When I think of Vampire Weekend, I think summer, I think college and I think fun. The band members - Ezra Koenig, lead vocals, guitar; Rostam Batmanglij, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals; Chris Tomson, drums, percussion and Chris Baio, bass, backing vocals - met while attending Columbia University in New York and self-produced their 2008 self-titled album while working full time jobs. They are now signed to XL Recordings.
It's interesting to note that while Vampire Weekend claims influences from African pop and Western classical music, it was named the "whitest band" by the creator of the Web site, "Stuff White People Like."
This week is going to be a short one, but hopefully an enjoyable one as well.
It's pretty rare that I immediately fall in love with a band at first listen, but that was the case the moment David downloaded their debut (in 2007, before its official release). I loved the summery, light feel and energy of almost every song and couldn't wait to see them at Bonnaroo 2008. Sadly, we didn't go, but the good news is we did catch them at the Pageant months later and I wasn't disappointed.
I am not as familiar with their 2010 release, "Contra," so at the end of the week I will be putting my two cents in on how that one went along with the rest of you. I have high expectations because I've liked a few of the songs I've heard and since I hold "Vampire Weekend" the album in such high regard. (It's one of the very few I am in the mood to listen to at any time and that I'll probably will never get sick of.)
I know this isn't new to some of you, but I'm hoping everyone can get something out of taking a closer look this week. If you're not familiar, you still may have heard Vampire Weekend from the movie "Stepbrothers" or "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist."
Your required listening:
- Vampire Weekend (2008)
- Contra (2010)
Just a quick note. I'm not liking "Contra" as much as the band's debut album, but it's starting to grow on me a little. A few of those tracks are infectious.
ReplyDeleteI have to say first off, that this week has been an important example for me. of how only having two albums to listen to made a huge difference in what I got out of the artist. I was able to listen to the albums more than once, and got so much more out of it the second time around.
ReplyDeleteVampire Weekend at first listen did absolutely nothing for me. For me it made me think of being in a Hollister store, and all the little tween girls standing around in their tiny skirts singing along. I guess as I have learned over the years, first impressions are not always the best. So later in the week I popped it in the car and took Madden on a ride and have to say that I was much happier the second time around. “Mansard Park” is to be simply put carnival music. That is the only thing I could think of the whole time I listened to this track. “A-Punk” is one of my favorite songs on the album; I love the mixture of the guitar and flute, they harmonize very well together. For me this would be a great song to have on some Mixed cd you would take to the beach. “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” was another favorite of mine, and the whole time I listened to it I was thinking Paul Simon. For me, every aspect of that song oozed Paul Simon, from the vocals to the instruments. “M79” starts off sounding like some new age British chamber music, if that makes any sense at all. It then leads into more of that Paul Simon feel again. I really like how on repeat listenings I am hearing more and more instrumentation. The other important aspect I get from this album is that you can hear almost every decade since the 60’s infused into each song. For making a bad first impression on me, Vampire Weekend did a total 180 on me the second time around.
I am going to be honest, and say that I did not give us much attention to Contra as I did to Vampire Weekend. I did listen to it twice as well, I just did not seem to connect with it as well. I did notice that they lost some of that simplistic fun sound, and ventured into more elaborate electronic/techno sounds. While this is probably a sign of progression for the group, I myself enjoy the more simplistic sounds from the first album. “Horchata” after listening to it numerous times is also showing growth on me. Hearing the voices chime in on the chorus kind of reminds me of some tribal music. “California English” was probably my least favorite song on the album. The echoing of Ezra’s voice and the pace at which the song is sung just drives me crazy. “Cousins” was a close second behind that one as not doing anything for me, even after the third time listening to it, I quickly would switch to the next track. “Run” was a breath of fresh air. The arrangement of the song and how it has an easy flow to it, automatically appeals to me. The other two standouts for me were “Taxi Cab”, and “I Think ur a Contra.” Overall this album may need another listening to further down the road. Vampire Weekend overall for me is someone I would definitely pop in if I need some good party music.
ReplyDeleteLast week Contra was advertised all over the ads I looked through, and Vampire Weekend was getting rave reviews in everything I read so I was pretty excited to check these guys out this week.
