Vampire WeekEND

What I'd really like to know is who is the magical mystery musical connoisseur who claimed this band to be worthy of the buzz? Vampire Weekend has been in every music magazine I've read since October, been on the infamous Stereogum and Pitchfork, are on the March 2008 cover of Spin as "This Year's Best New Band" and apparently set the mark as the first band to have that cover before releasing a debut CD... how!?

After listening to the record (which by the way is freakin' number #16 on Amazon's music sale list... that's out of EVERY CD they sell...), I get it... they're different. It's what could be referred to as "a refreshing change." I say bullocks.

Friends ask me why people like this band, as if there is a secret they're not sharing like a famous family connection or maybe they own Portugal.

Here is the secret: Today, I was pointed in the direction of this website.

This is extremely pertinent to this record! In fact, I think it should make the list. I know why people like this CD: its black music played by white guys! Sad to say, but it's true. It might not be rap or even close to hip hop, but trust me... the "African influences on the record" say it all. Everyone loves Kanye West, but now its to the point where loving Kanye's music is cliché. Indie kids don't do cliché. Indie kids are individuals. They're different. They're skinny jeans with flats (don't even get us started on that topic). They need to like newer music before everyone else; and once everyone else likes the music, they can't like the music anymore. Vampire Weekend is that new gem that combines new, refreshing sound to the indie scene and black music played by white guys all in one. This is why people love the CD.

They're nothing Earth shatteringly awesome. There's nothing incredible about them that would set them apart from any other indie rock band out there right now trying to make it. No lyrics that are Conor Oberst deep, no catchy hooks that will be this season's Hyundai commercials and none of them look like Adam Levine that could potentially even be the reason why the buzz. Nope, nothing! They're not even giving away free money with their CD that would point to a reason why sales are through the roof. In fact, the record gives you less bang for your buck since most songs are close to a minimalistic 2 minutes long. They are four kids (not joking about kids either, they're like 23) who met in college who said "we don't like the music that's out now... let's make our own!" Shit, it's too bad we're not all inventors.

They wear their brightly colored collegiate sweater sets, bang on drums and maintain the "less is more" indie mentality. How about less... of them. Period. Too harsh?



I have a feeling Vampire Weekend will be classified right up there with The White Stripes and The Strokes that they're this different sound for the times and they're so simplistic that its perfect. I would never compare these guys to either bands! They're just like any other band trying to make it right now in terms of quality of music, the only thing they have going for them is their Ivy League education that spoke to them and said "we need to be the next white band that sings black music to the indie kids." And they did, and there's your buzz reason.