Music like most art is a matter of taste but some music is clearly superior to others. Babies don't love Mozart because it sucks. They love it because it is beautiful. If you've never heard of Vampire Weekend or only go off their name, you might doubt they could create anything beautiful but their latest album Contra proves quite the contrary.
I will spare you song by song highlights and analysis but I bet if you watch TV commercials you have already heard a couple of their songs used by well-known brands. If you ask anyone under 21 they are bound to know who they are and have some kind of opinion about them.
I was first attracted to their upbeat, face paced tunes, like a fun, flirty crush, but after listening to the entire album and then seeing them in concert, I fell head over heels. The concert, although freezing because it was outdoors in October, had an energy like I've never felt at a concert before and I've been to dozens of concerts.
Since I am getting older, I tend to sit towards the back at concerts now but it gives me a better vantage point for observing the crowd and luckily I had an awesome video camera to capture most of the great moments. I think seeing a band live gives you a much better idea what they are like than a music video or an album cover.
Even if you don't particular enjoy their music, it is easy to see from my video that Vampire Weekend is the voice of what's happening now. Young people can relate to their extremely emotional and cynical lyrics. Their energy is raw, sexual but smart and fun too.
Spin Magazine listed Contra as the 11th album of the year and described Vampire Weekend's brand of indie-rock as "pan-global" and "pan-emotional". I had to look up and then guess at what "pan-emotional" meant but I think it means they are touching on the emotions of many, not just the college crowd, like some may think. I happen to agree with Spin and other music critics. Only time will tell, but I'm betting Vampire Weekend will be around for awhile and will become as notable as Coldplay, U2 and maybe even the Beatles someday.
Thanks for suggesting that I check your post our. I agree that they are good. Time will tell about their longevity. As I listened to them, I thought they had an island reggae feel, but electronically driven. It's a nice contrast to ever cooling weather.
ReplyDeleteThe (not sure if it's a microkorg) keys they use remind me of some of the mid/late 90s Erasure line-up. Of course, there are heavy Paul Simon qualities in both the voice and feel of the music as well. I'm gonna give the album a few more listens in the next few days.
I will say the flirty quality that you describe in the music is very apropos, especially the playfulness of the strings. Of course, these are just my first impressions and I look forward to forming more.
Michael Reinhardt (heavenlybrew)