Vampire Weekend; Arctic Monkeys of 2008?

yeah i dunno u guyses are so deep in2da game now i can't really hang w/r/t vampire weekend analysis

on the real tip: i don't even hate it, but the dude's voice reminds me of the decemberists dudes voice, which is kind of a seinfeld dealbreaker kinda deal for me....vocal "man hands" or "close talker" if you will

(also rockist or not, my more than/less than was right as rain)

Judging by the names, only one of them has any being-a-WASP potential

yeah, and he arguably has the least WASPy aesthetic in the band

ok so weve reached the point of the thread where people are just unloading the quips theyve been saving regardless of context

that's no quip, that's my wife

ugh this band is just boring white guys with guitars from new york

only more annoying because they try to be different in this really lame way that isn't convincing

u guys forgot to say "wasp"

i listened to the stuff on the myspace and it didn't hold my interest, though i did like the harmonium or whatever it was on one of the tracks. my prediction is that this album will be insanely popular and everyone will play it at their hippie/hipster college parties and love it so much, and then they'll put out another album next year and no one will like it as much and by the end of 2009 no one will care much anymore. a.k.a the clap your hands say yeah story.

http://redeyesurfer.com/TheWasp1.jpg

i'm pretty sure that dude's pointing at you guys

lol - American class signifiers. I actually think it's apt to discuss class & privilege in connection with this band, not necessarily because of where they hail from, but because they so openly drop the signifiers in their lyrics. In contrast, say, with the critics of Lily Allen who seem to think that it's particularly damning to point out her privileged upbringing - when that's mostly irrelevant to her music - in the case of Vampire Weekend, I do think the band kind of invites that analysis.

I'm sorta with Emily. I've only heard the myspace tracks, which are great, v. catchy and pleasant, fascinating from a spot-the-influences standpoint, so I can see why the band might be huge. But the level of excited, detailed and (mostly) intelligent discussion here is throwing me. What's the big deal? Why this band, this record? Is it just the African music angle? Not a slam, I'm genuinely curious...

o. nate going a long way towards answering my question

I actually think it's apt to discuss class & privilege in connection with this band, not necessarily because of where they hail from, but because they so openly drop the signifiers in their lyrics

they drop the overt-upper-crust signifiers by turns ironically and critically. to the extent there are other signifiers, like one of the reviews said, they're not gonna pretend to be poorer or dumber than they are. but i don't see what makes these kids more privileged than yr average suburban punk band, other than that they could actually get into one of the best schools in the country.

guyz, having a driver's license is a privilege and NOT a right

wait is he driving the bus or riding on it ?!

OMG ! both are blue collar signifiers !!

bus riders/drivers are SO POOR !

i often sat on the backseat of the 79 myself. now that i'm all grown and shit, i tend to take the second-to-last seat or martyr myself in the bendy seats.

the m79 has a real blue collar vibe, it is true

You know, I do have to hand it to these guys for making a record that--even if you don't like it--is intriguing to dissect and think about. I heard CYHSY and it was like watching a toilet flush.

What I want to know is how the sudden popularity of Vampire Weekend affects the other college-age, New England-affiliated indie-pop band featuring a South Asian guy (or actually, two) and a lead singer named Ezra?

they're Tufts students; they'll get used to it

;-)

But the level of excited, detailed and (mostly) intelligent discussion here is throwing me.

i think you need to re-read the thread

let me sum it up:

burt_stanton: "im bored"
nabisco: "youre boring"
gabbneb: "something"
burt_stanton: "liars are better than vampire weekend"

aka cultural criticism

chaki: "i'm chaki, i like ska"

http://www.undefinedstudios.com/images/portfolio_imgs/image/Oxy_1.jpg

chaki: "i'm chaki, i like ska"

chaki used to post like that. it was charming.

Yeah, okay, there's a hell of a lot of that. Thread about P-fork upped indie band = guaranteed bickering. But there's also a lot of thoughtful analysis of sounds & sources, class & cultural signifiers, lyrics, etc. And it's been going strong for several days now. Impressive, but baffling.

Is this where I say Whiney OTM? I mean, it's a game of what seem like really small differences, but these guys sound and present themselves and operate very differently from the average indie band. Just in ways that seem natural and subtle enough that they ask for picking-apart.

I mean, I know of several people who Just Aren't Feeling It who saw them when they were first playing live shows, and one of these people just thought "oh, it's some new British pop/rock band" and left, so that seems to happen, too -- but for me, having a band walk onstage, or first grabbing an mp3 off a blog, and having "Mansard Roof" start is like ... honestly not what I would expect to hear from a band in this context, or in these circles.

but these guys sound and present themselves and operate very differently from the average indie band.

