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69 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
SMART INDIE POP FOR A WEEKEND IN CAPE COD (3.8 stars), January 31, 2008
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
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39 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
This year's freshman-dorm album, April 24, 2008
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.
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22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I Can Already Smell the Backlash, March 10, 2008
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.
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