Vampire Weekend; Arctic Monkeys of 2008?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/aug/03/popandrock

"The Hold Steady's Craig Finn is not shy about stating his literary intentions. 'I consider myself a writer as well as a songwriter,' he says. 'The further we get on from the birth of rock'n'roll, the more people who have ambitions to be a writer feel that rock'n'roll is a worthy art form to express themselves in.'"

^^^a certain ilx poster better turn up and apologise for that article asap

American music is enjoying a golden moment. Literary bands, with songs that revel in intricate language, complex narratives and cinematic plot twists, are on the rise.

!!!! (Actually, I think this is true.)

'Becoming a rock star is something more graduates with literature degrees do than before,' says Benjamin Kunkel, novelist and co-editor of the New York journal n+1, which blends literary theory with pop culture. 'Rock'n'roll, which used to be for people under 30, is something you listen to from cradle to grave these days, and that puts new pressure on lyrics to be meaningful and intelligent.'

ugh x infinity

Anyone who considers serial commas "an obscure point of grammar" is not someone I trust to think about what's "literary" and what's not.

But I already feel like I've spent too much of my life trying to assure both music people and lit music that the judgments they map onto the other just Do Not Work and are not as interesting as they seem, so maybe we can refer here to one of those Believer music-issue threads and have done with it.

Probably having a strongly held opinion about the use of the Oxford Comma, though, is. I assume most English speakers don't know about the difference between using a comma before the 'and' or after the 'and.' And especially don't know why you'd be pro-one or the other. (Personally, I love the Oxford comma. That's the way I was taught to do it in Grade School, and it helps remove ambiguities. 'I like to eat pizza, fish and chips,' V 'I like to eat pizza, fish, and chips.')

^^^a certain ilx poster better turn up and apologise for that article asap

I believe board policy states that I only have to apologize if people are forced to look at my picture, so I'm golden here

WTF

The Brooklyn band are noticeably short on the sort of lyrical refrains that make you want to shout along and throw beer over your friends.

^^^^ Unlike, say, The Shins or Death Cab For Cutie. Hooligans.

New song Ottoman is pretty good. A lot calmer than the new stuff I've heard live. It's out there now...

Their cover of Everywhere is great, it just gives you the song straight up and finds a few nice dynamics in the arrangements. I never realised that song was as good without the vocoder, which is why I thought it was good.

They played a couple of new songs in Sheffield last night, but I don't think "Ottoman" was one of them. The second of them was particularly heavy on that ringing 1980s hi-life/Bhundus guitar style, and very tidy it sounded too.

The band did seem a little swamped by the hugeness of the venue (Sheffield Carling Academy) I'm guessing c.3000 in attendance, most of whom knew most of the words, so it was a case of people's collective memories compensating for the poor sound (drums way too high, vocals too low, bass swallowed up by the general muddy echoey rumble). Not many people there over 25. Lots and lots of dressed-up girly girls, which makes a nice change (I'm told they're a major feature at Kings Of Leon shows).

"Everywhere" was the first encore. Everyone knew the words to that one, as well. That surprised me.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/11/fucked_up_vampi.html#more

Early this year, when some college friends and I filmed a skit spoofing indie rock (and specifically hyped bands like VW), we would dress somewhat ridiculously, like this:

http://img88.imageshack.us/my.php?image=parodyuo1.jpg

http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=parody2oy6.jpg

Little did we know that Vampire Weekend's actual publicity shots would defy our parody by mirroring it. I saw this photo after we filmed our video, so we didn't copy that one guy's outfit.

http://img91.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vampireweekendkc7.jpg

It's reminiscent of when McDonalds actually used Minor Threat in an ad campaign, two years after an ILXor joked about that very marriage of brands.