I dunno that I buy this. It sounds so sweeping. While sounding in many ways exactly like a lot of other current indie rock, the use of African & ska rhythms & guitar sounds does give VW a unique edge. Plus they reach back to wide-eyed, open-eared 80s indie stuff you don't hear much trace of these days: They Might Be Giants, Violent Femmes, Camper Van Beethoven, etc. That's great, but it doesn't quite set my gears to spinning.

Still, I could see how all the unapologetic posh signifiers might arouse interest, especially from folks used to parsing English pop.

I mean, I know of several people who Just Aren't Feeling It who saw them when they were first playing live shows, and one of these people just thought "oh, it's some new British pop/rock band" and left

the sad thing is britain probably could produce this kind of effete bullshit these days sans guilt, but only relatively recently. to compare them to morrissey (not that i'm a fan but...) is mental.

Don't get "country" and disagree about age (as if soft spots for "sunny campus" music vanish upon graduation), but mostly I'm just ... are we supposed to be shocked and appalled here by indie releases appealing to market fragments that are not all that different from one another in the big picture???

the campus thing is a factor of the country thing: seems to be very american. obviously the uk has campus universities too, but i would think not in the same way. the ones i visited, people were desperate not to be there. i think one should be appalled by indie releases, tbqh though.

Last Nab Post: That, I get. Boils down to the upbeat Afro-pop and ska elements. Unexpected & fresh-sounding. But hardly mind-blowing.

chaki: "i'm chaki, i like ska"

-- Mr. Que, Thursday, January 31, 2008 2:20 PM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

seriously get off my nuts. your obsession with me is bordering on disturbing at this point. the best observation i made in this thread was the urban outfitters thing.

gabbneb, your enthusiasm for this band is downright cute. xoxoxo

guys, people like this band because they write really great and clever pop songs

Haha, who compared them to Morrissey?

I have seen at least one British person, who may or may not have started this message board, saying that he gets and enjoys a "reminded of college" vibe from this, if I'm reading/remembering him correctly.

Contenderizer, that's kinda my point: they play in ways typical of an indie-pop band -- there's no element of musicianship that's leagues away -- but they present differently, and not really because of the African stuff. They totally eschew any of the things bands usually do to give themselves "weight," and yet they're not sentimental/twee, either. They don't do hard and they don't do starry eyes too much. They can coast happily in these spaces that are upbeat but still relaxed, chipper but not entirely pop-focused, and a lot of their songs are things I find it hard to imagine many other bands coming out with. I'm always bad with getting things like this out of my brain, but I really can't think of an act I've heard recently that I can imagine having recorded "Mansard Roof" -- despite the fact that this song is fairly straightforward, not unconventional or anything!

and they're rebellious in a nice way like that old british band that invented rock & roll

i like the tone of their instruments and i like the recording and i like the songs and i like their voices. wheee @ this thread

"chipper"

This is exactly the right word. And agree with gabbneb about the Squeeze-level simple pop greatness of at least a couple tunes.

on the real tip: i don't even hate it, but the dude's voice reminds me of the decemberists dudes voice

He sounds almost exactly nothing like Colin Meloy.

I like their tunes though. It doesn't matter what their influences or background are - they have some tasty melodies and a very nice sense of interlocking rhythms and space in the arrangements.

The dude talking about Sibelius to p4k was pretty goofy though.

So in summary this thread is: Vampire Weekend are a band from New York.

t/s: Vampire Weekend vs. these guys: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8htHuugvEAA

(I think the choice is obvious)

pretty unfair if you're serious

Plus they reach back to wide-eyed, open-eared 80s indie stuff you don't hear much trace of these days: They Might Be Giants, Violent Femmes, Camper Van Beethoven, etc.

OTM.

Wry, quirky bands who were liked by college radio types (also maybe include Dead Milkmen, Mojo Nixon, Feelies) and critics alike, but never really LOVED by critics? Bands that were a fun band for R.E.M. fans and DJs and junior high school kids in gifted class...

I can't IMAGINE any of these bands getting the equivalent of a Spin cover and p'fork "recommended" in their day.

I find their songs to be above average college smart-ass fare. I don't find them to be exceptionally catchy or well-written, but I can't help but feel the indie world has low standards in those categories. I like the dude's guitar playing. As a fan of afro-pop, I sort of think it's cool that they have some afro-pop influence, but the band honestly sounds like they're not all on the same page in this regard.

lol jordan.

?

oh nothing, just the unfair call. carry on.