test of time. Not so much longevity on these ones, but really worth obsessing over for a few weeks.
  
  
• Vampire Weekend
  By A5F1A9MI4BLFA on 2008-02-02
  You could call Vampire Weekend the Minutemen of the 21st century. Though singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig is more likely to greet you with a cheery wave than a punch in the shoulder the way the late D. Boon might have, both bands' defining characteristic is their propensity to overlay leftfield genres onto a solid foundation of user-friendly punk. By now it's no secret that Vampire Weekend's modus operandi is to hybridize African pop music and college rock, thanks to pre-release blogger buzz that rivaled that of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, as well as the band's own accounts to the press. In a recent interview with National Public Radio, Koenig explained that all of them had been taken with African music at some point in their lives, and described a love affair with an obscure Madagascan compilation CD from the 1980s that set the whole project in motion.
  
  Say what you will about a bunch of white Columbia University graduates tapping a relatively destitute region for inspiration, but you can't be an aspiring artist in New York City without spending some time exploring the world around you. The Afro-pop influence is what lends the guitars and synthesizers their sunny, sprightly tone, splashing color onto an otherwise monochromatic canvas. To most American ears, however, Vampire Weekend will sound like nothing more than well-written indie pop with bits of punk, caffeinated electro-pop and surf rock thrown in. You never get the sense from Vampire Weekend that the band members are overwhelmed by their own concept, and all of the world music gobbledygook that bloggers have used to describe it ultimately obscures the fact that it's a fabulous party record: uptempo, uncomplicated, and disarmingly catchy.
  
  Perhaps the reason why Vampire Weekend doesn't sound prototypically "African" is because of the drumming. Chris Tomson's jaunty rhythms keep everything firmly grounded in the Western rock tradition while the rest of the musicians try more cross-cultural things, and they provide a handful of songs with their brightest moments. On their first single, "Mansard Roof," Tomson stamps out a beat that's halfway between a march and a shuffle and sped up to 160 bpm, while 8-bit electronics and synthesized strings run to catch up and Koenig sings what sounds like an optimistic version of Green Day's "Basket Case." You don't just bounce to "Mansard Roof"--it bounces you, and when it's over after two minutes you're hitting the repeat button like a rat trying to score another food pellet.
  
  "A-Punk" gets even quicker with a rhythm section straight out of Rocket to Russia and surf-rock guitars that recall Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello dancing on the set of Beach Party. Indeed, there's a strong vintage streak running through this record, from the Buddy Hollyesque pianos on "Walcott" to the cheeky `70s post-punk of "One (Blake's Got a New Face)," though the band pulls off the neat and not unimpressive hat trick of sounding only like itself. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" (also the name of the musical style they're said to have created) comes closest to the traditional Afro-pop they were ostensibly reaching for, with Tomson playing the djembe and Koenig singing in high vocal trills, but it's followed by "Campus," a silly little love song anchored by a bass chord progression that mirrors the one in the Minutemen's "Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth," and we're back in familiar Vampire Weekend territory: low-maintenance and extremely habitable.
  
  The only song that doesn't ring true is the closer, "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance," a waterlogged British reggae number whose myriad missteps highlight what Vampire Weekend does right nearly everywhere else. Pulling from disparate musical sources and throwing them into the salad bowl is part and parcel of Vampire Weekend's methodology, but this one sounds too derivative, capturing The Police at one of their more lugubrious moments. Koenig's reggae vocals are uncertain where they once seemed pliant and confident, and instruments don't mesh but exist loosely atop each other, unaware of the others' existence. The track's melody, title, and cautionary metaphors are all downers; it's like ending a party with a warning about getting mugged on the way home. By contrast, some of the band's best songs are about absolutely nothing. The entire subject of "One (Blake's Got a New Face)" is that Blake, whoever he may be, has a new face. And the opening line of "Oxford Comma" isn't at all what you'd expect from a group of good Columbia boys who assumedly aced all of their classes: "Who gives a f*** about an Oxford comma?"
  
