Record Review: Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Rating: 8.3 / 10.0

Hype is a harsh mistress. It builds expectations where they may not belong. It raises the bar before there is even a bar to be raised. Very few records have the stamina to match the hype. Chris Walla’s upcoming record Field Manual probably will not match the hype surrounding it. Wilco’s legendary Yankee Hotel Foxtrot did (and then some). Afro-popping, indie sheensters Vampire Weekend’s eponymous debut was surrounded by a confusing amount of hype. It was touted as supermodern, innovative, controversial, what have you. What it ended up being was a record that didn’t match the hype, but didn’t try to.

Vampire Weekend is not a revolutionary record. It smacks of fellow New Yorkers White Rabbits’ Fort Nightly from beginning to end; Ezra Koenig sounds uncannily like Greg Roberts. The influence of the Magnetic Fields and Andrew Bird are hinted at (while that of Talking Heads is pretty clear), in addition to the obviously African and Baroque persuasion of Vampire Weekend’s sound. It’s a very interesting sound, but Vampire Weekend sound too much like White Rabbits to be considered revolutionary. But then again, they never claimed to be revolutionary, they just released the damn thing.

And in any case, after listening to this insanely catchy and supremely fun record, it is impossible to hold any grudge against Vampire Weekend. They are masters of songcraft and, more importantly, of their own style. The band is confident and unashamed throughout the record. It is a wonderful record, full of summery, sing-alongable gems. Arrangements like theirs are easy to botch and make sound kitschy, but kitschy this record is not. It never sounds too cute for comfort, never awkward, but always interesting. By walking this line so brilliantly, Vampire Weekend have given us a record that is impossible to listen to only once.

Single and lead track “Mansard Roof” starts the record off right and sets the tone for the remainder of the album: syncopated, (instrumentally and lyrically) strange, but anchored down by stunning, masterfully sculpted melody. The critical success of Vampire Weekend is that they balance their quirk with obvious musical sensibility rather than overwhelming the listener with either. This band doesn’t sound like they are trying to convince anyone of anything, they sound instead as though they’re simply looking to enjoy themselves making beautiful music. Novel concept.


-PTC