Spring Break
CD Review: Vampire Weekend
Self-titled debut CD smells like garlic
Nick Scheidies
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Verve
Previously unfamiliar to all but the hippest of the hip and the most hopeless of indie addicts, Vampire Weekend is looking to break into the mainstream with their self-titled debut
They certainly deserve the success. Their debut is rife with indelible ditties that benefit from bohemian influences and refreshingly spare instrumentation.
Pros: As their name implies, Vampire Weekend has a taste for the playfully idiosyncratic in both music and lyrics. Their singular brand of indie-pop consists of keyboard, violin, bouncing bass, guitar and tribal percussion.
Lyrically, they impress with smart and carefully crafted lines like the alliterative, "all your diction dripping with disdain, through the pain."
Cons: Unfortunately, the brief, likable tunes of "Vampire Weekend" can feel slightly underdeveloped and overly heterogeneous.
The album is consistently enjoyable, but the high-pitched backup vocals in the chorus of "One (Blake's Got a New Face)" are enough to keep your finger wavering over the "skip" button.
Definitive Track: The infectious "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" manages to epitomize Vampire Weekend's quirky yet catchy aesthetic. Distinguished by a clean, jaunty guitar riff during the verse and Ezra Koenig's startlingly wailed vocals in chorus, it's the type of song that will rattle around in your head for days if you aren't careful.
Conclusion: It may not be anything more than well conceived pop music, but with 11 tracks clocking in at only 34 minutes, "Vampire Weekend" is careful not to overstay its welcome.
They're just obscure indie darlings for now, but with a novel yet radio-friendly sound, it might not be long before Vampire Weekend is a household name.
They certainly deserve the success. Their debut is rife with indelible ditties that benefit from bohemian influences and refreshingly spare instrumentation.
Pros: As their name implies, Vampire Weekend has a taste for the playfully idiosyncratic in both music and lyrics. Their singular brand of indie-pop consists of keyboard, violin, bouncing bass, guitar and tribal percussion.
Lyrically, they impress with smart and carefully crafted lines like the alliterative, "all your diction dripping with disdain, through the pain."
Cons: Unfortunately, the brief, likable tunes of "Vampire Weekend" can feel slightly underdeveloped and overly heterogeneous.
The album is consistently enjoyable, but the high-pitched backup vocals in the chorus of "One (Blake's Got a New Face)" are enough to keep your finger wavering over the "skip" button.
Definitive Track: The infectious "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" manages to epitomize Vampire Weekend's quirky yet catchy aesthetic. Distinguished by a clean, jaunty guitar riff during the verse and Ezra Koenig's startlingly wailed vocals in chorus, it's the type of song that will rattle around in your head for days if you aren't careful.
Conclusion: It may not be anything more than well conceived pop music, but with 11 tracks clocking in at only 34 minutes, "Vampire Weekend" is careful not to overstay its welcome.
They're just obscure indie darlings for now, but with a novel yet radio-friendly sound, it might not be long before Vampire Weekend is a household name.
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