  In fact, there's something quite telling about that line, in that it may shed light on who Vampire Weekend is and their approach to making music. Not that they ever intended to hide anything. Of course Koenig and company know what an Oxford comma is, just like they know what a mansard roof is and what kwassa kwassa is--pieces of information you have to study in school or, you know, seek out on your own. Yet there's nothing particularly sedulous about Vampire Weekend, nothing so self-consciously academic as to appear like a footnote in a music history exegesis. Even the most potentially encyclopedic moment on the record--"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"--sounds as though it was played on a college lawn to sun-impregnated students without a care in the world. On their debut, the young men of Vampire Weekend come off like well-traveled but still curious explorers, excited about the possibilities about where their chosen path might lead, and capable of using the resources under their belts to get there. Scoff all you want at their Ivy League pedigree; Vampire Weekend is one of the best examples I can think of to demonstrate education's true (and often obscured) purpose of personal enrichment, and lucky us, we get to reap the benefits.
  
  
• this vampire has no blood
  By A2PG9JH0BXNLDQ on 2008-02-20
  I bought this from Amazon and, while eagerly waiting for it to arrive, read numerous rave reviews. Needless to say, I was excited to finally get and give it a listen. Total disappointment. I listened again; the same. It's like Paul Simon's Graceland...but without any of the good parts. And I'm not crazy about Graceland. Anyhow, don't get sucked into the hype. This Vampire has no blood.
  
  
• I Can Already Smell the Backlash
  By A27YD2A4PAMA8D on 2008-03-10
  This is a decent little pop record, but that's all it is. Airy, sunny, afro-pop tinged melodies about nothing much at all.
  
  Remember Haircut 100? Yeah, this is them, just a younger incarnation. Heck, they even LOOK like Haircut 100, sweaters and all.
  
  The Strokes? Are you kidding me? This is nowhere close to the Strokes. Not even in the same universe. Some of the Paul Simon comparisons are apt, if you go back to Graceland or Rhythm of the Saints. But if you really want a parallel, all you have to do is dust off that old Haircut 100 record.
  
  It's a shame, that people are going to be slagging this band a year from now. They neither deserve inordinate praise nor ridicule. This is simply an innocuous pop record to put on in the background while sunning in the backyard on a spring Sunday, gin and tonic close at hand.
  
  
  
  
• This year's freshman-dorm album
  By AFM1JE6DAZCTY on 2008-04-24
  I've had a strange, irregular series of reactions to this band.
  
  I heard that Vampire Weekend was the Hot New Thing, but didn't get around to investigating the music for awhile.
  
  Then I heard they would appear on "Saturday Night Live" in another week or two, so I looked up their MySpace profile. I don't remember if I streamed more than one track, but "Oxford Comma" instantly knocked me out. Loved it. Still love it. The nifty inverted chords, à la Brian Wilson...the delightful hook of those goofy, sixth-interval jumps ("I've seen those English dramas to-OOH/They're cru-OOL").... I probably listened to that song a dozen times within a day or two.
  
  But then I saw the group perform on SNL and...kerplunk. They were one of the "greenest" acts I've ever seen on the show. Came off like they'd been playing together for six months, tops. Just seemed like college dorks playing a local house party for beer, laughs and maybe a cute girl's phone number. They couldn't have been more "white boy," which is odd since their songs have such strong ska/calypso/African elements. And I didn't like how they even emphasized their nerdiness in such a contrived way, with the preppy sweaters, the repressed body language and all that. And...the little creeps didn't even play "Oxford Comma"! They were lucky to have a professional string section onstage with them, because I really don't think they could have handled this large-scale venue on their own.
  
  Still, I bought the album anyway. I put off grinding all the way through it for a couple of months, but I listened in bits and pieces.
  
  I finally gave it a full, intense listen about a week ago. And it's simply not a keeper. The lyrics can be clever and the music is an interesting mix of styles, but that's not enough. "Oxford Comma" is still magical, but I don't enjoy any other song nearly as much. The sequencing is also a problem -- the first three tracks are the strongest, so the rest of the disc feels like a downhill slide.
  
