Review:

on 2011-05-18 CharlesMartel Said:

These days, with the MySpace phenomenon, anyone can make a pitch for fame based on sharing their music across the website. At best this widens the scope of what is generally accessible to the world and helps bypass the malign influence of the record companies. At worst, it allows every no talent to regale the casual listener with an unwarranted intrusion into their musical tastes. Vampire Weekend have managed to avoid both extremes and placed themselves firmly in the middle of expectation and avoidance. One thing they have not avoided, probably intentionally, is creating a hype.

The most talked about thing about the bands sound is the use of (West) African inspired beats into the sound. They have aimed their sound, while still intentionally independent, at the middle of the proto-punk revivalists such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Strokes and the dance-punk-funk of the Music or LCD Soundsystem and sought to introduce a distinction between themselves and other bands in the same broad outlook.

Then add in the lyrical references contained within the songs titles  architecture, punctuation and teenage Arsenal footballers  and throw in a couple of intralyrical nods to Peter Gabriel, haute couture fashion and tea and the impression one begins to build up is of a band who are pushing musical boundaries. The problem is in identifying where they are pushing them. It is almost as if they lyricist wishes he were Lloyd Cole of the Commotions era. Unfortunately, he cannot seem to carry off the same casual erudite namedropping with the aplomb of Cole and ends up coming across as mildly pretentious without being half as entertaining or original.

Comparisons with Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel in terms of the use of African beats are also a little off mark. With "Graceland", Simon weaved a musical pattern into African rhythms. Gabriel similarly put World Music (I hate that term) at the heart of what he did. Vampire Weekend seem to have done the opposite and put African beats across an indie format, again solely in an effort to make it distinctive. However, the failure to integrate the theme properly has resulted in a needlessly tinny sound on many of the tracks, with a snare drum too taut and a production style which seems as if it was recorded in someone's garage. Rather than struck out on a truly innovative course, Vampire Weekend have targeted a middle course. In the end they have failed to live up to expectations they set.

The end result is an album which promises much but fails to deliver. The idea is worth exploring and may even prove successful. It's just that Vampire Weekend don't do it that well. In the UK we have grown used to the so called mainstream indie phenomenon, with bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Keane, Franz Ferdinand and the Enemy; bands whom the mainstream record labels have identified as being a potentially profitable revenue stream and are pushing for all their worth just in case the world gets bored with latest wailing RnB diva. Vampire Weekend seem to have taken note of that trend and are seeking to extend it across the Atlantic. Its not that this album is bad: its just not as good as it could have/should have been.
Rating: 5/10

on 2010-04-30 tmanrocker Said:

I've always pushed this band to the side but after listening to this album it gave me a whole new outlook on new pop and a generation of bands that could mix the power pop of the nineties with new elements of electronic sounds. There songs are simple and brilliant, they grow on you and get stuck in your head like little riddles. Its fun pop and it brings brightness to a world of music that is terrible these days. Its fresh and new and i love it. Its a pure standout as one of the best albums in the last few years.
Not Rated

on 2008-10-22 kev_stev Said:

Still never bought into this one. Though Tokyo Police Club is my big surprise of pop awesomeness sure to make it in my top 5 this year.
Not Rated

on 2008-10-22 dscanland Said:

Just a heads up on this. 9 months after first hearing Vampire Weekend I am still gaga over it. I just threw on this album again, first time in about 2 months and I still enjoyed it as much as I did on day 1. There is a VERY good chance that Vampire Weekend is going to end up on the top of my year end list. Good, fun pop music makes the world a much better place. So in a year of fantastic metal releases, a pop album stands out.
Not Rated

Review:

on 2008-03-05 mschmitt Said:

Ah, the expectations of over-inflated hype. Its almost a cliché really--how many times have we been through this? Fans and their blogs rave for moths, pulling the established media voices along for the ride, eventually setting the bar so high an otherwise decent album falls flat on its face. Call it the Arctic Monkeys effect, if you will. And to be honest, the staggering level of expectancy -- added with the schoolboy track names of Campus and Oxford Comma -- couldnt have put me off Vampire Weekend more. The young group from New York has been the subject of growing buzz, building from early 2007 and supported by strong tour performances throughout the year and the release of their Mansard Roof EP. Their ladder to fame has seemingly all the usual rungs for a bloated super pop-indie group.

However, where I expected cheap, repetitious, and overdone college rock riffs, I found diversity, honest thought, and some damnably catchy melodies. String-laden tracks like M79 in particular have a surprising amount of intricacy and folk influences. Indeed, with afro-beat influences, bongo-laden beachside jams, (Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa) and acoustic tunes that sound like theyve been pulled straight from the Old Country (Bryn), Vampire Weekend has a diverse world-scope sound that is certainly unexpected. Additionally, the deliciously lo-fi guitars and rapid-fire vocals of A-Punk and Walcott smack strongly of Ra Ra Riot or Tokyo Police Club. Not so unexpected are the perilously catchy hooks found throughout the New Yorkers debut which, while not being as irresistible as one would be led to believe, are none the less worthy candidates to be stuck in your head all week.

Vampire Weekend has delivered in a respectable way, producing tracks that do not share their hypes over-the-top qualities. Rather, Vampire Weekend feels appealingly refinedallowing listeners to find enjoyment in exuberant melodies while safe in the knowledge that Vampire Weekends influences are hardly cheap. Still, lets not get too carried away. While this may prove to be one of the best albums of the year, its hardly brazing new sonic ground or causing any revolutions. Vampire Weekend manages to satisfy the hype that heralded their debut LP, but dont expect any miracles.
Rating: 8/10

on 2008-03-05 Alotofnothing Said:

I heard a single, and it was an incredibly boring song, it was the most basic song structure I've seen. I'll have to check them out if they're better than whatever song is their single.
Not Rated

on 2008-03-05 DeathEyesForKiley Said:

I love this album.
Rating: 9/10

on 2008-02-19 dscanland Said:

I got a real strong Talking Heads vibe from Vampire Weekend, as well as a bit of Bedouin Soundclash. They have a great feel, fun band.
Not Rated

on 2008-02-19 kev_stev Said:

Geez. I saw these guys and wasn't impressed; I even downloaded a song and felt like they were mediocre. What's wrong with my ears?
Not Rated