ReplyDeleteI have gone through the self-titled album three times and it gets progressively better each time. From what I know about Laura and Beth’s taste in music, I would bet that you guys both really like this group, as it is something that is quite peaceful and has a very positive vibe throughout. Just about every track could have a place on Paul Simon’s Graceland. Like David with 10 years, I would have liked for them to put a few more tracks on here that aren’t trying to copycat that sound. Right from the get go Mansard Roof places you in South America observing the local harbor and I don’t ever feel like the rest of the album takes you away from that scene. You might not like this comparison, but Ezra’s voice very much reminds me of Blake Lewis without the beat-boxing. As an owner of both of his albums, I do not consider that a bad thing at all. My guess is that David and Justin will also like this group as they have a lot of obvious influences from some artists we have already covered like Paul Simon and the Flaming Lips. The random shouting and noise making in One (Blake’s got a new Face) is classic Animal Collective. A few tracks stand out from others, but I often found myself surprised that I was already on the next track. As an adrenaline junky, the album doesn’t really have a high or low point for me, but I intend to give this a few more listens.
It appears that they were very sensitive to their comparison to Paul Simon as Contra opens with Horchata, which completely removed that bias for me. This was really everything I was looking for on the first album. After Horchata, things start to revert back to their first effort. With the exception of some fast choruses and a keyboard, there really wasn’t any growth on this album. There weren’t any other memorable tracks, with the possible exception of Holiday. There was much more variety on this album, however, I don’t feel like they really took me anywhere with their lyrics. This one gave me a much greater appreciation for their first album. I feel this was a very safe effort that probably didn’t cause them to lose any of their fans, but I don’t think they gained any new ones either.
ReplyDeleteLike Bruce Springsteen, I enjoyed and respected Vampire Weekend, but as Laura said with 10 years, I don’t have the “Alright it’s Vampire Weekend” attitude just yet. If Beth likes them like I think she will, I am sure I will be hearing plenty more from this group. Thanks for the introduction.
After reading Beth’s and Thomas’ thoughts, it was cool to see them reference Paul Simon, because VW draws a lot of their sound from some of our earlier Paul Simon albums (Graceland and The Rhythm of the Saints.) That tells me that this site is working; we are now being able to cross-reference each others artists. With that being said, I thoroughly enjoy these guys and have no problem listening to these two albums.
ReplyDeleteVW was one of those “wave of hype” bands that had me leary about listening to them, but I have been burned on more than one occasion by overlooking great artists due to media and blog hype. After listening to this self-titled debut, I was glad I didn’t resist. This album is like a fine wine to me, in that it sounds better with each subsequent listening. “Mansard Roof” is a fun start to the album, although I feel “A-Punk” would have been a better choice. That small sequencing argument is the only bad thing I’ll say about this album. Ezra Koenig has a voice that I think would have fit in smashingly with an 80’s band like Spandau Ballet or Thompson Twins. He is complimented by “competent” musicians and I say competent because the instrumentation is nothing mind- blowing, but executed very nicely. Execution is what will give these guys longevity, as they were all students of Columbia University; Ezra’s lyrics are smart and reflect a privileged, New England upbringing and their arrangements are nothing short of a mash-up of Talking Heads and Madness but they do it so damn well. There seems to be a nostalgic 80’s revival going on right now with bands like Neon Indian, Washed Up and Toro Y Moi and their “chillwave” sound, I feel VW may have been a catalyst for this. Everyone I talk to, who has heard this album, has a different favorite track from everyone else, which I think attests to how solid this album is. “A-Punk”, “Cape Cod..”, “Bryn” and “One” are standouts for me and I cannot understand how any human being could listen to this entire album and not be in a better mood.
I will also applaud VW for knowing how long to make an album, they follow guidelines that more artists should adopt, don’t overstay your welcome and leave them wanting more. Contra has an electronic addition you pick-up on immediately and the use of African percussion on “Horchata” is an undeniable hit. The last thing you’d think you would ever hear on a VW album is auto-tune, but there it is, and it works. Ezra’s cadence mixed with the auto-tune makes me wonder how many takes it took to actually get this song where he wanted it. “Taxi Cab” provides a lull in the middle that marks the first time that I have actually skipped a song on a VW album. “Run” and “Cousins” get us back in the hazy summertime feel and “Giving Up the Gun” is clever with its metaphors in describing an aging rocker coming to grips with his loss of dexterity and outgrowing his scene. Overall it’s not as fun as their self-titled album but it’s more grown-up and serves as the next step towards building an impressive catalog.
Throughout 2007 (the year before their debut album was released), I kept hearing of this band called Vampire Weekend being raved about all over the internet. I first heard a song from them when they were featured playing the song "Exit Music (For a Film" on a tribute album to Radiohead's OK Computer album that was put together by the music website Stereogum. I loved their cover of one of my favorite tracks on possibly my favorite album of all time, and I was official sold on the hype that the band had been receiving. I immediately found a way to get a hold of the band's demo that had been circulating (which was basically a less produced version of their debut, changing out a few songs on the official release for a couple more that didn't make it), and quickly learned that this band was way more than just blog-hype.