  Hearing this album, I'm immediately thrown back to my college days -- yes, I'm dating myself here -- when everybody around me "partied" with Zenyatta Mondatta and I Just Can't Stop It (two albums which I never bought myself). It's particularly hard not to think of the English Beat while hearing "A-Punk." Except the Beat and Police had some genuine rhythmic muscle and groove, whereas Vampire Weekend just daintily flits about. For beer, laughs and maybe a cute girl's phone number.
  
  I'll be very surprised if this band sustains its buzz with future releases. They're probably nice guys, but they're a hype all the same.
  
  This year's freshman-dorm album. A year or two ago, maybe it was the Shins, Death Cab for Cutie or Rilo Kiley. Now it's Vampire Weekend. Next year...who knows.
  
  
• Please enter a title for your review
  By A2KEKPMI3WQMPA on 2008-02-14
  the well-chosen single A-Punk is the only song with a memorable melody, which basically sounds like The Strokes covering The La's There She Goes. the rest of the album is dominated by aggressively rudimentary drumming, meandering basslines that seem oblivious to either rhythm or melody, and the faceless boyish disinterested half-spoken vocals that identify a band as "indie" in the 2000s. a few other songs reprise the same riff from A-Punk, a couple result from a Paul Simon led study in "afrobeat", a couple others use celtic melodies, but the most consistent quality is a bland sparseness which even the aforementioned novelties fail to distract from. none of Vampire Weekend's failings are unique, they're just another brick in the postpunk britpop wall.
  
  
• Vampire Hype Machine
  By AWR6Q6QQMRXB8 on 2008-03-27
  This sounds like Paul Simon. "Mansard Roof," I'm talking about. Remember that song where Chevy Chase and Paul Simon are sitting together and Chevy is pretending to dance and sing the song? That is what I get from this album. It sounds like maybe one of the kids in the band has heard of Lord Invader, or has a general knowledge of some calypso melodies, but maybe was too afraid to push the song fully in that direction. In the end it winds up being a generally boring, album.
  
  "Oxford Comma" is embarrassingly bad. Imagine if Belle and Sebastian had a different singer (that's a good thing, by the way), but he felt the need to sing about grammar, buildings in India and Lamas. Already this album is way too precious for its own good. I'd make a joke about a guy in "skinny jeans" and a sweater penning these lyrics during class, but I don't want to fall into the habit of repeatedly insulting the party responsible for this music so early on in our listening adventure. By the way, when did the lite synthesizer overtake the Smiths-style jangle-guitar in the battle for gayest sounding instrument?
  
  Oh wait, here's that Smiths guitar sound. This number, "A-Punk" is really upbeat. Paul Simon is back singing his pretty heart out, but he might be trying to sing through a mouthful of food. Actually, it sounds like a too-hard attempt to meld Richie Valens with Rita Lee, but he's referencing the Hudson, the subway and Washington Heights. The punk-ish yelps that signal the song's coda are fragile enough to warrant plenty of unjust laughter. Here's the thing about these songs so far. They remind me of Orange Juice. I tried really hard to get into Orange Juice, but I wound up hating it. I'd much rather listen to Orange Juice than Vampire Weekend.
  
  The Smiths guitar begins "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", which instantly reminds me of these frat parties they used to have at Muhlenberg where dudes would wear Panama shorts and stupid collared t-shirts, and have Jimmy Buffet blaring through PA speakers outside their house. As I watched them playing beach volleyball on a makeshift beach and drinking Malibu rum straight from the bottle, I wondered if they thought they were accurately portraying life on foreign shores. That's the same feeling I get listening to this song. Maybe Vampire Weekend naively imagines "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" to sound like pure Afrobeat or Reggae. It doesn't. More dumb lyrical references to Louis Vuitton, Bennetton, and Peter Gabriel make me think these boys watch a lot of Family Guy.
  
