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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Vampire Weekend. Whether you saw them at ADP or Saint A’s or read the Bwog interview (their first, I think), these four boys were definitely in the business of invigorating the (almost nonexistent) campus music scene.
So here we are, just a little more than a year and a half after their first performance in Lerner’s party space during the SEAS Battle of the Bands (they didn’t win) and the band is riding high. REAL high.
Besides this write-up as “Hot New Kids” on Rolling Stone’s “Hot List,” VW has recently been signed to XL Recordings (joining M.I.A. and the White Stripes, among others), mentioned in the New Yorker, and provided some blog fodder for David Byrne (FUCKING DAVID BYRNE LIKES VAMPIRE WEEKEND!). They just opened for one of two Animal Collective shows at Webster Hall last week and, oh yeah, they’re opening for the Shins(!) in a series of November shows in England and France.
It’s hard not to be happy for Koening C ’06 and company (the band actually incorporated themselves this summer, making them Vampire Weekend, Inc.), but I think it’s safe to say that Bwog is jealous (at least I am). While our rock star dreams might never fade, let’s rejoice in VW’s success. After all, they invented African pop.
-JAG
P.S. IN RAINBOWS! (and a VW cover of “Exit Music (for a film)”)
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@wanktown usa Now… a half-time Radiohead cover of “Walcott” would be pretty, prettay interesting.
@mmmm justin just can’t get enough of that kwassa kwassa
@ugh listen bwog. i am a big VW fan, but its like what, your 1 millionth story on them? and please, stop acting like you personally discovered them or something. you do not have some special right to this band.
@Anonymous Radiohead and Dave Matthews Band have never been good. For the record, Phish is terrible too.
@sure Songwriting is important, but does Radiohead even have that at this point? The last somewhat relevant record they released was in 2001.
Even then, their music is OK at best. Their records are peppered with some interesting moments but they’re not a progressive band or a band that is doing anything that will be seen as MONUMENTAL in twenty years. They’re not This Heat you guys.
But honestly, they’re the thinking man’s DMB. A lot of college kids think they’re super interesting because they use some spooky sounds and sound really melodramatic, while the band sits on it’s huge stacks of money, plays stadiums and reaps all the benefits of being on a major label.
@also they had a mention in NME recently
well done indeed vampire weekend
@yes yes BUT i tend to think that radiohead is be-all end-all of rock music. though i realize how ridiculous that is, their influence is immeasurable.
and In Rainbows is nothing short of wonderful. The bass work on “Nude” is really fantastic.
i think people are too willing to dismiss songwriting these days. just because they don’t hook up their noise machines to the soundboard and make bubble noises (like AC, which i love) doesn’t mean it’s boring. Only Radiohead can get you dancing to a song in 5.
@Honestly Radiohead, barely interesting to begin with, has been boring since The Bends. I’d rather listen to VW any day of the week.
@and yet still more interesting than the latest Radiohead record
@and yes I did steal that line from David Cross, but whatever
@sorry but 1. Radiohead aren’t the end all be all of music kids.
2. In Rainbows is a boring record of songs that have been floating around for (in some cases) almost 10 years. I’d rather listen to the death rattle of my first child. ‘NUFF SAID.
3. Vampire Weekend are the nicest dudes ever
@uhh.... A death rattle is a gurgling or rattle-like noise produced shortly before or after death by the accumulation of excessive respiratory secretions in the throat.
Those who are dying may lose their ability to swallow, resulting in such an accumulation.
@'Nuff not said 1. No one said they were the be-all end-all of music. It’s just that this album has been more than four years in the making, so naturally people are excited.
2. If you want to dislike it then that’s your prerogative, but as far as the 10 years comment goes: “Nude” might be old, but they reworked it with the string section, etc. It is arguably the best track on the album.
3. Well, you got that one right.
@It's about time Bwog stopped ignoring In Rainbows.
@they suck probably one of the worst bands ive ever seen.
@Considering the fact that Bwog had just mentioned David Byrne, who many people also seem to regard as “having invented African pop” much like Al Gore invented the internet, I think this comment was meant to be facetious.
@!!! “After all, they invented African pop.”
!!!?
@seriously I know yorke, the greenwods, etc… didn’t go to columbia, but can bwog please stop pretending that other music matters for the next, let’s say… 72 hours? Thanks.