Their self-titled first album put them on the map with other New York based bands such as MGMT, White Rabbits and Matt & Kim.
The band hails from Brooklyn, N.Y. and formed in 2006. That same year they signed with XL Recordings, which is home to musicians such as Radiohead, M.I.A. and Adele. The band garnered a lot of attention when bloggers caught wind of their unusual sound.
They’ve been compared to the equally artistic band The Shins. They’ve made comments describing their sound as “Upper West Side Soweto”
Lead singer Ezra Koenig and drummer Chris Tomson were members of a comedy rap band called “L’ Homme Run”. Rounding out the quartet is Chris Baio as bass guitar and backing vocals and Romtam Batmanglij playing keyboard, guitar and additional backing vocals. All the members of the band meet while attending Columbia State University.
Their debut album was released Jan. 2008. The first single off of the album, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” was released in 2007.
The widely known single “A-Punk” was the second single off the album. It helped the record skyrocket to gold in the following months.
The album was later proclaimed as one of the best of 2008, and there’s arguing with that statement.
Koenig has a mind of his own that seems as though he’s channeling his inner hipster.
No other band can even come close to the sounds that Vampire Weekend creates.
Their new album, Contra, is a very powerful follow-up to the previous album. Instead of staying neutral with their sound, they branched out to more intriguing rhythms. Contra is the band’s first number one on the Billboard 200.
Even though some people believe auto tune is ruining the music industry, track four “California English” features the obstruct sound. Vampire Weekend embraces the intolerable technique and makes it decent.
Koenig experiments with his voice by singing in several different voices.
The first single off the album, “Cousins”, sounds fast paced and lively almost like “A-punk”.
There’s a lot of energy is most of the songs on the Contra album.
They achieved something that most remarkable new bands are unable to achieve, developing an astounding follow-up album.
“Giving up the gun,” the second single from Contra, is exceeding the same exceptions as their previous singles. The song embodies clever guitar riffs.
“Taxi Cab” slows down the fast paced album with its simplicity and smooth vocals. The instant the song plays, a lucid feeling approaches. The song could be mistaken for the work of The Killers, with its humble but artistic lyrics.
Another song on the album, “I think Ur a Contra,” has the sense of simplicity and Koenig’s vocals immediately attract attention.
The first album was enjoyable and displayed their refreshingly new sound. The following album is close to musical bliss. Vampire Weekend now and will forever have a special place in the Indie Playlist of greatness.
Vampire Weekend will be performing in Asheville, N.C. April 6 at the Orange Peel.
Their going to eventually sellout, just wait for it.
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