  "M79" is supposed to be, what, Mozart? "Campus" reminds me nothing of my own college experience (although maybe it would if I was the type of emo kid who dragged his feet and silently cursed passersby), and the Afro-pop-new-wave whatever you want to call it reeks of Spandau Ballet or one of those other early-'80s ultra-accessible new-wave band. The rest of the album doesn't really waver. "One" might be the worst song on this generally sub-par album.
  
  Okay, so easily-digestible pop music isn't my preferred style of music. Still, it shouldn't be that difficult to see through the Vampire Weekend sheen to the ugly truth that this simply isn't good. Beat Happening were pretty weak and twee, but compared to Vampire Weekend they're a balls-to-the-wall rock band. This music is too slick, too studied, too affected. There are plenty of bands who tastefully borrow from world music without inserting it into otherwise preening collegiate pop songs. Antibalas and Cex Fucx do it better. I'd rather listen to those acts.
  
  The Strokes were from New York, garnered a lot of buzz, and wore their influences on their sleeves, too...
  
  
• Ummmmm.... yeah.... no
  By A30OHJ2CJJUVJO on 2008-04-24
  This seems like the kind of thing that a small group of coeds in an average pewter colored euro trash convertible would listen to on a weekend drive up highway 1 while they complained about other people's clothing taste.......
  
  
• Nothing New
  By A2EX9ZEBBKTM86 on 2008-03-10
  I have to say that this album is overhyped. It's catchy, yes, and, for that reason, is good for a few spins. But the album is short and the songs get tiresome after a very short while. It's nothing to blow anyone's mind, but seems more of a Strokes rip-off band with a tinge of Paul Simon. I'd say go buy Graceland by Paul Simon and you'd get more value out of your money. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a more "classic" indie sound. Just wish this album offered something at least a little new and original.
  
  
• Lax Foray Into Imitation Pretentiousness
  By A1MV4I024S3THB on 2008-04-13
  I have a theory that the people who like this album are hearing how this band channels influences they like and really like those influences. So, the concept here - mix some Paul Simon with some Elvis Costello with a sort of Beach Boys/prep club vibe is a winner. The execution, unfortunately, falls way, way short, which I guess is easier to ignore than one would think.
  
  But play two tracks from Graceland by Paul Simon and anything by Elvis Costello; then listen to this album. You'll notice that there just doesn't seem to be much energy, hooks, or singalong material. It's background music for a really lame party you throw when your old college friends get back together and talk about their investment banking jobs.
  
  I like the musical direction. I really do. Conceptually. But, again, the problem is in the execution. The performances sound like first take material. The lyrics fall flat. Rather than the poetic turns of phrase of Paul Simon, you get lines like:
  
  "I didn't like the business,
  But that was at first glance
  Your pillow feels so soft now
  But still you must advance"
  
  (from The Kids Don't Stand A Chance)
  
  The lyrics fail to paint much of a picture of anything. They are random comments of people and situations we aren't told enough to care about. Links aren't made. Time isn't taken to create a world we can believe in through the blending of sound, texture, and poetic imagery. It's not even vacuous dance music or fun, pointless garage band throwaway songs.
  
  Ladies of Cambridge, the B-Side off of the Mansard Roof single is actually more alive than the material on the album proper. Yet, "A morbid streak runs through the whole of my family." So says our intrepid vocalist in a blatant attempt to rip-off Morrissey.
  
  Morbid is nowhere near this music. Lame ska is more the flair (or lack thereof). The choice of band names, while I realize is supposed to be ironic, still makes one wonder if the lads originally thought they were forming a goth band and then, through a major case of hyperactive attention deficit disorder, got sidetracked into pablum pop disguised as 'new wave'.
  
  Hint: new wave is long over. And those who compare this band to Talking Heads and The Police - again, please listen to the source material. Then, listen to this band. You will find stark differences. For instance, while Sting wrote some of the great lyrics of the late 20th Century, this person from this band seems to have written some words down so he would have something to sing when the band plays.
  