ReplyDeleteVampire Weekend's 2008 debut was like a glorious amalgamation of all of my favorite kinds of music. Take some British sounding indie-punk vocals, a large helping of African influenced polyrhythmic drumming and some of the best written pop guitar riffs in years and you definitely have a winner on your hands. Any time I've been feeling down since the time of VW's release, this has been the album I turn to that is guaranteed to lift my spirits. Songs like "A-Punk", "M79" and "Campus" are nothing but brilliant pop songs in their most basic, sugary form, and I love that the band just doesn't seem to even have to try to make music this great. The music just comes naturally to them, and easily makes this one of the better debut albums in recent years. Two songs on the album stand out far above the rest, though. "Bryn" has a chorus that the band will probably never be able to top, and the mix with this and the gorgeous orchestration throughout the song is breathtaking. The real winner on the album, though, is "Walcott". The pounding, driving drums and the relentless piano line make me want to get up and jump around, and I can remember when I saw the band perform live that during the big guitar crescendo near the end of the song, I felt like my head was going to explode with awsomeness. Needless to say, I'll be listening to this one again and again for years to come.
Obviously, given that the album was just released a little less than a month ago, I haven't had the same amount of listens to 'Contra' that I've had with the band's debut. I had the same fear of the "sophomore slump" for this album that I have with every other band that releases an excellent debut. With my first listen to "Horchata", though, my fears were quickly allayed. The band ups the African influenced ante that had been set on their debut, and the first few songs sound like they could have come straight off the continent. Paul Simon is obviously the major reference point for the band, and nowhere is the similarity more prevalent than on the album's second track, "White Sky". It's a wonderful thing that Mr. Simon's wonderful 80's world music is finally getting it's due influence-wise, and Vampire Weekend are definitely at the forefront of this movement. Once again, this album has two massive standouts. The first of these is "Giving Up the Gun". I love the lyrics describing the aging musician, and the fact that they're coming from a 25 year old songwriter makes them even better. My favorite song on the album, and my second favorite by the band is "Run". This is one of the more upbeat, fun songs in the band's catalog (which is saying a lot), and the synth and organ lines throughout the song that build up to a climax are simply amazing. This was the first great album of what is promising to be an absolutely mind-blowing year of music in 2010, and while it's not QUITE as good as their debut, it will still be a stand-out for the band in the future.
ReplyDeleteVampire Weekend have already made a career's worth of great tunes in just a few short years, and with their talents continuing to grow, I can see many more years of greatness ahead of them. As a side note, Rostam Batmanglij, the band's keyboard player has a side-project by the name of Discovery that has put out a pretty solid album, and is an artist that should be watched for in the future in his own right.
As I mentioned before, I chose this band because of its debut album. I love it. All of it. I don't really see Beth's comparison to circus music on "Mansard Roof," the smooth sounds and catchy beat of which have landed it in my top 5 songs on the album. The summery, fun vibe of all the tracks is what stands out to me the most. Other big hits with me, in order from most to least, are "Cape Cod Kwaasa Kwassa," "M79," "Bryn," and "Walcott." I actually hated "One," until I saw the band live - the "Blake's got a new face" chant part is for audience participation, which I might have wanted to mention in my intro. When we were listening to Paul Simon, I didn't really see the connection as much - but when I put in the first album this week, I immediately said something to David, so you know something must have sunk in.
ReplyDelete"Contra" was the album that was new to me this week. My opinion differs completely with Thomas in that I think "Horchata" is much more in sync with the first album than the tracks that followed it, therefore making it my favorite track on this release. From there, I felt like the band made a progression away from the lighter sounds I was used to and more into ... electronica pop? - but still, I was liking it. Tracks like "Taxi Cab" (which I love) introduce an interesting, more low key beat and then integrate that keyboard sound that brings a tinge of that familiar light, airy feel of the last album that made me fall in love with them to their newest effort. This one will probably take a little more getting used to, but like David said, it's not a bad sophomore effort.
When it all comes down to it, I love the African influences in the songs. As Justin mentioned, I love when they bring orchestra sounds into play (violin chorus on "M79") because it reminds me that they are upper class, educated white boys, which is endearing considering their taste in music. And I love Ezra Koenig. From his name to his voice and the little inflections he uses when he sings, that boy is amazing.
I'm glad they grew on you guys. Keep listening, I can tell you it only gets better.
I was just in the bath, and I remembered something else I wanted to say about Vampire Weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe first album to me sounded collegiate. I guess that's how I would describe it. With songs like "Campus," "Oxford Comma" and "Bryn," I feel like I could relate to the band singing about such topics, being "freshly" out of college in 2006 (2 years, kinda fresh still).
The second album seemed a little more grown up. I don't know if that's what was intended, but that's what I got from it. Anyone else see that?