Try these images again:

http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/3/12/19/f_parodym_b269e30.jpg

http://img03.picoodle.com/img/img03/3/12/19/f_VampireWeekm_569ce38.jpg

http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/3/12/19/f_parodym_b269e30.jpg

http://img03.picoodle.com/img/img03/3/12/19/f_VampireWeekm_569ce38.jpg

I don't think that's an outfit, I think that's a pile of scarves strewn on a conventionally dressed person

i think the VW photo came first

It probably did for all we know. We just discovered how hard it is to parody certain trends without it evolving into looking like a sincere homage or appearing prophetic.

i like these guys til the vocals kick in. nice african influences although a bit twee and usually not that well integrated but then you hear the singing and it ruins everything. best track on the album is the one that sounds like the strokes. or actually the ones without the african influences like the one with the violins.

so . . . these guys are still partying on cape cod? p4ork4ever

I don't think that's an outfit, I think that's a pile of scarves strewn on a conventionally dressed person

― nabisco, Friday, December 19, 2008 3:47 PM (2 months ago) Bookmark

That ain't an outfit, it's a scarves race.

RIP burt_stanton. This thread makes me miss the guy.

dudes took it next level on fallon

LOVED that song.

yeah "white sky" is remarkable (now with strings!!) but i mean the whole spectacle... ezra's fleece windbreaker and 7th grade yearbook photo hair, the string players in tweed (?) hoodies, the rasta dude off to the back fumbling w/ some jug thing, the goofy drummer wearing sunglasses etc

here is that "White Sky" song from their next album:

are those hemp hoodies?

wow. worse than i could have imagined. like a band made up of all the millenials i work with...

i was about to post that he'd become a better live singer since their snl performance until 1:49 ...

thought that the paul simon comparisons were a little overblown first time around but this sounds like a graceland outtake with strings and embarrassing falsetto.

OTM

LOVED that song.

― Johnny Fever, 05:34 יום חמישי 19 מרץ 2009 (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yeah "white sky" is remarkable..

OBJECTION!

it might be good with more guitars,less strings and not trying to play it too safe.

or the faster version (which is better):

So, I am not sure if there's another thread talking about this, but has anyone heard the cover of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" that Peter Gabriel and Hot Chip have done?

It now completely sounds like Gabriel meets Paul Simon. Oh and is roffle because he sings "But this feels so unnatural/Peter Gabriel too/ It feels so unnatural/to sing your own name" LOL.

Sorry if this was in another thread.

what are ppls thoughts on discovery

Hartley vs McBain: Vampire Weekend as Sophomores

btw I like the discovery album but then I would

It's tuneless and empty to my ears; the only song I've kept is the Koenig collaboration.

this summer fall in love with autotune, all over again

is it okay to call this r&twee? i think i'm going to

To call it that there would have to be "rhythm."

i really like this - i like that it sounds like what it is, which is two white indie kids doing r&b, and i think it serious enough but doesn't seem like they're playing dress up and it's playful enough but not like lonely island

also i think the hooks are good

and i think it's serious enough but doesn't seem like they're playing dress up and it's playful enough but not like lonely island

i really wasn't sure if they were going to be able to balance this out but they did!! doesn't surprise me tho because i think rostam is really talented and pretty underrated in the sphere of vampire weekend's press always being about africa and ezra and columbia and money - the dude writes really good keyboard & strings parts for vw

i have been listening to this album alot lately, and i mostly disliked vw. i prefer this guy's singing to ezra's and all of these songs are basically instantly likeable. it`s pretty bedroom-ey, or atleast laptop-ey, but the songs aren`t weaker as a result somehow. sure the production could be more layered and less cheap-sounding but that`s not really the point here i don`t think.

I'm kinda shocked at the response. This guy's melodies define weak -- it's fourth-rate Kelly Polar. The best song is the Koenig number, mostly because for about a week I liked his version of a Kylie voice.

I'm kinda shocked at how much I like this. I'm pretty susceptible to fake teen movie music though and a big sucker for lines like "I promise to leave before your mother wakes up in the morning." Kindof an indie "I gotta feeling" imo.

you're right, definitely an indie version of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhKn_bgA-lQ

i like that it sounds like what it is, which is two white indie kids doing r&b

not to get on your case in particular but GEEZ COME ON

I mean REALLY