  Overall, this album is all bland, washed out water color paintings of life for supposed elites in New York, Massachusetts and elsewhere (not Africa, by the way - there is not even a hint of danceable rhythm here).
  
  But, here's my caveat... if you really don't care about what you're listening to much and want to do the fashionable thing, please, please, please, you must pick this CD up and play it at your next yacht party.
  
  If you want to be reminded of good bands (by the way, no one has destroyed all their albums, you can still purchase them and listen to the real thing - or, better yet, they are probably already in your CD collection - so dust them off already), please, really... get this album.
  
  But don't expect to hear anything new or authentic.
  
  
• I hate VW
  By A2XUBWW1HSF1U3 on 2008-06-11
  I got VW after Paste Magazine raved about them. Talk about overblown. I tried to give them chance, but I couldn't stop thinking that this is music young republicans will be listening at their 'hipster' parties in Minneapolis in September. Just plain awful.
  
  
• Infectious and Unforgettable!
  By A388ZDFVK72VCA on 2008-02-05
  In today's vastly uninteresting music world, it has become increasingly difficult to find an artist that is truly unique. Too many artists out there sound exactly like some other artist who excels , or has excelled in the same genre. Vampire Weekend is not one of those bands. Though there are several instances where one could say "Ooh that sounds like --insert artist--," it's always a very small detail that never overrides their own unique style of music. To be honest, I've never heard a band that sounds quite like Vampire Weekend. That alone should be enough reason for you, the skeptical reader, to give them an open ear. If, however, you find yourself needing further convincing, keep reading.
  
  The album's first track "Mansard Roof" is one of my personal favorites. Ezra Koenig's smooth vocals really make this song what it is. His infecting melody rides weightlessly over some contrastingly harsher instrumentation (fast, simple drumming, manic, though simple electric guitars, and a prominent organ-synth). There are also some small flute appearances and a delicately played violin that adds some nice depth. It all sounds very Caribbean to me, though the genre that the band is often associated with, "afro-pop," is also a very appropriate assessment. "Oxford Comma" takes similar instrumentation but has a more traditional indie rock sound, particularly in the chorus. Koenig sounds convincingly like Britt Daniels of Spoon when he questions, "Why would you lie 'bout something dumb like that? Why would you lie 'bout anything at all," which isn't a bad thing.
  
  "A-Punk" is perhaps the most appropriate title on Vampire Weekend, as it shamelessly wears its punk influence on its (imaginary) sleeve. When the band shouts, "Ay ay ay ay" over a sprinting bass line and frantic drumming, I had to remind myself that I wasn't listening to The Ramones. Really (not really...but almost). "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" sets aside the punk sound for what is my favorite song on the album, and the one that helped launch the band's career. Here is where the afro-pop label is most appropriate (the term "kwassa kwassa" actually refers to an African dance rhythm). Djimbes and congas take over most of the percussion work here, though shakers and a cymbal are also used periodically. Koenig swoons "As a young girl, Louis Vuitton with your mother on a sandy lawn. As a sophomore with reggaeton and the linens you're sitting on," over a repetitive, yet completely endearing guitar riff. In the wordless bridge, some sweet falsetto harmonies are utilized brilliantly to create a truly African vibe. Very cool sounding.
  
  "Campus" has a very 60s pop sound to it at times, though it's also somewhat reminiscent of The Strokes. While that may not sound like it could ever possibly fit, it does. It is yet another favorite of mine. "One" returns to the afro-pop sound again, this time with the awesome one-line hook of "Blake's got a new face" sung in a style that I can imagine an African boys choir would be more familiar with. Everything is very tight and perfectly performed, and is one of the album's more unique tunes.
  
