Is there a dorm room tap at Columbia University that runs not water but palm wine? New York’s Vampire Weekend—four young white dudes who met while studying uptown near Harlem—seem to have the beverage in their blood, along with a towering stack of King Sunny Ade records by the hi-fi. On this, their debut full length, the indie-rock geek squad plies highlife guitars and quasi-reggaeton rhythms while goofing on their own boho pan-culturalism by shouting out Peter Gabriel and United Colors of Benetton. “First the window / Then it’s to the wall / Lil Jon, he always tells the truth,” sings Ezra Koenig on the jaunty, funky “Oxford Comma,” a three minute Afro-pop argument for real talk over grammatically precise prevarication. The group’s subtropical musical fixation is counterbalanced by a beautiful baroque string arrangement on “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance”—it ought to be their alma mater’s new graduation ceremony soundtrack. And “Bryn”—with its bell-clear vocals, hypnotic keyboards, and jittery polyrhythm—sounds like a worthy outtake from Talking Heads’ 1980 Remain in Light (Sire). Much like that classic New York combo did, Vampire Weekend have succeeded in putting the hips back in hipster.
March 12, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
Vampire Weekend, "Vampire Weekend" (Music)
Vampire Weekend has succeeded in putting the hips back in hipster.
Article tags: Revolutions, Vampire Weekend
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