Vampire Weekend – Review
I’m finally getting around to reviewing Vampire Weekend’s first official release. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough (I doubt it) you would know I have been on the bandwagon quite early. I just didn’t feel obliged to write the review until the CD came in the mail this week.
I bought the album just for the two tracks M79 and I Stand Corrected but I really look at it as supporting Vampire Weekend and not about the two tracks. I am a proud owner of their Blue CD-R and will ultimately remain one of the best “demos” I have ever heard in my life.
Vampire Weekend is one the main reasons I got into music blogging. Having spoke to them by e-mail a few times and really just discovering a band (granted by the help of YANP with the track Walcott) that’s relatively unknown and that they are so good that you must share that to the world. I’ve probably been quite annoying to some of my friends making them check out VW.
I digress about all the hyping of Vampire Weekend. For me they honestly deserve every single ounce of hype and I like them a lot anyway. One of the rare things with Vampire Weekend using their mainly tracks of their Blue CD-R is that we’ve had a very long time to let these tracks sink in and when they are still just as good when you listened to them 6 months ago (I have been listening to the tracks throughout most of 2007) it says a lot of the timeless factor.
The tracks featured on the self titled release are slightly reworked and are barely noticeable in my opinion. I hate it when some bands butcher a great song by reworking entirely and thankfully Vampire Weekend stuck to their on these tracks. Basically it’s great catchy pop music gathering different elements. I’m not the type that raves about their afro pop elements but Vampire Weekend is just different from the average pop rock band and it sets them apart. When it comes to lyrics, it’s a field day to try to fully understand some tracks whether it’s asking yourself who does give a fuck about an oxford comma? or why the hell Walcott isn’t out of Cape Cod tonight. 
I love pop music and those catchy short tracks but Vampire Weekend definitely has the broad range of sounds that will make you fall in love with any track they put out. Sometimes with punk elements (great guitar riffs), just some great keyboarding (or new wave), classical sounding and adding in pop and african elements you get something great. I refuse to name drop this and that because I’ve never listened to those albums and it shouldn’t even matter who this albums compares to.
This album is my first 5 out of 5 of the year. Every track is great and it’s good to see the hype finally being contagious. I would’ve liked to include the Blue CD-R in my end of 2007 list but decided that it wasn’t an official release and therefore excluded it. This probably will be my top of 2008 but I shouldn’t take the excitement away from that list. This album is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. So at least listen to it if not buy it.
Here are the two new tracks not found on the Blue CD-R:
I Stand Corrected by Vampire Weekend
Buy This Album At: CD Universe/Insound/Amazon
Couldn’t agree more, great review, great band.
I stand corrected is was one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. Also like the catchiness of Oxford Comma.
Album bought.