  "Bryn" is Vampire Weekend's most disappointing song (maybe its only one). If Coldplay were a lo-fi indie pop band, they would probably sound like this. It' s not bad by any means, just not entirely memorable and you may find yourself skipping it in favor of the next track, "Walcott." In it, Koenig asks, "Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod, out of Cape Cod tonight?" over perfectly composed Cello and Violin lines, while also managing to mix in some syncopating keyboards and the band's now-standard manic guitars. The song's conclusion is particularly surprising as the band "rocks out" for the first time, and while it's definitely not near as pleasant as when they're taking it easy, it is a nice change. The album's closer, "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" has a very reggae feel to it, and I can imagine one of the Marley's proudly singing it before a sea of people. It is a touching and poignant ending to a remarkable debut album!
  
  The argument could be made that Vampire Weekend does a bit too much dabbling in traditional African music, especially for a bunch of "white boys" from New York. But as a huge fan of what I'm hearing, I can't help but applaud the band for their decision to not only inject the style of music into their own, but to delicately weave it into every second. If anything Vampire Weekend has paid tribute to a style that is too-often overlooked in pop music today by making it their own and blending it with their other numerous influences. The band's self-titled debut is far more than a gimmicky musical diversion, it is a unique, captivating work of art (Pop music as art? Go figure!). I highly recommend it to fans of indie rock, as well as anyone who may stumble upon this review. Like it or hate it, you won't be forgetting it any time soon.
  
  Key Tracks:
  1. "Mansard Roof"
  2. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"
  3. "One (Blake's Got a New Face)"
  4. "Campus"
  5. "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance"
  
  8 out of 10 Stars
  
  
  
• that new band
  By AV3U99PB7NCNG on 2008-02-09
  These guys will tour and make a lot of money. Then everyone will roll over in bed one morning and realize those critics were wrong about their new darlings. Hopefully it only takes one album for that realization. Save your bucks and buy Stephen Malkmus' new album, or at least go see him tour. That is sensible behavior. Those Vampire Weekend youtube videos were just painful to watch, bright sweaters, collars everywhere, boat shoes, uggh.
  
  
• Eighties, they're living in the eighties...
  By AXHWQ834G3IUV on 2008-03-21
  Take four spoiled prep-schoolers, a mind numbing amount of hype, squealing girls and an eighties music sampler, mix them up and what have you got? Vampire Weekend, that's what... Oh the boys can play and the music is mildly appealing but so what. Adam Sandler could make a living as an eighties retro singer, but I don't need to buy it. VW have great taste in music: The Police, Peter Gabriel and The Specials/English Beat Ska thing. If you like that type music do yourself a favor and buy the originals. In ten years, VW will be filed away in the "where are they now?" section of pop culture. A note to VW: Stop trying to be British. Take pride in your AMERICAN selves and enter the twenty first century...
  
  
• Snappy, Bouncy, Stale
  By A3D26OTL8SD4ZU on 2008-03-22
  Many here berate Vampire Weekend for being derivative. I take exception to this. At the end of the day, what pop act isn't?
  
  Each of the influences cited repeatedly in these reviews--Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel and David Byrne--has plenty of predecessors from whom they've borrowed plenty. So, bumming a chord progression here and a measure there is hardly a crime. It's called inspiration.
  
  Vampire Weekend's problem is not that it borrows, but that it fails to compliment its application with a truly distinguishing signature. There's simply too little depth and it comes across more as a cover band than anything else.
  
  On the first pass, I missed this, thinking that "Mansard Roof" was unique lyrically and that the rhythmic structure of "Oxford Comma" was interesting. Still, there was something missing. The second time through, "unique" and "interesting" yielded to "cute (in the college freshman sense)" and "gimmicky." By the third run, I no longer cared. It was already stale.
  
  Then I stumbled upon "One (Blake's Got a New Face,)" which I found to be flat-out lame. Minimalist synth, strained vocals, Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" wrapped in a Noughties New York foil and re-served. They even went so far as to place a sub-title in parentheses. That did it for me.
  
  So, if you're throwing a frat party and need some peppy background noise, pick-up a copy. For anyone else, listen to the Amazon streams, catch a few YouTube clips and claim with voguish pride that you've heard them.
  
  
  
• Blechhh!! Seriously? Unfortunately, one can't re-sell MP3 downloads.
  By A1YFXZ8DE0U6JQ on 2008-07-20
  Couldn't get through the album a second time. Too cute, pretentious, confectionary, and hip-sterical for me...
  
  
• Look Out!!! This band could go places.
  By A3RKWW4OXKSIS on 2008-01-30
  I didn't hear about this band until today. I saw the CD at Target and skipped over it because I had no idea who they were. Then as I was watching E! News, I heard a review of the album and how Chris Martin of Coldplay fame was a big fan. I thought, how could I go wrong? After listening to the samples of the songs on this site, I went back out to by it just before Target closed. After listening to the first few tracks, I feel this band could really go somewhere if they can get any airplay on the independent stations around the country. The CD seems to be fairly short though, so get it while it is still under $10. I can't wait to see where this band goes!!!!!!!
  
  
• Wiggle that butt
  By A2OYCVMQEI5NR4 on 2008-01-30
  What a fantastic slab of nerdy funkiness. I'm a big fan of the Shins, but am tiring a little bit of so many bands doing that indie sound that's become a bit predictable. Not so with Vampire Weekend. They have the smarts of a band like Talking Heads. Taking their indie rock and sprinkling it with the sounds of Soweto at times (hello Graceland) and chamber pop at others, this is a winner from start to finish. Only negative is that I can't play track two in my car with our little daughter (clear F bombs). But I doubt that's an issue with most people who buy this :)
  
  Definitely recommended if you like to be put in a good mood.
  
  
• Stunning new album
  By AVG2FYWAXAAAY on 2008-02-09
  I am an older reviewer who grew up with 50's,60's music(the best ever !). I think this young group has a remarkably fresh yet to me an old sound too,
  that takes me back to several groups.
  I hear a little Kinks sound here which really draws me in.
  
  Love em..just bought the cd or as I still like to say album.
  
  
  
• Enjoyable, but not memorable
  By A2YLMUS6JQKA01 on 2008-02-28
  This album starts off strong with several bright, breezy tunes, but eventually the conceit wears a little thin. Musically its been done before and better, both by the original African and other American/British musicians. And for an album barely over 30 minutes, the second half is very bland, with at least one awful song (Blake's Got A New Face). Perhaps a rush to get something out while there was some buzz about the band? I think it would have been better to put out a strong EP and leave us wanting more. A decent start but not great, and I'd like to see where they go from here.
  
  
• solid album... absolutely... The next big thing... probably not...
  By AQ1JQM0ELKQQV on 2008-03-06
  The debut LP from Vampire Weekend is an album that will likely be stuck in your stereo, iPod, head, or music-vehicle of choice for a minimum of 3 weeks. The songs are immediate, catchy, and have a sense of familiarity to them that grabs your ear upon initial listen and does not let go. The first few tracks of "Masnard Roof," "Oxford Comma," and "A-Punk" are by easily the most solid cuts on the record (not to say that the rest of the tracks are bad, but just simply not as superior as the first few).
  
  I am a bit of an audiophile and enjoy all kinds of music, but am typically hesitant about sharing some tunes I am diggin' on with less enthusiastic/open people in my life. However, this is an album I feel like I could give my friends (or even, *gasp* my parents) and they would be able experience some enjoyment from it.
  
  While I think this an excellent record, I am somewhat skeptical of Vampire Weekend's shelf life. I do not really see where they will go from here as far as growth is concerned and the songs, while catchy, are not emotional enough to bear repeated listens beyond the introductory periods. I feel as though other "hot" bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were a few years ago have a bit more diversity and creativity to their sound. This album may be a flash in the pan, but I would happy if Vampire Weekend gave me another 3 weeks of bop-a-long tunes to drive to work to down the road.
  
  

• Oracular Spectacular
• In Rainbows
• Narrow Stairs
• Consolers Of The Lonely
• Fleet Foxes